Retirement benefit plan designs can influence the workforce behavior, attracting young new hires and encouraging others to retire or terminate. For example, DROPs (Deferred Retirement Option Plans) may be used to retain older employees. Early Retirement Windows (including potential coordination with Retiree Health enhancements) may incentivize older members to retire. Enhanced Defined Benefit plan provisions and/or Defined Contribution supplemental plans might attract younger people. Additionally, employers covering all or part of member contributions can be utilized as well.

Biases. We all have them and we all deal with them in our work. Whether cognitive, social, or statistical in nature, bias creeps into actuarial work. Is bias bad, or can it be a good thing? Is it neither, and simply something for actuaries to identify, understand, and manage? How do we accomplish that? Join this interactive session as our panelists and audience discuss and debate different types of biases actuaries encounter in our work.

Capital market dynamics change over time, and connect directly to return expectations. Panelists review the impact of rising and falling interest rates and stock pricing multiples on capital market models and expectations for portfolio returns.

Speakers explore technical aspects and implications of service purchase programs in public employee retirement systems.

Recent advancements in the pharmaceutical landscape will revolutionize clinical practice, enhance patient outcomes, and create new financing challenges for health payers. In this CCA health series webinar, learn about the gene therapy boom, emerging results in weight-loss drugs, and strategies pharma-pipeline participants are using to manage costs.

In December 2021, the Actuarial Standards Board (ASB) adopted a revision to Actuarial Standard of Practice (ASOP) No. 4, Measuring Pension Obligations and Determining Pension Plan Costs or Contributions. The revised ASOP No. 4 is effective for any actuarial report that is issued on or after February 15, 2023 and the measurement date in the actuarial report is on after February 15, 2023. The revision to ASOP No. 4 that has received the most attention in the public plan actuarial community is the required calculation and disclosure of a liability referred to by the ASOP as the “Low-Default-Risk Obligation Measure” (LDROM). However, there are other very significant revisions included in the revision to ASOP No. 4 that are worthy of discussion and scrutiny, including the calculation and disclosure of a reasonable actuarially determined contribution “reasonable ADC” and additional guidance regarding amortization methods, funding policy and contribution allocation procedures. Please join us as the speakers discuss all of the revised requirements of ASOP No. 4 – not just the elephant in the room (LDROM requirement).

This session will feature an in-depth analysis of pharmacy cost pressures with a focus on the impact of GLP-1 and Gene Therapy.

In this CCA health series webinar, presenters discuss professionalism topics of interest to healthcare actuaries in an interactive environment including audience polling. Topics may include Actuarial Standards of Practice applicable to healthcare practice, case studies addressing areas of health practice that may pose challenges related to the application of professional standards, or health related topics that have been addressed by the Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline.

The 2023 CCA Annual Meeting concludes with the final remarks of the CCA President, the passing of the gavel to the President Elect, and our closing general session where songwriter Jimmy Yeary leads the audience through his 5 strategies. I FEEL, YOU FEEL: Learn the art of valuable connectivity through authentically feeling what you are speaking, to create instant attraction. This is one of the most valuable leadership tools you can possess. BE AUTHENTICALLY VALUABLE: Lead effectively by meeting that intrinsic need we all have to not feel alone and make relatability one of your greatest assets for initiating powerful relationships within the workforce. SELL TO YOURSELF FIRST: Whether you are selling a product or selling yourself, this technique will enable you to see and feel the sale from the buyer’s perspective. When this is done, you can guarantee a sales pitch drenched in authenticity. and authenticity creates connectivity. YOU PAINT YOUR BACK DOOR, I’LL SEE MINE: Jimmy will show you how the most trivial details of any life can be precisely the pictures needed to create a desired connection. Through hilarious personal stories, you will see how he uses his life to make you see yours. We connect to emotion, not the specific story. Few people have lost someone in Afghanistan and also drives their truck to remember them, yet millions of people gravitated to one of Jimmy’s biggest hits, CMA song of the year, I Drive Your Truck. MONEY WON’T MAKE YOU HAPPY, BUT HAPPY WILL MAKE YOU MONEY: Learn how the power of joy can exponentially improve productivity and hear Jimmy’s techniques to tap into happiness more quickly and how to harness it and improve every aspect of your life, in and out of business.

Captive insurance companies are a risk management tool used in healthcare, pensions, life insurance, and casualty. A panel of experienced practitioners discuss how captive are used in these businesses.

Providers face a multitude of challenges in contracting, particularly in the large variation among payers and lines of business. Commercial populations typically involve a different set of challenges compared to a Medicare Advantage population, and each payer has their own version of contracting. All of these considerations must be addressed by providers, both from a fee-for-service perspective as well as value-based. In this CCA health series webinar, speakers address some of the consistencies and inconsistencies across payers and lines of business, as well as considerations to be made to successfully manage these patients.

While perhaps not a formal Professionalism responsibility, it is nonetheless important that different generations of actuaries continuously learn from each other. We all have learned invaluable lessons from the actuaries that came before us, and we learn important lessons from those that have joined the profession since we did, lessons about technology and societal shifts, among other things. This session will feature a mix of “seasoned” and younger actuaries, who will discuss ways that different generations of actuaries can most effectively learn from each other.

Words matter. This is more important than ever to manage, especially in the world of impersonal email communications and less frequent personal interactions. The speakers address the dos and don'ts of communicating with clients in a more distant work environment, and how to control your messaging to maintain a healthy working relationship.

How can you use Diversity to best serve clients? How can you transform diversity requirements to drive better results for you and your clients? In this CCA cross discipline webinar, presenters discuss these questions and more.

Demography is reshaping the economic and geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. The United States, along with the rest of the developed world, is entering an era of rapid population aging. Will it also be an era of rising fiscal burdens, chronically slow economic growth, and diminished geopolitical stature? China, the world’s “factory floor’ for the past twenty-five years, is now hitting its own demographic wall. Can a demographically graying and shrinking China still be an economically and geopolitically rising China? India, which just overtook China as the world’s most population country, has more favorable demographics. But can it overcome its many economic handicaps to replace China as the engine of global growth? And what about sub-Saharan Africa, which will account for two-thirds of the growth in the world’s working-age population between now and 2050? Speakers explore the implications of these and other global demographic developments for the world economy and world order.

Many discussions around professionalism focus on unusual situations with significant implications that present complex ethical dilemmas, but professionalism can also be a factor in smaller decisions that may fly under the radar. This session will consider how professionalism affects the routine work that consulting actuaries do on a daily basis, including managing relationships with, and the expectations of, their clients.

The Public Plans Community meets to discuss current issues, outlooks, and news. Neither CCA nor Public Plans Community membership is required to attend.

In this CCA health series webinar, presenters discuss current topics in financial reporting including statements of actuarial opinion for appointed actuaries, techniques and considerations for calculating health reserves, regulatory compliance issues, or other current topics of interest to actuaries working with healthcare financial reporting. Perspectives may include those of health plans, employers, auditors, or regulatory actuaries.

The Smaller Actuarial Consulting Firms Community meets to discuss current issues, outlooks, and news. Neither CCA nor Smaller Actuarial Consulting Firms Community membership is required to attend.

This is an open forum on topics of interest to public sector actuaries. The topics are selected by session attendees and may include: funding to surplus; volatility management; impact of higher interest rates on plan design; economic assumptions including ASOP 27; and ASOP 4’s low-default-risk obligation measure (LDROM).

Consulting is a fine line to walk between understanding how to solve client problems and matching the solutions you have to offer. Sometimes the client isn't receptive to a solution that makes sense to you. Sometimes you are being asked to offer solutions or products that don't make sense to the client. During this interactive session, the audience is presented with case studies and asked to discuss the scenario and ways to deal with the tough conversations.

AI is likely to touch much of our personal and professional lives. It’s important to define what AI is (and isn’t) and discuss the potential impact of AI on actuaries across the industry. Will AI be an enhancement to the services we provide, or a replacement? In this CCA cross discipline webinar, perspectives on these and other questions are considered.

Many employers still provide group medical benefits for retirees. For large employers who still cover a substantial number of Medicare Eligible Retirees, more employers are moving towards custom-designed EGWP MA Plans to take advantage of federal subsidies and OPEB valuation considerations. Speakers discuss some of the advantages of using these programs and other topics relevant to employer-sponsored retiree programs. Additional topics may include: other potential benefit options for Medicare-eligible retirees, recent CMS changes, and others. This CCA webinar is included in the health series and the retirement series.

Some public plans allow both affiliation and disaffiliation. Why and how does this happen? What are the typical practices? Come and listen in and/or participate in an in-depth discussion of the complexities of allowing disaffiliation from public pension plans, particularly for a plan in an underfunded position.

Confidence in yourself and your work can be imperative for both success and happiness in your professional life. The Women in Consulting Community is excited to host a session at the CCA Annual Meeting on this important topic that was also the latest focus of our book club. Through our book club discussions, we found the concept of ‘confidence’, particularly with women, has many layers and everyone has something to share and learn. We hope you can join us for an engaging panel discussion to hear speakers’ personal experiences on confidence and how we can build confidence in ourselves and the women around us. All are welcome to attend this session and we look forward to providing an engaging, interactive discussion. Neither CCA nor Women in Consulting Community membership is required to attend.

Total rewards is one of an employer’s largest cash outlays. Is it a cost of doing business or is it an investment in the business? Senior HR leaders share their thoughts on how they maximize the value of their total rewards programs.

"The session will cover several challenging professionalism scenarios using an interactive format with audience polling, and a mix of role-playing and presentation formats. The focus will be on applications of the Code of Professional Conduct along with ASOPs, ABCD and others as applicable. The scenarios will include background on the issue, potential precepts or other considerations that may apply, audience polling on potential outcomes, and panelist discussion regarding which outcomes may or may not be correct (recognizing that there may not always be a truly correct outcome)."

This interactive session covers real-life client situations where panelists have written their own case studies and share their experiences, recommendations, and make reference to ASOPs and Precepts. This session is designed to engage the audience and challenge viewpoints on professionalism and ethics. There are prizes for engagement.

In this CCA health series webinar, presenters discuss current topics in employee benefits, including health benefit plan design, network offerings, stop-loss, health captives, innovations in cost containment, or other current topics of interest to actuaries working with employers and their health plans. Topics may include actuaries, health plans, employers, or other industry experts.

Social Security is a critical component of the country's retirement system, and in fact provides the greatest share of retirement income for many retired workers. The last major reform legislation in 1983 acted to raise tax revenue and increase retirement ages over time with the intent of building a reserve that would secure the system into the 2060s. Due to a number of factors, this reserve is rapidly being drawn down, and current projections indicate that the trust fund will be depleted around 2034. Absent another round of substantial reform legislation, current law requires an estimated 25% cut in promised benefits for current and future recipients to align benefit payouts to current payroll tax income. While nobody realistically expects drastic benefit cuts, political compromise in this area has proved very difficult. SO, what can we realistically expect to happen? Join us for this CCA retirement series webinar to learn more.

Selecting an insurer to transfer pension obligations to carries significant fiduciary weight. In this CCA retirement series webinar, speakers discuss developments surrounding fiduciary obligations related to pension risk transfer transactions.

Now that ARPA has provided a lifeline to sinking plans, presenters examine various potential approaches to enhancing the stability of multiemployer plans, and try to predict how those approaches might influence future trends. Speakers discuss both hypothetical strategies, and real world examples that illustrate how plans are proactively working to address the risks and concerns of their stakeholders.

Gain a view into a non-traditional liability duration hedging including lessons from the UK and how might pension risk managers apply these strategies in the future.

Come to engage in a group discussion with your fellow multiemployer practitioners on the hot topics that affect your consulting practice. While forum leaders will suggest topics, please bring your own burning questions as well.

Come to engage in a group discussion with your fellow multiemployer practitioners on the hot topics that affect your consulting practice. While forum leaders will suggest topics, please bring your own burning questions as well.

In this Monday multiemployer tradition, panelists present opposing views of various topics where there may be no absolutely right answer, and you get to decide who's most correct.

A potpourri of timely and relevant topics on withdrawal liability including: update on withdrawal liability interest rate assumptions, Building & Construction Industry withdrawals, offsets from partial withdrawals against later partial and complete withdrawals, two-pool withdrawal liability structures, and relevant Form 5500 changes.

Come participate in a deep dive into pension challenges in M&A selling from diligence to execution. What are the financial and operational implications of pension plans across the world? Speakers discuss assessing accounting impact on the deal including key differences in accounting standards, assumption setting, impact of operational challenges related to pension on deal timeline and execution.

Models play an increasingly important role in analyzing and funding pension funds. Model risk management has become an important component in actuarial practice with respect to these funds. In this CCA retirement series webinar, our focus is on how ASOP 56 guides an actuary in reviewing models and best practices for proper model management.

In 2014 the CCA published the definitive white paper on actuarial funding policies and practices for public pension plans. The CCA Public Plans Community is currently revising the white paper to reflect practical experience with white paper model practices as well as new ASOP requirements. Panelists discuss the proposed revisions.

Expectations are a powerful force and therefore managing them is key to a consulting actuary’s success. Join the Leadership Development Community interactive workshop to learn and practice how to manage expectations to improve your success as a consultant/leader/team member/human. Neither CCA nor Leadership Development Community membership is required to attend.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, along with machine learning and other forms of AI, are increasing across the actuarial profession. How does the growing use of these emerging technologies intersect with the Code of Professional Conduct and the Actuarial Standards of Practice? How does the role and responsibility of an Actuary change when using these innovations to either enhance or replace decades of entrenched and time-tested practices? This session will explore these questions, while highlighting the opportunities and challenges faced by consulting actuaries supplying their services in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Speakers discuss a variety of HR topics to address when standing-up a carve-out of a global business to create a new company, from legal entities and employment types to challenges of replicating employee terms and conditions including compensation and benefits programs.

CCA has made available a new member benefit, called the “Orange Book”. The Orange Book is similar to the old Gray and Blue Books, except without government involvement. Through the Orange Book, a panel of experienced practitioners provide thoughts and potential answers, along with rationale for the potential answers, on uncertain regulatory issues. This CCA retirement series webinar will cover some of the first questions addressed by the panel.

The pension investment environment is continuously evolving. Speakers cover emerging views and approaches in liability-driven investing, risk transfer and the use of non-liquid alternatives. Presenters also review the pros and cons of the recently controversial ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) investment approach.

The CCA Healthcare Community meets to discuss current issues, outlooks, and news. Neither CCA nor Healthcare Community membership is required to attend.

The incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion in corporate culture is a global movement. But how is diversity viewed globally? What approaches to increased diversity have global companies taken? What is the intersection of professionalism and DE&I? Speakers from consulting and corporate environments discuss these issues and how approaches to DE&I differ globally.

Financial economists have long advocated that retirement investing be done using fixed income, given that retirement commitments are generally fixed. This argument relies on a presumption that equity risk increases rather than decreases over time. But -- is this really true? Aren't economies and capital markets cyclical, with at least some reversion-to-mean tendencies? If so, how does that affect the stock vs. bond decision for funding long-term retirement commitments?

Deeply troubled multiemployer plans got a helping hand with the Special Finance Assistance program. Now assistance is arriving and insolvency in plans is no longer imminent. Actuaries and investment professionals discuss investment strategies.

In this CCA retirement series webinar, speakers discuss what they have learned since the implementation of ASOP 51, and best practices for properly meeting the ASOP requirements.

The Public Plans Community meets to discuss current issues, outlooks, and news. Neither CCA nor Public Plans Community membership is required to attend.

Panelists review the Internal Revenue Code and other federal regulations that apply to public plans and their members. Recent changes, proposed legislation, and notable litigation are also addressed.

The CCA Women in Consulting Community meets to discuss current issues, outlooks, and news during breakfast. Neither CCA nor community membership is required to attend.

Speakers address some of the key aspects of mergers and acquisitions affected by the integration of environmental and social governance in decision making.

Data analytics and Artificial Intelligence are increasingly used in actuarial work. Our panelists discuss how these tools are used in everyday, practical actuarial applications.

Gender equity is often looked at through a single lens of pay, career or leadership representation although the underlying factors that lead to gender inequities are multi-faceted. In this session, presenters look at gender wealth inequity which is an overlooked but long-standing issue affecting women. They explain what gender wealth equity is and the need for developing a multidimensional approach to elevate gender wealth equity. They also share surprising country comparisons and insights from a collaboration between WTW and the World Economic Forum that may give you a new appreciation around the need for global action. A live panel discussion brings the research and actions to life.