By Craig Relyea, ASA, MAAA
As actuaries, we are accredited members of an organization and subject to professional standards of practice. The Actuarial Standards of Practice (ASOPs) are promulgated by the American Academy of Actuaries and are intended to guide actuaries in their work. While Firefly clients are safe to assume that our actuaries are compliant with these ASOPs and other continuing education requirements, it is important to periodically communicate that we do and why that is significant .
Recently, one of those standards (ASOP 27) was revised. This standard gives guidance on how to select assumptions for measuring pension obligations. A lot of judgment is involved in actuarial work, so this Standard and others are designed to provide the framework within which an actuary should set reasonable assumptions, select appropriate methodology, monitor and evaluate risks, and apply experience in a credible manner.
Everything the actuary does, from a simple email to a full-blown actuarial report, is subject to these Standards of Practice. We take pride in upholding and complying with those standards in our work.
Under NY State Law, the sponsor of a defined benefit plan is required to retain an actuary. Actuaries specialize in measuring risk . An actuary’s role is to guide the Board through the financial risks of sponsoring a defined benefit plan, including the determination of an annual funding contribution, assessing the funded health of the plan, identifying sources of gains/losses, reserving for benefits, cash flow, budgeting and forecasting, changes in demographics, assessing the impact of changes to the plan design, etc.
All this analysis is typically distilled into an actuarial valuation – an annual report that should be signed and certified by an accredited actuary.
Actuaries should be expected to defend their work, because their judgment and assumptions do influence the results. The annual contribution determined by the actuary is basically their opinion of how much is owed to the Trust Fund at that time. And because things change – benefits earned, investment performance, levels of participation, deaths/disability, member terminations – that level of funding changes as well. This is why we might see the contribution and the funded ratio fluctuate year-to-year. Ultimately, the actual experience of the plan will have an impact on the cost. The Actuary is there to help anticipate those risks and assist the Board in accounting for those costs.
It probably goes without saying that a defined benefit pension plan is a long-term arrangement, providing a lifetime benefit. Therefore, consistency in the actuary’s methodology is key. However, and not to be understated, those actuarial methods and assumptions must reasonably reflect anticipated experience. If an actuary employs unrealistic or inappropriate assumptions, you are not only getting poor guidance, but you’re also pinning your financial decisions on it. This is why the Standards are important because, if an actuary follows them – and we are – then there is transparency in the work. And while you may not be an actuary, you should be provided with enough information to assess whether or not the results are reliable.
The types of assumptions an actuary may make (specific to LOSAP) could include investment return, mortality, disability or withdrawal, termination of membership, expenses paid from the plan assets, and more. The selection of these assumptions should be reasonable, meaning appropriate for the purposes of the measurement, consistent with relevant historical data, reflective of future experience, and have no significant bias (not overly optimistic or pessimistic). While this can be difficult to apply a yes/no or pass/fail criterion, the onus is on the actuary to defend and justify their work and their reasoning. Furthermore, if certain expectations are not met, what is the sponsor’s exposure to such risks? Those variations can influence policy and decision making, so it is important for the actuary to provide you with that information and to have those conversations.
Firefly clients receive an annual report that complies with the Actuarial Standards of Practice. This includes ASOP 51, which requires the actuary to disclose the financial impact of certain risks borne by the sponsor. This page of our report, titled “Risk Assessment,” illustrates the impact of investment returns that are higher or lower than the assumed rate of return, and the impact of changes to the underlying assumptions. Additionally, we review our clients’ investment policy and asset allocation against various Long Term Capital Market Assumptions and have discussions with the client’s investment manager. This work is essential to establishing and defending our assumptions , not just for the client but for us as well.
In closing, our clients rely on Firefly actuaries for our expertise, and we strive to meet those expectations.
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