On April 29, 2026, the Retirement Practice Community (RPC) held a topic call for Community members to learn more about how to get involved with the Community through subgroup membership. RPC Chair, Chris Teh, introduced the new Community structure and volunteer leaders of the four current subgroups, outlined the current state of their subgroup and their vision of how these important groups will evolve and grow.
A summary of the material presented is below. Details on how to join a subgroup to stay engaged and involved are included at the end of the article.
Retirement Practice Research Subgroup
Historically, the SOA’s Retirement Section has been one of the most active drivers of valuable research. With the recent change to Communities, much of the research is now produced at the SOA level. However, the RPC remains one of the most active sponsors of research.
Research subgroup co-leads David Cantor and Grant Martin outlined the steps involved in developing an idea for research, presenting that idea to the Retirement Practice Community Advisory Team, and moving that idea through the SOA to execution and completion. The presentation highlighted the longevity protection work recently completed and outlined projects currently in process:
- Use of illiquid assets in pension plans,
- AI automation impact on employment and investment, and
- a survey of use of lifetime income features in DC plans
Volunteer opportunities are available to help generate ideas for research, write proposals, and participate in Project Oversight Groups (POGs), which oversee research projects from inception to completion.
Private Retirement Programs Subgroup
Retirement programs sponsored by corporations, not-for-profit entities, and in recent years smaller employers, have long been one of the core areas serviced by retirement actuaries. As this has changed over time, plan sponsors and their plans’ participants and advisors have faced new challenges. Mark Shemtob, who leads this subgroup, highlighted a few of the issues that have been identified for the Private Programs Subgroup including:
- The impact of annuity insurers being purchased by private equity firms,
- the role of financial advisors in helping plan participants manage investment and longevity risk, and
- solutions for overfunded frozen DB plans
The Private Retirement Plans subgroup seeks to identify additional topics to explore and outside experts to present and facilitate discussions. The Private Retirement Programs Subgroup currently meets the first Monday of each month.
Public Retirement Programs Subgroup
The Public Programs Subgroup continues the work of the Social Insurance and Public Finance (SIPF) Section.
In the past the work of this group included webinars on expected return assumptions as well as generating industry support for the development of public sector mortality tables. Future Public Programs Subgroup activities include:
- Topic calls to discuss Issue Briefs and Practice Notes from the Academy,
- discussion of Exposure Drafts and Revised Standards from the ASB, and
- any other developments impacting public sector plans
The Public Retirement Programs Subgroup, led by Paul Angelo, meets the third Wednesday of each month and has been active for several months.
Multiemployer Program Subgroup
The Multiemployer Program Subgroup serves the needs of the vast and diverse network of plans that are sponsored by labor unions and related organizations. The array of these plans is wide-ranging and the obligations of the retirement actuaries servicing them are evolving. The purpose of this subgroup is to provide actuaries servicing multiemployer programs with tools to enhance the level of service they provide.
The subgroup plans to address topics that include:
- The results and impact of the M&K Employment Solutions vs. IAM National Pension Fund decision expected from the Supreme Court soon,
- continuing focus on the ARPA Special Funding Assistance and management of those assets, and
- the continued expansion and use of hybrid and risk-sharing designs
The Multiemployer Public Retirement Programs Subgroup, unlike the other subgroups, did not grow out of an existing structure. Subgroup leader Hal Tepfer is seeking additional volunteers to help lead the subgroup and determine how the subgroup will meet and disseminate information.
How to Join a Subgroup
To join one or more of these exciting groups doing important work for the Retirement Practice Community, follow the steps below:
- Go to the SOA My Community Page (You must be logged in to SOA.org to access this page.)
- Communities are listed in alphabetical order. Scroll down to the Retirement Practice Community to see the list of subgroups.
- Select the subgroup(s) you want to join.
- Click the Save button located at the top of the page on the right side.
- You will be added to the email listserv for the subgroups you have chosen and receive personalized emails to join subgroup events.
- You can revisit this page at any time to join or leave Communities and subgroups.
Have an idea for another subgroup? The RPC Advisory Team will consider ideas submitted through the Community Subgroup Request Form. Requirements include identifying a total of three RPC members to volunteer to lead the subgroup.
We look forward to having you join, participate, and volunteer to make the Retirement Practice Community the most vibrant Community in the SOA.
This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only. Neither the Society of Actuaries nor the respective authors’ employers make any endorsement, representation or guarantee with regard to any content, and disclaim any liability in connection with the use or misuse of any information provided herein. This article should not be construed as professional or financial advice. Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries or the respective authors’ employers.