Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences
Actuarial Practice AS 4426F / AS 9426A
Assignment 2
Introduction
Welcome to your second assignment for the Fall 2024 term of Actuarial Practice AS 4426F / AS 9426A. This assignment relates to the materials that we have covered in the first six weeks of class. You may use the materials from our class, or other online resources (with citations), to prepare your response.
For the purposes of this assignment, we will use the SOA Case Study for the 2024 Design and Accounting Exam. The link to this Case Study is here:U.S. Exam Case Study - Course DA Retirement. The best answers will refer directly to topics/discussions we had in class.
Grading and Deadline
This assignment is worth 30% of your final grade.
This assignment is due on October 29, 2024 at 11:59 PM. Please refer to the course outline for information about late submissions and academic considerations.
Academic Integrity Notice
To maintain the highest standards of academic integrity, please be advised that AI detection tools will be employed to assess the originality of student submissions. This measure is in place to ensure that all work reflects individual understanding and effort. Any submissions identified as being predominantly generated by AI maybe subject to further review and potential academic consequences.
Submission Method
Please submit your assignment to OWL Brightspace. You can find the area for submissions under Assessments. Your submission should be in Microsoft Word format (.docx) .
The following instructions include references to the SOA Case Study mentioned on the prior page. It is recommended that you read these instructions with that context in mind.
Instructions:
You have been tasked with providing senior management with a recommendation regarding the future direction of the National Oil Company (NOC) Pension Plan. All options are on the table from continuing to provide the pension benefits in their current form. to settling the entire pension liability and offering an alternative retirement benefit. For the sake of efficiency, they want you to provide a report that considers the three options that you think are the best, along with a final recommendation.
Senior management is expecting you to present awholistic analysis of the best options available to NOC. Your report should consider, for each option you propose, the following questions
• Financial considerations
o How will pursuing this option change NOC’s cash requirements in the future? Consider regular contributions as well as ongoing expenses.
o How will pursuing this option impact the accounting results of NOC? Consider the immediate and future impacts on accounting.
• Human Resources considerations
o How will pursuing this option impact NOC’s ability to attract and retain talent?
o How will pursuing this option impact an employee’s ability to retire comfortably?
If there any additional considerations that you believe are important, include them in your report for senior management’s consideration. If there are any questions that you think remain to be answered, or would be helpful your analysis, you should explain those as well.
At the beginning of your report, include an executive summary (400-600 words) that encapsulates your key findings and recommendations. This summary should clearly communicate the rationale behind your suggestions and highlight the anticipated benefits for NOC and its stakeholders.