Actuaries Live for Mortality

In this weekend’s Kitces.com Weekend Reading for Financial Planners (July 5-6), Adam Van Deusen discusses three articles concerning the importance of selecting reasonable lifetime planning period assumptions when decumulation planning, as well as stress-testing these assumptions when measuring longevity and mortality risks. He says,

“Ultimately, the key point is that creating a plan based on how long a client will live is most effective when both mortality and longevity risk factors are considered. Actuarial science offers tools that can help advisors assess these considerations so that they can adjust mortality assumptions and longevity expectations as part of an ongoing process of monitoring and updating a plan. And by making these adjustments collaboratively and regularly, advisors can help clients develop a relevant and realistic strategy to manage their mortality and longevity risks as they journey into retirement!”

We totally agree with Mr. Van Deusen, and in this post, we will highlight the mortality/longevity related actuarial tools in our “Actuarial Approach” website that can be of value to advisors and their clients.

Should Your Plan Anticipate Future Social Security Benefit Cuts?

In light of the recent release of the 2025 OASDI Trustees Report, there has been considerable news concerning Social Security’s financial status and the possibility that if Congress does not act prior to the projected exhaustion of the trust fund (2033 for OASI and 2034 for OASDI), benefits may effectively be reduced in the first full year of trust fund exhaustion by about 20% (for OASDI) or about 23% (for OASI). Reductions could increase in subsequent years absent any action by Congress.