Ben Ablin, an associate actuary in Horizon’s Washington, DC office, recently completed the educational requirements necessary to earn the designation of Enrolled Actuary.
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Congratulations to Ben on this great accomplishment!

Stephanie Patrick, a consulting actuary in Horizon’s Atlanta office, recently completed the educational requirements necessary to earn the designation of Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
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Congratulations (belatedly) to Stephanie on this great accomplishment!

We are proud to be hosting our third annual reception for our clients and friends at the 56th Annual Conference of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Third Annual IFEBP Reception
Hosted by Horizon Actuarial Services, LLC
Monday November 15, 2010
7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Moana Surfrider Resort
Diamond Lawn and Terrace
2365 Kalakaua Avenue
Casual attire • Heavy Hors D’oeuvres • Open bar • Live music

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RSVP to RSVP@horizonactuarial.com
For further information, contact Elizabeth Wagster
615-495-8969 or elizabeth.wagster@horizonactuarial.com

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>> PRINTER-FRIENDLY INVITATION <<

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We are pleased to announce that five consultants from Horizon Actuarial will be presenting at the56th Annual Conference of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans (IFEBP).  The 56th Annual Conference will be held from Sunday, November 14 through Wednesday, November 17, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Cary Franklin
Session 311: Funding Plans in a Declining Industry (SPEAKER)
Analyzing the demographics and statistics of the plan • Managing negative cash flow • Partitioning: What is it, and how is it done? • Identifying and exploring various options • A look at a case study
1 Tuesday, 7:00 – 8:15 a.m.
2 Tuesday, 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Stan Goldfarb
Session 351: Round Table – FASB Disclosure Requirements (PANELIST)
This round table discussion will cover new FASB disclosure requirements for employers participating in multiemployer plans.  The discussion will include perspectives from employer trustees, accountants, and actuaries.
1 Monday, 10:00 – 11:15 a.m.
2 Tuesday, 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Session OF1: Open Forum – Ask the Actuary (PANELIST)
1 Tuesday, 10:00 – 11:15 a.m.

Jason Russell
Session 508: Is Your Investment Assumption Return Still Reasonable? (CO-SPEAKER)
This panel discussion will cover varying perspectives and address • An overview of the challenges in the economy and capital markets • Review of how assumptions impact pension funding • What is the reasoning for assuming returns above 6%, per year? Is it irresponsible? • What needs to be considered when setting an assumption rate? • How often can it or should it be changed? • Time periods and obstacles • Recent trends
1 Monday, 6:45 – 8:00 a.m.
2 Wednesday, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.

Aruna Vohra
Session 207: Ten Steps to Healing a “Sick” Health Plan (PANELIST)
• Developing a data dashboard for trustees • What the data does and doesn’t tell you • Addressing quality and outcomes • Curbing costs before they start • Managing diseases • Determining effective networks and pricing • Changing behaviors • Plan provisions • Great ideas you can implement
1 Monday, 10:00 – 11:15 a.m.
2 Tuesday, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.

Larry Weitzner
Session 706: Selecting and Transitioning to a New Administrator (PANELIST)
• Selecting a new administrator • Time frame for making a transition • Communication to stakeholders • Transition of data and paper records • Data conversion and verification • Use of an administrative committee or the trust co-chairs
1 Tuesday, 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.

Session P-ACCT2: Pension Plans – New Challenges and Issues (PANELIST)
• Cash vs. accrual basis of accounting • Calculation of the liability • Handling withdrawal liability • What should be recorded? What should be reserved? • Auditor responsibilities • Communication issues with clients and the impact of drastically changing standards – Footnote disclosures – Audit opinions
1 Monday, 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.

[originally posted September 22, 2010; updated October 15, 2010]

On Monday, September 27, 2010, Cary Franklin spoke at the annual conference of the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans (NCCMP) in Hollwood, Florida.  Cary, an actuary and managing consultant in Horizon’s Los Angeles office, delivered a presentation on the Pension Relief Act of 2010 and its effect on multiemployer pension plans.

Charlie Storke, an attorney from Trucker Huss, and Josh Shapiro, an actuary from the NCCMP, joined Cary in delivering the presentation.
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The presentation discussed the evolution of the funding relief provisions over the past several months before eventually being signed into law on June 25, 2010.  It also discussed certain areas where the law is ambiguous and where guidance from the IRS may be needed in order to apply the special funding relief rules.











Cary Franklin (center) discusses the Pension Relief Act of 2010 at the 2010 NCCMP annual conference with Charlie Storke (left) and Josh Shapiro (right).

Kevin Culp, a consulting actuary in Horizon’s Washington, DC office, recently completed the educational requirements necessary to earn the designation of Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.

​Congratulations to Kevin on this great accomplishment!

The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC), the International Council of Employers of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (ICE-BAC), and the Finishing Contractors Association (FCA) held three days of meetings with federal lawmakers, regulators, and federal procurement leaders in Washington, D.C. from May 3-5, 2010.

Horizon’s Cary Franklin and Stan Goldfarb were among the speakers at the conference, and they discussed issues facing multiemployer pension plans such as possible funding relief and FASB disclosure issues.  The following is an excerpt  from the MCAA’s May/June, 2010 bulletin regarding the topics discussed by Cary and Stan.



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“Cary Franklin of Horizon Actuarial Services discussed pension funding relief, noting that extended authorization relief makes sense because it realigns funding requirements with funding policies, gives the same end result at 30 years, and eliminates the need to frontload pension funding.
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“His colleague with Horizon Actuarial, Stan Goldfarb, covered the proposed new FASB draft proposal on disclosure of multiemployer defined benefit plan liability.  Expected new requirements may include a new footnote disclosure of potential withdrawal liability and other quantitative and qualitative funding information.  He emphasized that this is not the same as balance sheet recognition. Discussions and questions focused on the substan substantial detriment the FASB proposal poses for contributing employers and potential impairment to access to both surety and financial credit. Moreover, discussion focused on the practical infeasibility of the new FASB disclosures.”

Jonathan Feldman, a consulting actuary in Horizon’s Washington, DC office, recently completed the educational requirements necessary to earn the designation of Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
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Congratulations to Jonathan on this great accomplishment!

Effective November 23, 2009 -
We are pleased to announce the move to our new Los Angeles office located at:

5200 Lankershim Boulevard, Suite 740
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Our new office telephone and fax numbers are as follows:
Office: 818-691-2000       Fax: 818-691-2001

Our e-mail addresses have not changed.
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The build-out of our new Los Angeles office was completed entirely with Union labor.