RPEC 2026 Mortality Improvement Update

RPEC 2026 Mortality Improvement Update: What Actuaries Need to Know

What do the latest U.S. mortality trends mean for retirement plans and longevity assumptions?

In this episode of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute's Research Insights Podcast, host Kara Clark, Senior Research Actuary, welcomes Patrick Wiese, ASA, Modeling Researcher at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, and Martin W. Hill, FSA, MAAA, FCA, Chairperson of the Retirement Plans Experience Committee (RPEC) Mortality Improvement Subcommittee, to discuss findings from the RPEC 2026 Mortality Improvement Update.

The conversation explores the continued decline in excess mortality following the COVID-19 pandemic, why MP-2021 is considered a reasonable best-estimate mortality improvement scale for ages 65 and older, and why RPEC does not plan to release a new mortality improvement scale in 2026.

Listeners will also gain insights into mortality differences across age groups, emerging trends in mortality improvement, and how international approaches may help inform future actuarial assumptions.

Listen to the episode to discover what these findings mean for pension actuaries, plan sponsors, and professionals evaluating retirement obligations.

Explore the full RPEC 2026 Mortality Improvement Update: https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/rpec-mortality-improvement-update/

Visit www.SOA.org for additional mortality and longevity research from the Society of Actuaries Research Institute.