Ryan Cook
FSA, EA, CERA, MAAA
Consulting Actuary
Boise, ID, US
Ryan Cook is the lead and co-lead actuarial consultant for over a dozen clients at Milliman, including single-employer corporate pension and OPEB plans and public pension and OPEB plans.
Experience
Client Projects
- Funding valuations (PPA, PBGC, VEBA, and ADC)
- Accounting valuations (ASC 715/960 and GASB 67/68/73/74/75)
- Government filings (Forms 5500, PBGC Forms 10, and PBGC premium filings)
- Experience studies
- Deterministic and stochastic projections
- Plan change/design studies
- Plan de-risking studies
- Plan terminations
- Benefit calculations
Other Work
- Serve as co-lead actuary in the development of Milliman's online projection tool
- Develop and manage various firmwide Excel-based tools
- Serve as ProVal expert within Milliman
- Conduct firmwide training sessions
Publications and Presentations
- Article: IBM saves billions by reopening its pension plan – Could other companies do the same?
- Monthly publications of the Milliman Pension Buyout Index
- Assist with annual publications of the Corporate Pension Funding Study and monthly publications of the Corporate Pension Funding Index
- Podcast: Could pensions save big this year? Experts weigh in on 2023 PBGC premiums
- Article: Should you switch to the standard method to calculate your 2023 PBGC premiums?
- Article: What made 2021 such a big year for pension risk transfers?
- Article: How the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 can impact corporate pension plans: Four case studies
- Article: Navigating retirement risks
Professional Designations
- Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA)
- Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA)
- Enrolled Actuary (EA)
- Certified Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA)
Education
- Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Idaho
Publications
Read their latest work
Article
2025 Corporate Pension Funding Study
30 April 2025 - by Zorast Wadia, Alan Perry, Ryan Cook
The funded percentage of the 100 largest corporate pension plans entered surplus territory in 2024, fueled by higher discount rates.
Article
Milliman Pension Buyout Index April 2025
29 April 2025 - by Ryan Cook, Jake Pringle
Estimated competitive retiree buyout cost, as a percentage of accounting liability, increased by 80 bps from 101.7% to 102.5% during March.
Article
Retiree annuity purchases—finding value
28 April 2025 - by Ryan Cook
While retiree annuity purchases can offer significant savings and de-risking, plan sponsors need to carefully consider all of the potential costs.
Article
Milliman Pension Buyout Index March 2025
24 March 2025 - by Ryan Cook, Jake Pringle
Estimated competitive retiree buyout cost, as a percentage of accounting liability, increased by 10 bps from 101.6% to 101.7% during February.
Article
Milliman Pension Buyout Index February 2025
24 February 2025 - by Jake Pringle, Ryan Cook
Estimated competitive retiree buyout cost, as a percentage of accounting liability, increased by 20 bps from 101.4% to 101.6% during January.
Article
Milliman Pension Buyout Index January 2025
22 January 2025 - by Jake Pringle, Ryan Cook
Estimated competitive retiree buyout cost, as a percentage of accounting liability, increased by 20 bps from 101.2% to 101.4% during December.
Article
Milliman Pension Buyout Index December 2024
19 December 2024 - by Jake Pringle, Ryan Cook
Estimated competitive retiree buyout cost, as a percentage of accounting liability, stayed level at 101.2% during November
Article
Milliman Pension Buyout Index November 2024
21 November 2024 - by Jake Pringle, Ryan Cook
Estimated competitive retiree buyout cost, as a percentage of accounting liability, decreased by 50 bps from 101.7% to 101.2% during October.
Article
Milliman Pension Buyout Index October 2024
21 October 2024 - by Jake Pringle, Ryan Cook
Estimated competitive retiree buyout cost, as a percentage of accounting liability, increased by 90 bps from 100.8% to 101.7% during September.
Article
Milliman Pension Buyout Index September 2024
13 September 2024 - by Jake Pringle, Ryan Cook
Estimated competitive retiree buyout cost, as a percentage of accounting liability, decreased by 170 bps from 102.5% to 100.8% during August.