Vanessa Vaag is a principal and consulting actuary with the Little Falls, New Jersey Employee Benefits Practice of Milliman. She joined the firm in 1994.
Vanessa specializes in corporate retirement plan consulting. Areas of expertise include all aspects of design, administration, valuation, and consulting on defined benefit plans, supplemental executive plans, and retirement incentive programs. Client assignments include ongoing plan valuation and administration, GAAP and SSAP financial accounting, governmental CAS valuations, budgeting and cost projections, legislative compliance, and design and redesign of benefit plans. She has extensive experience with asset-liability forecasts and de-risking strategies, plan terminations, and is an active member of Milliman’s international merger and acquisition team.
Publications and Presentations
Vanessa regularly speaks before professional and client groups. Her clients have included public entities, hospitals, and other not-for-profit organizations, professional organizations, and international corporations.
Professional Designations
Fellow, Society of Actuaries
Member, American Academy of Actuaries
Enrolled Actuary, ERISA
Education
BS (summa cum laude), Mathematics and Economics, Muhlenberg College
We present three alternatives to terminating a DB plan in order to reduce risk, minimize accounting surprises, and support plan participants’ long-term security.
In lieu of terminating a DB pension plan, we present seven alternative strategies to help plan sponsors address concerns and preserve participant retirement security.
With the U.S. Federal Reserve likely to start cutting interest rates in 2024, we discuss six ways defined benefit plan sponsors can prepare for the impact.
30 August 2022 - by Charles J. Clark, Vanessa Vaag
After the passage of Secure 2.0 and other legislation, we think a higher cash-out limit could benefit both plan sponsors and participants in some cases.
02 August 2021 - by Vanessa Vaag, Charles J. Clark
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Notice 2021-48 has been released with compliance guidance under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) for single employer defined benefit (DB) pension plan sponsors and their U.S. tax-qualified retirement plan advisors.
19 April 2021 - by Charles J. Clark, Vanessa Vaag, Grant Camp
This podcast episode explores how the American Rescue Plan Act may impact single and multiemployer pension plans, and what plan sponsors should consider when taking potential action as a result of ARPA.
29 December 2020 - by Bret Linton, Vicki Mazzie, Vanessa Vaag
In addition to annual funding for the federal government and provisions on economic stimulus necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, enacted on December 27, includes temporary relief from the minimum vesting standards tax rules for employer-sponsored retirement plans- both defined contribution and defined benefit pension plans.
