Chris Stroud is a retirement services industry consultant who provides services through Simoneaux & Stroud Consulting Services (SCS). SCS is a firm offering consulting services to for-profit companies providing retirement services and to non-profit organizations. Ms. Stroud operates out of SCS’s primary location in Marco Island, FL.
Ms. Stroud has worked in the retirement services industry since 1978. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Mathematics and a minor in Education. Ms. Stroud’s professional designations include Member of the American Society of Pension Actuaries (MSPA), a member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA), and Enrolled Actuary (EA).
Ms. Stroud served as President of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) in 2006-2007. She served as an ASPPA Educational Programs Advocate and she was the Editor of The ASPPA Journal for more than 10 years. Ms. Stroud has volunteered her services in various capacities to assist ASPPA, including Chair of the Technology Committee, Chair of the ASPPA Journal Committee, Treasurer of the Finance & Budget Committee, Chair of the ASPPA Management Team, Chair of the ASPPA Nominating Committee and Co-Chair of The ASPPA 401(k) SUMMIT. Ms. Stroud is also a member of the ASPPA Benefits Council of South Florida, NIPA and the Women in Pensions Network (WiPN). Ms. Stroud currently co-authors a regular column on Best Practices in the Journal of Pension Benefits.
Ms. Stroud was employed for more than 20 years by Financial Data Planning Corporation (FDP), a technology firm in Miami, FL, specializing in software for the employee benefits, life insurance and financial planning industries. In later years, she served as a Corporate Officer and as Vice President of Pension Sales and Marketing, where she oversaw all sales and marketing functions for the employee benefits software division. FDP entered into a merger with SunGard in 1999, and Ms. Stroud remained employed by SunGard until forming her own company a few years later. She continued her relationship with SunGard by providing consulting services to them for several years.
Ms. Stroud has published articles and spoken locally and nationally on various topics related to retirement plans, actuarial science, employee benefits software systems and TPA best practices, as well as on topics related to communication, customer service, management and leadership, strategic planning and teambuilding. Her years of experience include management experience in a private corporation environment and a public corporation environment and volunteer and leadership experience with several professional organizations. Prior to her career in retirement services and actuarial consulting, Ms. Stroud taught mathematics for two years. Subsequently, she has volunteered time as a “Literacy Buddy” and tutoring children in mathematics. She also speaks in schools regarding career opportunities in mathematics, actuarial science and employee benefits. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, boating, travelling and reading.
