In November 1997 the World Bank and Singapore's Institute of Policy Studies sponsored a conference, 'Financing Health Care and Old Age Security, ' to assess and identify potential solutions to these concerns. It addressed a topic of concern to nearly every country, developing and industrial, that is, how to deal with the implications of financing medical care and income security for rapidly aging populations. The issues identified and the solutions proposed can provide insight and guidance for policymakers, researchers, and others interested in addressing these challenges now. Of special interest are the contributors' analyses of Singapore's unique, integrated approach to managing social risk, which is based on mandatory individual savings accounts