The December2012/January 2013 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

The April/May 2013 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

The April/May 2013 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

A number of problematic issues have arisen in anticipation of the potential role of molecular tests for genetic predispositions to illness in risk assessment by insurance underwriters. We argue in this paper that the regrettable history and current risks of genetic discrimination warrant a presumption that genetic predisposition status should not be used in any nonmedical contexts, unless compelling evidence can demonstrate that serious harm will result in third-party interest without such use. We argue that insurers should not be able to initiate testing for genetic predisposition. We also argue that there are many reasons to doubt whether patients' test results will result in such serious adverse selection as to cause substantial harm to insurance markets, except possibly at higher policy amounts in life or disability income insurance. We conclude that the burden of proof must be on insurers to demonstrate necessity of use in specific cases in which test availability shows high probability of imminent, serious harm to insurance markets.

A review of the book "The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty" by Dan Ariely. The book is about lying, cheating, stealing, and shaving the truth -- something done by everybody, but the factors influencing this can be a bit surprising.

Actuaries and the Actuarial profession have an obligation to act in the public interest. It is not enough to pass exams, keep current and do "good actuarial work.” Both Science and public service must be reflected in all of our activities...The intent of this article is to clarify what "acting in the public service” means for actuaries, particularly U.S. actuaries. It emphasizes the importance (necessity) of examining the "public interest" in everything we do ... and to warn the public where we have concerns. ...Acting in the public interest (a requirement for any profession or professional, is critical to the profession's future reputation and relevance.

This second article about ethical decision making for actuaries focuses on practical issues confronting ethical decision makers and offers some possible solutions.

This abstract describes a presentation that gives an appreciation of the Fellowship Admission Course.

Account of a joint colloquium of three International Actuarial Association sections. The overall theme of the event was "The Actuarial Profession and Social and Economic Development."

A series of brief case studies are used to highlight professionalism issues that may be encountered by any actuary. They are discussed by the panel and members of the audience. Session # 28 IF of the Society of Actuaries Sept. 2010 Valuation Actuary Symposium in Chicago.