Presentations from the SOA 08 Annual Meeting that reviewed the 2008 Presidential election from the perspective of each candidate’s platform and comparing and contrasting what this means to the various stakeholders in the health system. High level presentation with some detailed polling opinions.

This survey of emerging risks attempts to track the risk manager population‘s thoughts about emerging risks across time. The top 4 emerging risks from this third iteration of the survey are: 1. US current account deficit/fall in US dollar. 2. Blow up in asset prices/excessive indebtedness. 3. Oil price shock/energy supply interruptions. 4. Chinese economic hard landing.

Research report describing the results of an Emerging Risks Survey conducted in 2010. This survey attempts to track the thoughts of risk managers about emerging risks across time. The new top five are: 1. Fall in value of US Dollar. 2. International terrorism. 3. Chinese economic hard landing. 4. Oil price shock. 5. Failed and failing states.

Research report describing the results of an Emerging Risks Survey conducted in November 2008. Emerging risks can be thought of from two perspectives: completely new risks that have never been seen before, and risks that are evolving in unexpected ways.

In the past, we have seen changes to regulations which have been perceived to negatively impact pensions. However, during the euro crisis, we have seen governments undertake austerity measures which dramatically reduce pension benefits in a way never seen before in Europe, at times even going as far as to confiscate pension assets in order to fill government coffers.

In this article, the author discusses the partisan politics in Taiwan, including its impact on the country's national health care system.

Response to Life Insurance 2020 Foresight – A Call for Essays. An essay stating the author’s vision for the future of the life insurance sector.

In this article the author concludes that “terrorism may foster a sense of conservatism that we may now need in the marketplace. Now that policy may have to be changed. In the process, risk will become better understood, common sense can replace, to some extent, the irrational behavior or excessive risk taking of the past and we will all appreciate our financial situation much more, and won’t expose ourselves to unrealistic expectations as much Hopefully the actuarial profession can respond to the challenge, since we are the best qualified to quantify such risks in the marketplace.”

What The Markets Should Reflect From The Victory In Iraq - A Candian’s Perspective

Review of Entering the Twenty-First Century, prepared by the Council on Environmental Quality and .the Department of State. A severe picture of the world at the turn of the century is presented.