Description: Learn various ways that actuaries are an making an impact on social issues such as healthcare, public health and climate change. Do you ever wonder if the actuarial profession is doing more than making bottom line revenue for its employers? Hear directly from multiple actuaries who are following their vocation by utilizing their actuarial skills to address real societal issues.

Description: This paper applies the research in Prospect Theory of Kahneman and Tversky to explain why sales of annuities lag sales of life insurance products. The author theorizes that life insurance is easier to sell because customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of losses, while potential annuity customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of gains. Kahneman and Tversky showed us that people are mostly risk averse in the domain of gains and risk seeking in the domain of losses. Purchase of an annuity or life product is a risky investment. Customers will find it easier to take the risk in the life insurance domain of losses than the annuity domain of gains. The author then proposes a hybrid life annuity product that might address both mortality and longevity risk in one product that would allow both products to be more competitive than stand-alone products.

Description: Future mortality improvement has been a common assumption in life insurance and annuity pricing and forecasting for many years. However, experience over the last decade suggests this might be an assumption that merits reconsideration in the United States. This article will take a closer look at factors that impact mortality improvement trends and discuss why insurers may want to reevaluate product designs to better manage the associated mortality risk. We then introduce a product idea with this in mind, where premiums are based on a life expectancy index and insurers share the risk (and opportunity) or mortality improvement with policyholders.

Description: Review of modeling of impact of proposed GAAP changes and commentary on preparedness based on company survey.

Description: This research report, part of the Society of Actuaries [SOA} ‘Research Projects – Finance/Investment,’ is sponsored by the Society of Actuaries [SOA] Committee on Finance Research. This paper explores and summarizes current practices on the interest-rate risk of traditional life and health insurance products.

Description: In session 139PD of the Washington Annual Meeting panelists discuss emerging issues impacting the pricing of individual life and annuity products. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 23, No. 3.

Description: A research project with the Society of Actuaries on interest rate hedging on traditional life and health insurance.

Description: Letter from SOA President Craig Reynolds to American Academy of Actuaries Congratulating on 50th Anniversary

Description: This session at the SOA 1998 Maui I Spring Meeting discusses GAAP financial reporting in terms of the types of management information GAAP provides, how to interpret that information, and how to measure emerging experience versus expectations. Analysis of GAAP ROE and GAAP source of earnings is presented.

Description: This presentation, session number 53PD, took place at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 15-18 in Chicago. The panelists note that “for several years only a few foreign insurers were permitted to provide life and health insurance in China. In recent years, regulators have been more receptive to the new entry of foreign insurers…” Topics include history of the development of the market, market demographics, including regionalization, types of products, distribution systems, and regulatory requirements for entry and continued operation. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 26, No. 3.