Description: A look at cognitive biases, which are common tendencies of people when thinking about issues and when making decisions. Confirmation bias and sunk cost effects.

Description: After research involving auto insurance is retracted due to fraud, I revisit my own book review and unskeptical quoting of that now-debunked research. A lesson in ASOP 23, on Data Quality, ensues, as it seems data in the research was falsified. There is also a lesson in ASOP 56, Modeling, which includes aspects of relying on outside experts for model input. At the end of it all, the value of our actuarial professional standards, in light of other professions seemingly having no standards (or no serious repercussions for breaching said standards), shines through. Also, be skeptical of 'one simple trick' approaches to transform the insurance industry.

Description: In this report, we consider high-level results from provisional mortality data released from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for 2021, including looking at changes by sex and age group.

Description: A look at business fraud as depicted by Dickens, from the novels Martin Chuzzlewit and Little Dorrit, and comments on its continuing relevance to business ethics today.

Description: First from a comparison of U.S. and Japanese interest rates, abrupt switch to sumo, because sumo is life! Okay, it is not -- in March 2022, there was an upset win when a tall but li wrestler won the tournament. Just as in sumo, when it's not the more massive man who wins, we need to question our assumptions in our models.

Description: This article summarizes Discover Your Inner Economist, a self-help book with practical advice for dealing with particular situations, informed by hard data.

Description: An introduction to a new benefit for members of the Management and Professional Development section - getAbstract, a service that summarizes important business-related books. Includes how to access this benefit as well as what it is and why actuaries would be interested.

Description: This book proposes a four step process for you to take mental control of your development. You need to take charge and are solely responsible for developing your skills and knowledge.

Description: Letters to the editor about the feature article “The Dementia Epidemic: Are We Ready?” that ran in the December 2010/January 2011 issue of The Actuary.

Description: 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.