Description: The Financial Accounting Standards Board FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board IASB issued “The Norwalk Agreement” in October 2002, a memorandum of understanding that reaffirmed their commitment to develop a single set of high quality accounting standards. At that meeting the two standard setters agreed to place a high priority on three steps toward achieving that goal.

Description: From a session at the 2000 Valuation Actuary Symposium held in Washington DC, September 14-15, 2000 The session provides a brief overview of a variety of financial reporting topics, most of which were discussed in more detail in the subsequent sessions. The overview included topical issues as follows: • National Association of Insurance Commissioners NAIC Life and Health Actuarial Task Force developments and directions • Other NAIC/regulatory development • American Academy of Actuaries AAA/Actuarial Standards Board ASB developments • Financial Accounting Standards Board/Security Exchange Commission FASB/SEC and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles GAAP developments • Tax developments • Reinsurance development • Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act

Description: The author encourages actuaries to provide more disclosure and better communication about their work to eliminate the perception of the black box.

Description: This article discusses actuarial support for an international accounting regime designed to meet the dual objectives of: • Generating a realistic view of operations focusing on expected future cash flows, reflecting the duty of management to add value for shareholders and to protect the interests of policyholders. • Demonstrating the adequacy of supporting capital to cover the risks associated with the business. From: The Actuary, January 2000, volume 34, issue 1.

Description: Discusses the Society of Actuaries Committee on Planning efforts to review the SOA's Mission Statement in light of current trends and possible future policy initiatives.

Description: Papers: When Danes have only 15 years to live: Implications of linking retirement age with life expectancy – Jesus-Adrian Alvarez, Malene Kallestrup-Lamb, Ph.D., Søren Kjærgaard, James W. Vaupel, Ph.D. - University of Southern Denmark A Study into the Impact of Pre-Programed Genetic Health Risks in Retirement Planning – N.V. Subramanyan, Prudential Assurance Company Limited, Singapore

Description: 1999 SOA Annual Meeting, San Francisco. The panel examined the current efforts of several organizations to craft the next century's insurance valuation framework, and how these efforts are reshaping the way we will do business in the future.

Description: Highlights from a 2014 Living to 100 Symposium panel presentation of leading social security actuaries from Canada, the U.K. and the United States with panel members Jean-Claude Ménard, chief actuary of the Canada Pension Plan; Adrian Gallop, of the insurance and social security area of the Government Actuary’s Department in the U.K.; and Steve Goss, chief actuary of the U.S. Social Security Administration.

Description: This paper presents recent trends in obesity prevalence in significant population segments, including overall effects by age, gender and certain racial and ethnic groups, and discusses the ways in which obesity can influence mortality in each of these segments. It provides a synthesis of reported mortality experience relating to these behaviors by risk factors and diseases that will affect any mortality projection.

Description: Arguably, many of the fundamental contributing factors to the 2008 mortgage crisis involved misdirected incentives and misinformation available to key participants in the housing finance process. The incentives discussed here include those of the mortgage holders, mortgage intermediaries, mortgage providers, securitizers, raters and CEOs and other highly paid staff of those involved. Unless similar incentives are recognized, future public policy decisions will again fail to avoid this system-wide risk. Since I am most familiar with the U.S. situation, my comments will be limited accordingly.