Description: A discussion of methods used to determine the liability of segregated fund or separate account investment guarantees.

Description: In the present paper, we propose and investigate a numerical method of computing the probability distribution of S. Inversion of the Laplace transform moment generating function is shown to be a better approach than the existing recursive method for find the distribution of sum of several independent random variables. In the continuous case, in many situations, numerical inversion needs to be used to compute the probability distribution function of the sum.

Description: There is often a disconnect between the way products are priced IRR and embedded value methods and the way business performance is measured once it is already on the books GAAP and GAAP ROE. This article discusses the theoretical reasons for this disconnect and how an accounting system could be developed to eliminate the disconnect and thereby align investor and management expectations with the financial reporting system.

Description: This dialogue discusses the history and purpose of section 811(a) and its historic role in the computation of life insurance company taxable income and, in particular, reserves.

Description: Many executives are talking about predictive analytics uses in health insurance.

Description: This paper asserts that funding is the natural result of managing liability, and, from there, examines some of the funding liabilities of pension plans. From The Future of Pension Plan Funding and Disclosure Monograph, M-RS05-1.

Description: This paper takes the position that a retirement plan should not be evaluated differently than other financial arrangements, and, therefore, its value should be measured through a utility function. The paper then suggests a method of incorporating utility theory into the retirement plan design model. From Current Pension Actuarial Practice in Light of Financial Economics Symposium, M-RS04-1.

Description: Quantitative operational risk assessment is essentially based on stochastic scenario modeling of operational loss sequences. Given the lack of reliable historical data in most cases, mathematical methods should meet even stronger requirements in terms of results received and include specific features, namely: rare event analysis, uncertainty analysis and human factor analysis, etc. In this paper, the analytical-statistical simulation approach ASSA is considered as the most flexible approach to stochastic scenario loss sequence modeling and compared with Markov chain, fault/event tree and Monte Carlo, in terms of scenario loss sequence model adequacy and calculation cost. Probabilistic risk analysis software PRAISE and some applications are given. Presented at 2010 Enterprise Risk Management Symposium, Society of Actuaries, April 12-15, 2010.

Description: This article is a review and discussion of the article, “Sex and the Single Table: Equal Monthly Retirement Income for the Sexes? By Barbara J. Lautzenheiser, FSA, appearing in the Fall 1976 issue of Employee Benefits Journal. The author of this article found it to be an informed discussion in the defense of actuarial risk classification practices, and of the legal and social issues used to argue against risk classification based on gender, such as promoting unisex tables for determining pension payments.

Description: This article is a discussion of a study released in June 1976 by the New York Insurance Department, entitled “Disability Income Insurance – Cost Differentials between Men and Women.” The author of this article notes that “due to charges by various groups of discrimination in the underwriting and establishing of premium rates for individual disability income insurance, the results of this study have been eagerly awaited by many segments of the insurance industry. Fears of substantiating uni-sex rates were unfounded as the results of the study generally conformed to those of the Society of Actuaries which the industry has relied on to a great extent in the past.”