Description: This session discussion is about the actuary should be aware of techniques that are available to compare the expected returns from many different types of investments. Understanding these techniques will assist the actuary in pricing many of today's insurance products as well as measuring their ongoing profitability. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 2.

Description: The excess spread approach introduced in this paper addresses the true economic profitability of investment oriented products by looking at the spread between the earnings rate on the assets and the rate required to be earned on the assets to satisfy the liabilities. For many products, an important part of the liability cost is the value of interest rate options embedded in the policies. The excess spread approach incorporates an option-pricing technique that is sufficiently flexible to handle different interest rate environments.

Description: Update on research activities.

Description: The Society of Actuaries are once again offering a seminar that investigates all aspects of life insurance, annuity and long term care product tax compliance. Developed by the Taxation Section, participants will be brought up-to-date on recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and learn about the newest tax issues related to product design and administration. Legal, IRS and product development experts will provide vital insights into the challenges of developing and administering products within the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), and allow ample opportunities for networking, questions and information exchange.September 12The optional “boot camp” will provide an intense introduction to the basics of product taxation. The boot camp will include sessions focused on life insurance, annuities, and long-term care combination products. The basis of the boot camp will be the authoritative textbooks, “Life Insurance and Modified Endowments Under IRC Sections 7702 and 7702A” and the “Annuities Answer Book.” Book authors will conduct these optional programs. September 13–14The general sessions will feature product, tax, legal and compliance experts as well as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) representatives. Recent changes in the qualification requirements of insurance products and a host of product tax issues beyond Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 7702 and 7702A will be emphasized.

Description: Panelists discuss: [1] a way to study interest-rate risk using stochastic methods, [2] a conceptual framework needed to evaluate the suitability of an investment strategy for insurance liabilities, and [3] how one company [Capital Holding] develops investment strategies and asset/liability management policies. From the 1988 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 14, No. 2.

Description: Interest sensitive products including SPDAs can be thought of as spread lending business. The purpose of the paper is to introduce the excess spread approach to measuring the profitability of nonparticipating insurance products. The article describes how the excess spread approach is used to price and manage the products and its risks. From Society of Actuaries Reporting Monograph, M-AS99-1.

Description: This presentation is a panel discussion from the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 20-23 in Toronto. The panelists discuss how some products have evolved in such a way that they are more compatible with available investments, that is the product design translates to a feasible investment strategy, which provides not only sufficient yield but also acceptable performance in various interest-rate environments. The panelists consider whether the trend will continue, and discuss the role of regulation, implications on educational activities for actuaries to understand better the asset side, and other issues. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 4A.

Description: This article describes behavioral finance and its relevance in identifying analytics and processes suitable for a control environment for the actuarial aspects of an insurance company.

Description: 1998 SOA Spring Meeting, Maui. Panel discusses the some of the newer outlets that portfolio managers have been using for their investable cash. Topics discussed: 1. New risk classes. 2. Update on insurance and catastrophe risk bonds. 3. Capital-efficient structured notes. 4. Leveraged debt and equity plays. 5. Other risk/reward enhancement techniques.