Description: Discusses the market, demographic, and macroeconomic factors that affect actuaries' choices for the assumptions they use in the pricing and valuation of many insurance products.

Description: The topic of social and demographic changes has been included in the Emerging Issues Advisory Committee's screening because changes in demographics and social norms can directly impact products offered and how they are distributed by the life insurance industry. Also, changes in demographics can impact pricing and underwriting refinements within the industry. This article focuses on mortality from obesity and on mortality of the older population.

Description: This article is a review of “1972 Lifetime Earnings by Age, Sex, Race, and Education Level, Research and Statistics Note No. 14-1975,” published by the Social Security Administration, which presents detailed data by quinquennial age groups, sex, race, and years of school completed as to the present value of future earnings based on static earnings levels 1972. It is stated that such data can be used for general analytical purposes to form policy, for court determinations of awards in damage suits, and for cost-benefit analysts in such areas as disease prevention and education programs. The author of this article notes in his analysis the inconsistency of the static salary assumptions with a range of interest rates from 2% to 8%.

Description: Summary of the Internal Revenue Service study on demographic and financial characteristics of the top wealthholders of the United States and a review of Metropolitan Life's mortality exerience for this group.

Description: The article presents statistics for Births, Deaths, Marriages and Divorces per 1,000 Population for the years 1972, 1975, 1978 and 1981. It also contains another table with motor vehicle deaths for the same years.

Description: Book review: Demography and Retirement in the 21st Century by Anna M. Rappaport and Sylvester J. Schieber. Congratulations are given to the editors and the pension Research Council for presenting important questions and discussions about our future.

Description: This article brings forth a humorous discussion of fat executives stemming from the New York Times report which polled 15,000 executives showing that fat executives received less pay and are less likely to advance as quickly a lean persons.

Description: This article contains a listing of the publications of the National Center for Health Statistics. Copies of any of the listed publications can be obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics, Rockville, Maryland. In ordering, the series number and the number within the series should be given.

Description: This article discusses the crossover of mortality rates around age 81 after which age nonwhite mortality is lower than white mortality and presents the best age statement data available from Medicare statistics.

Description: Article announcing a revised edition of Introduction to Demography.