In the February issue of The Independent Consultant, we offer several articles to appeal to the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section (EAS) membership.

In the last newsletter, I outlined the council initiatives that I viewed as being most important. Since then, our council members have taken on roles to support these initiatives, so I want to expand on these activities and provide you with the leaders of these initiatives.

Closely held businesses, especially multi-owner corporations and partnerships, need to have a buy-sell agreement in place, though individually-owned businesses may also benefit from the use of such an agreement. A buy-sell agreement is essential for a smooth transition of ownership upon the occurrence of certain events, particularly the "Eight Ds."

In December 2009, the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section (EAS) announced the new listing of preferred vendors for entrepreneurial actuaries. The following revisits that announcement as a means of refreshing this information for the membership.

In helping their clients (or themselves) to be more innovative, many consultants religiously copy the best practices of well-known innovators. However, these imitations rarely result in the same success because most clients and consultants simply "layer" the copied processes and tools onto existing infrastructure without addressing what's keeping them from being innovative in the first place.

Winning support for an idea often means patiently and carefully navigating a minefield of personalities and interests that may threaten to stall or kill your idea. Before you start, use this simple yet powerful tool to map the political landscape and chart a path to acceptance of your idea.

In 2011, The Actuarial Foundation awarded college scholarships to a record 48 students who are pursuing careers in the actuarial profession. A new year is upon us and scholarship opportunities are now open for the 2012-2013 school year.