Description: As product development professionals, we know that getting customer feedback is a key component of the product development process. If crafted carefully, these sessions can uncover true unmet needs, unlock the next product innovation, and create market share gains, all while creating something that contributes to society. As quoted during one of our last focus groups, “Magic stuff happens here.” When designing your research, are you doing all that you can to promote inclusive thinking? By focusing on the design of your study—through overall theme and by paying attention to the details in the process—you can uncover new perspectives that you may not have considered, if not for being deliberate in your actions. Instead of just avoiding structures that create biases, we need to actively incorporate inclusivity. Our team performed a study titled “Designing Solutions to Empower Women,” which focused on women’s viewpoints and how those could be incorporated into life insurance product development. I would love to share some of my experiences and tips collected along the way.

Description: Recently the interest rates have been slowly trending up from the lowest point in August 2020. The focus of this article is on current market trends for long-duration products —including life insurance, annuities, and long-term care insurance —following an extended period of low interest rates, and lessons carriers can learn from similar historical periods of rising interest rates. Innovative and flexible product features will continue to be essential, as the current interest trend may not substantially increase insurers’ portfolio rates. When designing or modifying product features, insurers should consider profitability in a wide breadth of interest rate scenarios and be particularly mindful of the impact that crediting rates and asset durations will have on earnings.

Description: A discussion of how the tax law changes of 2003 might affect the attractiveness of variable annuity business relative to mutual funds and direct investments in dividend paying equities.

Description: How do you develop an accelerated underwriting program? The Accelerated Underwriting Program Development Seminar held in Tampa, Florida on May 22, 2019 answers this question through a series of sessions across various disciplines, including underwriting, actuarial, project management, marketing and data science. This article outlines the key takeaways from each of the industry experts.

Description: This article was written to increase the knowledge and insights of both the direct writer and reinsurer in optimizing the reinsurance negotiation process. It should help the reinsurer offer a more competitive quote and hence win a share in a reinsurance pool while simultaneously helping the direct writer obtain lower reinsurance costs helping their product pricing and bottom line.

Description: Written in reaction to the AG49-A "quick-fix" passed, this article covers the history of IULillustration regulation. It begins by covering major product development and regulationmilestones to date, with numerical examples to show their impacts on illustrations. It thenexplains how the "quick-fix" works and what its impact on illustrations is. Lastly, the articlelooks forward to what could be in store in the future for IUL illustrations.

Description: This article was written to increase the knowledge and insights of both the direct writer and reinsurer in optimizing the reinsurance negotiation process. It should help the reinsurer offer a more competitive quote and hence win a share in a reinsurance pool while simultaneously helping the direct writer obtain lower reinsurance costs helping their product pricing and bottom line.

Description: A discussion of adjustments to the issue and underwriting process to speed up the process in order to succeed with bank distribution of insurance products.

Description: Milliman was engaged by the SOA to conduct two Accelerated Underwriting (AU) surveys, one of direct companies and another of reinsurers. The surveys explored actual results from 2019–2021 and expected results from 2022.

Description: Oliver Wyman surveyed the life insurance industry in 2Q 2018 on emerging life PBR practices. Key takeaways and a deeper dive on select practices are provided.