Description: Arguments for establishing a monetary system based on an aggregate commodity standard.

Description: This article discusses the effects of economic cycles on the health insurance business.

Description: An article that illustrates an actuary's finding that that federal and state governments spend more dollars for health care than employers and individuals spend for health insurance plans.

Description: Book review : Derek Bok's The Cost of Talent: How Executives and Professionals Are Compensated and How It Affects America. 'An intriguing, very well researched and documented, yet biased, book.'

Description: This article presents a view of health care as an economic system, suggests a framework for classifying current criticisms of the system, and offers references for further reading.

Description: In this article, the authors describe the flaws in our current determination of the Consumer Price Index CPI and other economic indicators, and propose a series of refinements for improving the CPI calculations. The article emphasizes the importance of accuracy, given the significant influence on business and investment policies, psychological effect on the marketplace, as well as on consumer confidence, and the direct impact on Social Security increases and other benefit plans.

Description: The Committee on Economic Statistics of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries has recommended that the Institute sponsor an Economic Forecasting Board composed of actuaries and economists. Its role would be to develop formal projections of interest rates, inflation rates, productivity and wages. This article discusses the role of such a board, the purposes for the projections, and the potential roadblocks to accomplishing this.

Description: At our Houston meeting PD l, Donald D. Hester, Professor of Economics at University of Wisconsin, outlined a novel investment system aimed at protecting purchasing power of the lender’s funds from inflation’s ravages. This article is summary of that presentation.

Description: This table is an analysis of engagement among adults age 55 and older. Engagement is defined as time spent in paid work, formal volunteering informal volunteering and caregiving activities.

Description: Editorial discussing the tumultuous insurance industry and current financial crisis.