Description: This panel discussion presented at the April 1976 SOA meeting in Washington D.C. presents opinions and information related to investment policy in a changing economy.

Description: In this session, senior pension and insurance investment professionals will share their thoughts on current investment topics. Attendees will hear about leading edge investment ideas and practices from industry leaders.

Description: Presented at June 1996 Spring Meeting. An investment manager discusses investment strategy for a disability insurer and a rating agency representative and a stock analyst describe how disability insurers are evaluated for risk profile and other issues.

Description: In this presentation, session number 10PD at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries held October 17-20 in San Francisco, the panelists discuss their experiences with asset valuation methods. Topics include characteristics of an effective asset valuation method, the extent to which recent economic activity should influence the smoothing period selected, whether one method smoothes valuation assets more than another, whether different methods for funding and expense make sense, and whether the current asset valuation method is accomplishing its intended purpose. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 3.

Description: Investment risk management has become a core competency of insurance companies, and much has been discussed on this topic. This session examines the current investment risk management practices such as product line specific hedging and macro hedging, with a focus on what still remains to be addressed—whether the tradeoff of addition risk management is worthwhile.

Description: Interest rates steadily declining ever since the Volcker Fed tackled inflation in the early eighties. Ten years of stimulating monetary policy brought new lows. We should have braced ourselves for a return to neutrality, but that concept remains elusive. We will explore structural issues that have brought rates to these low levels and the potential impacts on the insurance business.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting discusses synthetic GICs, an overview of what a wrap is, the product development and investment implications, and the current regulatory environment. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4a.

Description: ETFs have seen explosive growth in the past decade. Due to its flexibility and embedded risk management features, insurance companies and pension funds, are showing increasing interest in this asset class. This session covers an introduction to ETFs and the risk/rewards for insurance companies and pension funds as an additional asset class.

Description: This presentation, session number 102PD, took place at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 17-20 in San Francisco. The panelists discuss the characteristics of more popular forms of asset-backed securities, including receivables, home equity loans, home improvement loans, and manufactured housing loans. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 3.

Description: Recent reports have expressed concern over historically high levels of corporate indebtedness, with an increasing share of investment-grade debt now in the BBB category, just above speculative-grade. This session will explore trends in the corporate debt market, with a focus on the risks and opportunities for portfolios in the current environment.