Description: A compilation of reader responses is presented to a real life situation posed involving a management, leadership, or other business decision. This issue’s case study involved a very new actuarial manager trying to deal with a disruptive employee.

Description: July 2019 issue of Small Talk by the Smaller Insurance Company Section. Practical information for actuaries, trends that impact section, and section activities.

Description: This article describes why dressing up - even while working remotely- can help create work / life balance when the day is done.

Description: Article describes accomplishments as Chair during the year. Four accomplishments are mentioned: i) Actuarial Research Conference ii) Early Career Award, iii) Establishment of Outstanding Educator Award, iv) Push to create surveys from the section containing a reservoir of ideas that can be used for webinars, podcasts, etc.

Description: The article describes principles for optimal sub-tasking of a project goal. Two experiments each one comparing different approaches are presented. A summary of principles for optimal goal setting presents seven key points: i)levels of outcome goals should be recognizable and lack ambiguity; ii) each subtask should be atomic, i.e. not be capable of being broken up into further subtasks, iii) the subtasks should be uniform, lacking ambiguity, so that any new trainee could master it without the need for further guidance; iv) each subtask should be attainable in a reasonable amount of time; v) mentor feedback should be provided during the initial stages of learning or training; vi) upon mastery of each subtask trainees should be encouraged to maximize their overall score; vii) after mastery of individual subtasks, while attempting to maximize scores, trainees should be provided with a mixture of easy, intermediate, and difficult tasks.

Description: How diverse and inclusive (D&I) are we as pedagogical practitioners in the ever-changing student and actuarial science industry landscape? Given that our in-class experience impacts many populations, how successful are we dealing with conflicting belief structures and creating a welcoming and productive environment for members of the underrepresented (LGBTQIA+) and minority groups in our actuarial science classes? This interactive session will aim to provide a working knowledge of issues that arise and how to successfully address them.

Description: How to design a meeting's environment to maximize participants’ positive mood, energy, and opinion of your meeting.

Description: An actuary talks about his career, his firm's ventures into partnerships between actuaries and health care professionals, and his role in the role in the largest actuarial malpractice settlement in history.

Description: Preview of the LTC section's sessions at the SOA Annual Meeting in October 2008, including claims management, litigation and public relations, preparing for PBA and stochastic modeling, pricing, research studies, and securitizations and reinsurance.

Description: Effective strategic planning can have a profound effect on the development of your team and the growth and direction of your actuarial organization. This article shares the elements that will set you up for success before the meeting even begins.