Description: Presentation of asset liability management techniques to better manage interest rate risk by matching the anticipated cash flows from assets with that of the companies liabilities. Some alternative perspectives/techniques from Canadian insurers are discussed. Article discusses the varying asset/liability management issues pertinent to life insurance companies and defined benefit plan sponsors

Description: The impact of Fed’s QE program on the financial markets has been enormous and profound. The tapering and the eventual removal of the stimulus will be equally enormous and profound, and may be disruptive. To adapt to the potential regime change in near future, some investment strategies have been proposed: (1) shorten duration to focus on the short end of the yield curve and create laddered portfolios; (2) reduce allocation to high yield bonds; (3) rotate out interest rate sensitive sectors such as utilities; and (4) use interest rate derivatives to hedge the interest rate uncertainties lying ahead. On the other hand, contrarians who see the QE program continuing may stay the course and consider (1) adding duration, (2) gaining exposure to high yield bonds, and (3) increasing allocation to utilities and telecoms.

Description: This article takes a look at how defined benefit (DB) pension plan financials ended the third quarter of 2023 on a solid footing, improving the capacity to take meaningful de-risking actions; as DB plans look to de-risk at reasonable costs, they may find it beneficial to consider a broad range of investment options; and completing a core bond allocation with private credit and income-oriented alternative strategies can help achieve important savings over other frequently pursued de-risking approaches, without materially increasing the funded status volatility or downside risk

Description: Vendor representatives discuss their ALM systems, what they do and don't do, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Also includes a comparative survey of the capabilities of a number of the existing systems. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 3.

Description: The article provides a summary of the Drake Risk & Opportunity Forum held on October 21, 2022. The forum was a hybrid conference that attracted more than 200 attendees from 17 states, two countries, 48 employers, and five universities. Following an introduction by the Zimpleman College of Business Dean, the forum held six sessions. First was an insurance company CRO panel followed by a panel of non-insurance company CROs. Gary Zhu shared his outlook for interest rates and capital markets. The fourth panel discussed insurance capital models. The fifth panel discussed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria when building insurance company investment portfolios. The final session of the day was a discussion about the NAIC, how they operate, and their priorities for the coming year.

Description: How insurers can include a liquidity score and liquidity stress scenarios as part of their asset liability management (ALM) protocol.

Description: The valuation of illiquid assets is a vast topic, which is very much in a state of development. Based on comments made by investment professionals during the preparation of the proposal, this is a very challenging area of research. Generally, the investment industry will look with great interest on the outcome of this research. The research proposal was restricted in two ways. The literature review was focussed on the valuation of private placement debt PPD and real estate. The case study was limited to analyzing valuation methods with respect to PPD. Sponsored by CAS, CIA, SOA Joint Risk Management Section.

Description: From a session at the 2000 Valuation Actuary Symposium held in Washington DC, September 14-15, 2000 In this session, panelists discussed how they have leveraged cash-flow testing to: • Influence investment decisions • Analyze risks • Expand Cash flow testing models to meet management requirements • Provide relevant information to regulators and rating agencies Panelists discussed the enhancements required to meet these needs and provide guidance on communication of results to a nontechnical audience.

Description: Panel discussion on inflation's impact on business procedures, contingency plans, long-term benefit levels, and determination of financial reporting items such as future reserves, surplus levels, operating expenses, and net gains. Presented at the Spring 1975 Meeting in Los Angeles.

Description: This paper provides a novel approach to the valuation of the market value of economic surplus that is stable and immune from “market noise”.