Description: The Society of Actuaries’ Pension Section Research Committee commissioned this study to help actuaries develop forward thinking long-term estimates of future equity risk premiums. Equity risk premium is the amount by which the total return of a stock market index, such as the S&P 500, exceeds that of government bonds. Equity risk premiums, calculated from historical data, have been used to project long term values of equity portfolios in retirement plans. The validity of using historical data to project future equity returns will be examined along with other forward looking methods.

Description: This presentation, session number 55PD, took place at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 15-18 in Chicago. The panelist look at a variety of capital market structures used to replace maturing guaranteed investment, ‘GIC,’ contract liabilities from accounting, regulatory, rating agency, and investor viewpoints. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 26, No. 1.

Description: From the April 1982 Society of Actuaries meeting in Houston. Discussion of how the insurance industries in several countries have dealt with high levels of inflation with respect to the development and marketing of insurance products. Also discussed: I. the overall business and economic environment 2. the taxation structure of insurance companies 3. the availability of suitable investments 4. the insurance regulatory climate and 5. the structure of worldwide capital markets Possible applications to U.S. insurance in the 1980's were explored.

Description: This presentation considers a stochastic model for a target benefit pension fund in continuous time.

Description: 1999 Market Triathlon Results by Frank M. Grossman from Risks and Rewards Newsletter, September 2000, Issue No. 35.

Description: Investment opportunities are driven by events in the economy and how participants in the financial markets react to those events. This keynote address will highlight current economic themes and their impact on investment opportunities.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting reviews one and five year returns in the stock and bond markets, fund expenses for retail funds versus insurance dedicated funds, revenue sharing arrangements between mutual funds and insurance companies, the suitability of a variable annuity, recent developments with the SEC and NASD and how arrangements are structured between insurance companies and investment companies. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4b.

Description: 1990 Valuation Actuary Symposium luncheon speech that discusses the demine of the junk bond market and other asset value problems.

Description: The Long and Short (Runs) of Investing in Equities by Peter Yoo from Risks and Rewards Newsletter, March 1999, Issue No. 32.

Description: This article discusses how FHLB advances, i.e. low cost loans, can supply valuable risk management benefits. By carefully structuring an advance to mature coincident with the anticipated premium inflows generated by insurance products, a company can largely eliminate future net cash flows and consequently the need to invest them in uncertain capital markets.