Description: Gives examples of the difference between actual data distribution of investment returns compared with lognormal assumptions.

Description: Summary of NAIC's Winter National Meeting

Description: In Medicaid rate development, actuaries have not historically shared models that developed the margin (i.e., underwriting gain) assumption. This is unfortunate, given the margin assumption is one of the most critical components of the rate development in ensuring financial solvency of the Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs). In this session, we will discuss the primary components of the this assumption and will share working models that help actuaries quantify these components—including the cost of capital and risk (or contingency) margin. We expect a lively discussion as we “open the black box” and discuss these actuarial assumptions in the public for the first time.

Description: Opinion article that explores the possibility of the actuarial profession producing its own Nate Silver, someone able to convert complicated actuarial concepts into meaningful and understandable public communications.

Description: Article Society Seminars by Adams in The Actuary, February 1979, Volume 13, Number 2

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: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. An update on Futurism Section activities followed by an introduction to common techniques of futurism. Examples are given how actuaries can use these techniques in their day-to-day work.

Description: This paper is from Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1955 Volume 7, Number 17. The author discusses the advantages to management of preparing estimates of annual earnings early in the year, for planning and budgeting, deciding on changes to dividend scales, estimating earnings from interest, mortality, and expenses against expected, etc. The author lays out his method of forecasting based on gains and losses by source of earnings, using readily available data including various annual statement exhibits. The author notes that judgment is important as well as statistical analysis in making reasonable forecasts.

Description: Appendix E is round 2 on comments on application of judgmental methods from the Delphi study. See the SOA Website Research section for the full Delphi Study of Economic Variables Report along with all the variables.

Description: This study note was written to supplement the “Credibility” chapter of Foundations of Casualty Actuarial Science as a reading for the fourth CAS/SOA examination. It presents important topics not covered in the Foundations chapter including the Bühlmann-Straub Model and nonparametric and semiparametric estimation of credibility formula parameters.