Description: Product development is variously described as a science, an art, or a philosophy. Six Sigma suffers from the same ambiguity—it is a statistical measure, a business philosophy, a process, a methodology, and a way of living! But by combining the two, we are able to apply structure to creativity and enable product success

Description: How is Your Management Quotient? by Stephen N. Patzman from The Financial Reporter, May 1999, Issue No. 39.

Description: Our paradigm constrains our view of the world, but also provides guidance on how we address and solve problems.

Description: This article walks through the process of building a cluster model using off-the-shelf software.

Description: This article is from the Digest of Informal Discussion, Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1956 Volume 8, Number 20. The article identifies the participants and summarizes each person’s comments. The participants discuss a variety of topics, such as the use of sampling techniques and quality control in actuarial work, and administrative measures taken to reduce expenses on small Ordinary policies. The discussion also looked at what the Society of Actuaries and local actuarial clubs should do, at the secondary school or college level, to increase the number of college graduates entering the actuarial field.

Description: In July 1987, the Society of Actuaries [SOA] Committee on Life Insurance Company Valuation Principles released an exposure draft in which a distinction was made between valuation principles and standards of practice. Rather than including specific standards of practice in the valuation principles themselves, the Committee developed valuation principles to encompass current and future standards of practice. Panelists discuss the work of the valuation actuary in the context of these developments. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 4B.

Description: Reflections of a Regulatory Actuary by Larry Gorski

Description: A summary of the October 31 meeting of the Board of Governors, where topics included education and examination requirements, SOA organization, pension terminology, publications, didivend philosophy, subcommittee operations, financial statement certifications, the Executive Director position, and consolidation of North American actuarial organizations.

Description: This paper reviews state and federal regulation of investment advisers as it applies to personal actuaries and advocates action steps.

Description: Interview with Rick Jones, senior partner and national practices leader at Aon Hewitt.