Description: In his book The Power of Habit (2012), Charles Duhigg tells a tale of finding common ground and reaching consensus on change. The common ground that was sought between warring corporate tribes was mutually beneficial, not just to achieve the ends to which those changes were aimed, but also for the cooperation that they engendered across the entire organization.

Description: This panel from the May 1982 Society of Actuaries meeting in Colorado Springs discussed the diversification of life insurance companies. Topics included: 1. Recent experience in the acquisitions, diversification and corporate structure of life insurance companies. 2. Factors causing companies to change the forms of their operations. 3. Process for life insurance companies deciding on their paths. 4. Impact of a change in production, marketing, profitability, administration, and management of our industry and our profession. 5. Expected evolution of these developments in the 1980's and beyond.

Description: Overview/Foreword by the 2017 Symposium Chair and Foreword by the 2020 Symposium Chair.

Description: 2004 SOA Spring Meeting, Anaheim, CA. The panel discussed how to analyze LTC flows from an asset perspective, recognize embedded derivatives in LTC and determine strategies for hedging fair value. The goal was for the attendees to learn to view LTC from an investment rather than a liability perspective, recognize embedded risks in today's LTC marketplace, and deal with investment risks in LTC.

Description: Retirement benefits, including health benefits, are increasingly being delivered through a DC structure. The presenters will explore how benefits are delivered and utilized, including consideration of tax implications and ordering. DC plan benefits in both the U.S. and Canada will be discussed.

Description: This paper applies the research in Prospect Theory of Kahneman and Tversky to explain why sales of annuities lag sales of life insurance products. The author theorizes that life insurance is easier to sell because customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of losses, while potential annuity customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of gains. Kahneman and Tversky showed us that people are mostly risk averse in the domain of gains and risk seeking in the domain of losses. Purchase of an annuity or life product is a risky investment. Customers will find it easier to take the risk in the life insurance domain of losses than the annuity domain of gains. The author then proposes a hybrid life annuity product that might address both mortality and longevity risk in one product that would allow both products to be more competitive than stand-alone products.

Description: Update from International Section chairperson.

Description: This paper from the Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1974, Vol 26, Pt 1, No 76, provided the author's views of the future opportunities and challenges facing the life office actuary in Canada.

Description: a review of mergers and acquisition activity during the first half of 2004

Description: This panel discussion, which occurred at the May 1982 Society of Actuaries meeting in Colorado Springs, provided an overview and update on Universal Life policies using the format of discussion of the results of a survey sent to sixty actuaries involved with Universal life .