Description: This author summarizes tips for creating, promoting and sustaining innovation found in the book Weird Ideas That Work by Robert Sutton.

Description: In this article, the authors describe the flaws in our current determination of the Consumer Price Index CPI and other economic indicators, and propose a series of refinements for improving the CPI calculations. The article emphasizes the importance of accuracy, given the significant influence on business and investment policies, psychological effect on the marketplace, as well as on consumer confidence, and the direct impact on Social Security increases and other benefit plans.

Description: Article from The Actuary, February 1986 – Volume No. 20, Issue No. 2 talks about as deregulation has lurched forward, banks and thrifts as well as insurance agencies and marketing organizations have been examining the viability of joint ventures involving the sale of insurance through depository institutions.

Description: This article is about a session held at the October 1996 annual meeting, which focused on how actuaries can move beyond traditional employers.

Description: A discussion of how patents can be used to recover the cost of innovation in product development and operations

Description: This paper discusses the issues of an independent actuary providing product development, or more accurately sales development, services to a life insurance company. The author explores the process, and proposes “compensation to the entrepreneurial actuary who accepts the challenge of operating in a setting where true success is not measured by isolating theoretical profit margins or business sold, but rather focusing attention on the unfolding experience of what is hopefully to be truly profitable policies.” Instead of basing the actuary’s compensation on time spent, the author is suggesting compensation based on results.

Description: In this paper, mortality trends of males and females are examined from the beginnings of the human species until the present. Future projections are also made, and the implications of the widening gap in survival rates of women vs. men is discussed.

Description: Article Description * “Agile” development is all the buzz in the IT world. You may have heard your IT teams talk about scrums, sprints, and the war room and wondered if they were playing a strange new sport. Or perhaps you are already applying agile techniques in your product development. This article will discuss what agile methodology is, pros and cons, and how you might apply it to insurance product development.

Description: This article is a review of the book by Joshua Foer. It covers the history of memory techniques, the way a human brain organizes memory, and various problems and successes in memory recall. The author starts by interviewing memory savants, and learns from them that the ability to perform seemingly impossible memory tricks is simply a matter of studying and practicing proven techniques used for millennia. This review suggests that actuaries can benefit greatly from some of these techniques despite the availability of electronic hand-held devices to recall facts because the person who does not need to rely upon such devices can have a huge perceptual advantage in executive presentations.

Description: The author presents the key best practices for the proper use of delegation which may be able to prevent big problems.