Description: The artcle looks at the most important features necessary to conduct a meaningful quantitative analysis. The article also discusses how predictive analytics should be used as a tactic to anwer question and not an end in of itself.

Description: Read the July 2016 issue of Product Matters!

Description: Read the June 2018 issue of Product Matters published by the Product Development Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: Many life insurance companies that issue participating policies follow business practices that they argue allow them a deduction for tax purposes for policyholder dividends in the year prior to actual payment. This article discusses several recent developments related to policyholder dividend accruals, including Revenue Ruling 2011-29 and the New York Life and MassMutual cases, and highlights the four arguments commonly made by the IRS in challenging companies' claimed tax treatment of such dividends.

Description: Companies are exposed to a variety of risks related to the development and implementation of their business strategy. There is an extensive amount of literature about enterprise risk management (ERM), yet it is still possible to find a new opportunity to analyze how different kinds of risk information can be objectively considered by senior management to enhance corporate governance and strengthen sound decision-making processes. Strategy formulation is the main part of the strategic planning process. A robust ERM framework must provide relevant risk information for decision-makers so as to reduce the possibility of selecting a mistaken strategy or overlooking an important one. Most common strategic planning tools do not even take risk into account, which worsens the situation. Subsequently, it is time to identify and measure strategic risks. They can leverage, hinder or prevent the fulfillment of the strategic objectives. Risk management may also support the development of institutional actions so as to increase the likelihood of reaching expected results. Furthermore, strategic risks should be monitored through key risk indicators to allow the identification of conditions that could lead to a risk event. This paper aims to introduce a new comprehensive model that integrates risk management into strategic planning. A number of risk tools, improvements to be made by risk managers and a practical application of the model are presented to make possible the establishment and deployment of an effective strategy by the organization.

Description: This article from major US payers describes palliative care as a scaleable means of improving quality and reducing costs during serious and complex illness.

Description: This article delves into a new line of statistical thinking of the author, that may be useful for product development actuaries. The key concept is how product design can produce products that diversify quickly, meaning that the company can be confident of a profitable product line, based on fewer sales than might be true for other designs.

Description: Read the August 2018 issue of Risk Management published by the Joint Risk Management Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: Hear from the editor’s on the March 2017 issue of Risk Management published by the JRMS.