Description: Entry in the Speculative Fiction Contest 2019

Description: Political figures and journalists have tended to blame deregulation and greed for the credit crisis. However, we would like to suggest that these were not the primary cause of the credit crisis. The real cause of the crisis was faulty regulation and arrogance. Flawed regulation in the over-reliance on complicated capital models and arrogance in believing that the complex mathematical formula in risk models overcame the limitations on input availability and enabled companies to capture returns that were greater than the cost of capital, have led Wall Street by creating CDOs and similar instruments to repackage risks and take out the systematic excess risk charges as profits, and have also allowed companies to run “prudently” on leverage ratios that were in hindsight over the limit.

Description: The problem facing risk distributors is that product pricing is sticky, whereas the market price of risk can be quite volatile. This disconnection can become particularly severe during market downturns. The problem facing risk insurers is maintaining market share in benign market conditions when the market price of risk is low. Strategies that are dynamic with respect to time are difficult in practice, since they require more capital in volatile markets.

Description: Could it be that the depth of our current crisis is related to our failure to find an economic goal other than continuous “growth” as it’s been measured for decades? As painful as it may be, we can view the current crisis as a wake-up call. Rather than trying desperately to restore a “healthy” economy, perhaps it’s time to try building a truly healthy economy – one where we don’t keep promoting consumption of any and all kinds at the expense of saving and investing for the future.

Description: Story submitted for the 10th Speculative Fiction Contest - 2013.

Description: The Society of Actuaries (SOA) Committee on Post-Retirement Needs and Risks is pleased to present this essay collection, which shares thoughts and opinions on how to advance the state of effective planning strategies, products and employee benefit plan structures to help secure future retirements.

Description: Retirement readiness planning is difficult because the value of a person's future Social Security benefits is uncertain, given the need for reform.

Description: This article discusses incentive compensation metrics set to motivate performance, retain people, satisfy legal constraints and Say-on-pay and promote good risk management. Alignment discussion between actual metrics characteristics and the behavior they promote.

Description: This article advocates for a lower variable part in salary and increase focus on other mechanisms (goal setting, simpler product, management, culture and processes). The psychological aspect of belonging to the incentive compensation pool is more important that the financial aspect.

Description: Investment Fallacies: The Fallacy of the Fed Model