Description: This presentation is from session number 36, presented at the 1999 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held September 23-24 in Los Angeles. Today’s low interest rate environment has helped spark enthusiasm for new investment vehicles with a potential for higher returns than more traditional asset classes. The panelists discuss structured securities, convertible bonds, mortgage backed securities, and other investment vehicles.

Description: This article discusses Asset-Backed Securities as a low volatility alternative to Intermediate Government Bonds.

Description: While some people proclaim the imminent triumph of renewable energy, this article argues that fossil fuels will continue to be part of the energy mix.

Description: Most investors give convertible securities less prominence than stocks and bonds in their investment portfolios. The attention span given to learning the intricacies and finer points of this hybrid security is quite narrow. In fact, most of us may not even know that a “golden age” existed or whether it has peaked. It’s far beyond our immediate concerns.

Description: This article discusses the magnitude and impact of the subprime crisis.

Description: This session from the 1984 SOA New York City Meeting covers new fixed income investments and traditional investments and investments suitable for pension and savings funds. Discussions include investments such as mortgage-backed securities, financial futures, stripped treasuries, covered calls, discount bonds and junk bonds. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 10, No. 3

Description: This article re-caps the Investment Actuary Symposium held on November 8-9, 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Description: Recent passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act increased the access that insurers have to low-cost loans advances offered by the individual banks of the Federal Home Loan Bank FHLB system. This article describes the general features of how advance programs work, their potential benefits to insurers and key issues to consider.

Description: This article is about real estate as an alternative source of return and income. From Risks and Rewards Newsletter, August 2006, Issue No. 48.

Description: In this presentation, session number 10PD at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries held October 17-20 in San Francisco, the panelists discuss their experiences with asset valuation methods. Topics include characteristics of an effective asset valuation method, the extent to which recent economic activity should influence the smoothing period selected, whether one method smoothes valuation assets more than another, whether different methods for funding and expense make sense, and whether the current asset valuation method is accomplishing its intended purpose. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 3.