Description: Part One of a three part discussion of A Social Security System for the 21st Century, this part focuses the broader international, social, political, cultural and economic trends that will govern the viability and sustainability of a social security system in the 21st century.

Description: Describes the three types of HMOs and the progress they are making in lowering medical costs and gaining market share. Also discusses possible future developments with HMOs.

Description: An edited written interview with two actuaries and a public health professional on issues related to the intersection between the two fields.

Description: This essay examines several key factors that have contributed to China’s success in the economic reform spanning the past three decades and the double-edged nature of these factors going forward.

Description: In this paper, Chapter VII of the 1987 Valuation Actuary Handbook, the author, an attorney with the American Academy of Actuaries, discusses the valuation actuary concept, starting with the current regulatory system. The potential legal implications, including personal liability, are explored. The author notes that “perhaps most significant is the fact that by increasing the scope of the valuation actuary’s duties, the nature and scope of potential professional liability also increase.”

Description: This month’s global emerging risk is the fall in value of the U.S. dollar. The SOA’s 2010 Emerging Risks Survey found that 49 percent of corporate risk managers identify the fall in value of the U.S. dollar as the top emerging risk. This is a growing concern because of the brewing economic storms that could collide to have a big impact on the value of the U.S. dollar. From the Bubble Risk Bulletin – March 2011.

Description: Discussion of private letter tax rulings on the definition of Cash Surrender Value for purposes of interpreting the definition of life insurance for the policyholder's taxation of the contracts.

Description: There are two major categories of risks that are unique in international business- currency exchange rate risk and country risk. Currency exchange rate risk includes transaction exposure, translation exposure, and economic exposure. Country risk contains political risk and economic risk. There are a few different methods to hedge currency exchange rate risk and country risk also discussed in the article. Before you decide to invest in a certain country’s market, ensure you understand the currency exchange rate and political risks associated with the investment by performing due diligence on the country’s economic, political and cultural condition.

Description: Article discusses possible effects of negative interest rates on product development, risk management, investment management and in-force management.

Description: The author notes that “insurance companies have been in the business of risk management for hundreds of years. The latest trend towards risk management in banks is both new to insurance companies and very old hat—new because it applies new techniques at least new to the last half century and old hat because many risk management techniques are so old hat to insurance companies that they are almost unconsciously performing them.”