Description: Author's 4 personal heroes inspiration for readers to identify their own noble purpose, & create a 5-year plan for personal growth (Competency Framework).

Description: In the Leadership & Development Section’s Leadership Inspiration Contest, entrants were asked to tell us what inspired them to be a better actuarial leader. Carlos Arocha submitted an entry from the “Defining Moment/Event” category.

Description: Interview with 2016-2017 SOA President Mike Lombardi about improving the actuary’s soft skills as one of the ways to remain relevant, and expand opportunities.

Description: Over the last decade, the actuarial career has gained significant attention of entry level job-seekers as it continues to be one of the consistently top rated jobs in the market. There are different avenues to break into the profession, but one of the most common is through an Actuarial Student Program, where a company formally supports the exam progress of individuals through paid study materials, exam fees, and time off to study. Most programs also include an emphasis on development of leadership and communication skills. As the recruiter for MassMutual’s Actuarial Student Program, I get the opportunity to regularly share with candidates why I believe a student program is such a powerful springboard for a successful actuarial career. Profiled in the article is two actuarial students and one recent actuarial student program “graduate” to highlight the value a student program can bring to one’s professional development.

Description: This article summarizes the treatment of changes in the basis for determining life insurance tax reserves under prior law and describes the changes enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It further explains the procedures for changing the basis of computing reserves under the new rules as outlined in Revenue Procedure 2019-10, the IRS’s December 2018 guidance on the subject, and discusses the uncertainties that remain.

Description: What does “accountable” mean? You will see how the accountability culture can transform spectators into protagonists following the Four Steps to Accountability.

Description: In the midst of the financial crisis, a group of actuaries, representing the Joint Risk Management Section, the Investment Section, the International Network of Actuarial Risk Managers, and the Enterprise Risk Management Institute International published an extensive list of articles entitled, “Risk Management: The Current Financial Crisis, Lessons Learned and Future Implications”.

Description: The December 2013/January 2014 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: Noteworthy Reads has a simple aim—to inform our readers of good sources on models; specifically, to point out sources beyond what we can include in a newsletter. Noteworthy Reads will select a few and provide mini-reviews.