Description: Chris Smith, vice chair of the Actuary of the Future section, had the privilege of attending the SOA Health meeting in Seattle for the first time this year. Read about his experience and thoughts on why you should plan to attend an SOA-sponsored conference for your career growth.

Description: An interview between Timothy Morant and Jinnah Cox. The chair of the reinsurance council discusses with the chair of the product development section, including personal questions and volunteering for the reinsurance section.

Description: Latest in series of articles exploring the adaptation of Buddhist philosophy to actuarial practice. This installment examines the challenges for actuaries in dealing with pain points in actuarial work, and how to best manage these forces so that the work remains aligned with professional standards.

Description: Distribution channels matter because they impact how products reach the clients, client experience with the company, and are a key driver in total company performance. Think about this, the pricing actuaries could design innovative products that meet client needs, but without distribution channels communicating the right messages to the clients and addressing their questions, the products probably would not sell.

Description: Article discussing methods to manage conflict in the workplace or elsewhere.

Description: This review of Nancy Ancowitz’s book “Self Promotion for Introverts,” states that it reads “as though it were written with actuaries in mind.” The reviewer highlights how the book can help both the actuary promoting his own business and the actuary who is a member of a large organization.

Description: A real life situation is posed involving a management, leadership, or other business decision, and readers are invited to submit their responses to "What Would You Do?" This issue’s case study involved choosing between two actuarial candidates in a hiring decision.

Description: Article about time management and sticking to a schedule for meetings.

Description: This is original content that cites the value of networking within the workplace. It describes the benefits that accrue to the individual employee, as well as research findings on the positive impacts internal networking has for organizations. The article describes six specific skills that make internal networking effective. It also provides ideas for gaining proficiency in these skills in the natural course of daily work activity.

Description: Quality Measures - December 2000 In the Office and on the Floor - Similarities Between Refereeing and Consulting by Nickolas J. Ortner, ASA, MAAA from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, April 2001, Issue No. 6.