Description: Presented at May 1996 Spring Meeting. The investment environment has undergone significant change over the last several years through the introduction of many sophisticated investment vehicles. This session provides an update on current challenges encountered by life insurance companies in accounting for this new array of investments. Among the issues covered will be accounting for derivatives, mortgage-backed securities, and other hedging vehicles. The session also includes some of the system and projection modeling challenges encountered as a by-product of investment in these vehicles.

Description: Introduction to Actuarial Considerations in Insurance Mergers and Acquisitions, M-FI03-1.

Description: Insurance company financial reporting and performance measurement are going through a significant transformation. Insurers are beginning to look at their business based on what many refer to as the “economic value framework.” Under this framework insurance companies determine the economic value of the capital invested in their business and the economic value of earnings to derive a risk-adjusted return on capital. Standard setters, primarily European insurance regulators through Solvency II and the International Accounting Standards Board through IFRS Phase II, propose adopting many of these concepts for solvency and performance reporting.

Description: Starting in 2003, the Society of Actuaries International Experience Study Working Group has been conducting surveys of published embedded value financial assumptions. This article updates the survey with 2007 data.

Description: This presentation discusses a technique to reduce the bias from using Monte Carlo simulation to value American options.

Description: Presented at April 1986 Spring Meeting. Discusses issues relating to the design and funding of ESOPs, legislative proposals, and scenarios under which ESOPs are an appropriate choice.

Description: Discusses investment strategies that can be used for various product-expense and policyholder-behavior patterns. These include buy/sell, hold, exchange, long-term, optimization, hedging of the business and investment risks, and immunizing strategies. From the 1988 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 14, No. 4A.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. Discusses the basics of asset allocation for life insurance companies, such as primary asset classes, asset allocation in a tax-free environment, and the impact of rating agencies on company management.

Description: A discussion of the use of stochastic modeling in Embedded Value financial reporting

Description: This teaching session covers primarily hedging strategies, including mechanisms, assumptions, and simulation. Hedging used for guaranteed living benefits on variable annuities is frequently discussed. Session 7TS of the 2005 Valuation Actuary Symposium.