Description: The author encourages actuaries to provide more disclosure and better communication about their work to eliminate the perception of the black box.

Description: This article discusses actuarial support for an international accounting regime designed to meet the dual objectives of: • Generating a realistic view of operations focusing on expected future cash flows, reflecting the duty of management to add value for shareholders and to protect the interests of policyholders. • Demonstrating the adequacy of supporting capital to cover the risks associated with the business. From: The Actuary, January 2000, volume 34, issue 1.

Description: This presentation is a panel discussion, session number 33PD, from the 2002 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held September 19-20 in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The panelists provide an update of the 2002 progress made by the International Accounting Standards Board [IASB] in moving to a type of fair-value reporting as presented in the IASB’s draft statement of position on insurance accounting. The panelists then present arguments supporting and opposing fair-value reporting, including comparison with U.S. GAAP accounting. Discussion from participants is included.

Description: Arguably, many of the fundamental contributing factors to the 2008 mortgage crisis involved misdirected incentives and misinformation available to key participants in the housing finance process. The incentives discussed here include those of the mortgage holders, mortgage intermediaries, mortgage providers, securitizers, raters and CEOs and other highly paid staff of those involved. Unless similar incentives are recognized, future public policy decisions will again fail to avoid this system-wide risk. Since I am most familiar with the U.S. situation, my comments will be limited accordingly.

Description: From a session at the 2000 Valuation Actuary Symposium held in Washington DC, September 14-15, 2000 The session provides a brief overview of a variety of financial reporting topics, most of which were discussed in more detail in the subsequent sessions. The overview included topical issues as follows: • National Association of Insurance Commissioners NAIC Life and Health Actuarial Task Force developments and directions • Other NAIC/regulatory development • American Academy of Actuaries AAA/Actuarial Standards Board ASB developments • Financial Accounting Standards Board/Security Exchange Commission FASB/SEC and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles GAAP developments • Tax developments • Reinsurance development • Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act

Description: This session discussion is about the role of data analysis in decision making, HIAA surveys, National Center for Health Statistics [surveys on Ambulatory Medical Care, Hospital Discharge and Nursing Homes], and SOA experience data collection efforts. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 1.

Description: 1993 SOA Annual Meeting, New York. This session is about the new methods of actuarial accounting and other methods in other countries: United Kingdom, Australia and Mexico. Topics included: 1. An overview of the most significant overall trends being addressed worldwide in the area of life insurance accounting. 2. Australian trends. 3. Trends in the UK. 4. Trends in Mexico.

Description: Presenters examine some of the difficulties created by the absence of worldwide generally accepted accounting principles. Topics covered: 1. The need for worldwide Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, accounting, and reserving standards. 2. The work being done by the International Accounting Standards committee and the International Organization of Securities Commissions.

Description: This paper presents recent trends in obesity prevalence in significant population segments, including overall effects by age, gender and certain racial and ethnic groups, and discusses the ways in which obesity can influence mortality in each of these segments. It provides a synthesis of reported mortality experience relating to these behaviors by risk factors and diseases that will affect any mortality projection.

Description: Papers: When Danes have only 15 years to live: Implications of linking retirement age with life expectancy – Jesus-Adrian Alvarez, Malene Kallestrup-Lamb, Ph.D., Søren Kjærgaard, James W. Vaupel, Ph.D. - University of Southern Denmark A Study into the Impact of Pre-Programed Genetic Health Risks in Retirement Planning – N.V. Subramanyan, Prudential Assurance Company Limited, Singapore