Description: This session at the 1998 Valuation Actuary Symposium explores the role and the perception of the appointed actuary as either an employee or an outside consultant. The Canadian structure and viewpoint are also presented.

Description: This paper discusses approaches for reporting pre-need plans in the Phillipines under the generally accepted accounting principles of the United States “U.S. GAAP. In particular, a focus is on contracts accounted for under SFAS 97 investment-oriented contracts.

Description: The October/November 2012 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: In this session on the topic of health insurance valuation issues, the topics covered included Sarbanes-Oxley considerations, internal replacement Standards of Practice, self-funded plans, and long-term-care insurance developments. From a session at the Health/Pension Spring Meeting held in New Orleans, Louisiana June 15-17, 2005.

Description: Editorial on the importance of the Actuarial Standards Board ASB to the profession. 'The ASB keeps the profession on track by establishing standards of practice that allow actuaries to act professionally, with integrity, and in the public's interest. Standards give the profession one set of rules and present a unified front to the public.' From The Actuary, September 1994, Volume 28, No. 7.

Description: The Employee Retiree Income Security Act, or ERISA, establishes an important statutory role for pension actuaries in the United States. As part of its statutory goal to protect the retirement security of America’s workers, ERISA requires tax-qualified defined benefit plans to obtain an actuarial valuation of plan reserves each year. When valuing the plan’s reserves, the actuary is required by ERISA to act on behalf of plan participants. Thus, the plan actuary fulfills an important role in maintaining the plan’s ability to meet its on-going obligations to the plan participants and their beneficiaries. From Pension Section News, April 2006, Issue No. 61.

Description: This article was presented at the 1975 Spring Cincinnati Joint Meeting of the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice and Society of Actuaries and discussed of the Exposure Draft Recommendations of the Academy Committee on Actuarial Principles and Practices in Connection with Pension Plans and the best estimate requirements of ERISA.

Description: Responsibilities Of The Actuary For Communicating Sarbanes-Oxley Control in accordance With Actuarial Standards of Practice

Description: This article discusses the charge of a joint committee of the SOA and American Academy of Actuaries to define the role of the valuation actuary in the U.S.A.

Description: In the absence of good research and analysis, decisions are made on the basis of intuition, unexamined assumption, and fixed ideas. This is the 'I believe…' approach to decision-making. The less information that individuals have, the more likely they are to rely on belief rather than evidence. This keynote address from the 43rd Actuarial Research Conference held in 2008 in Regina, Saskatchewan discusses the importance of research in health care reform, talks about the difference between pure and applied research, and explains what separates good applied research from poor research. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 2009, Vol. 1.