Description: This article discusses how the most successful insurance companies acquire profitable customers, who stay with you for a lifetime, through direct marketing via prospect data bases .

Description: At least 60 percent of households are now on the Do Not Call list, the level of telemarketing is down, but it still remains an effective marketing channel for insurance companies.

Description: This article summarizes a session at a recent SOA meeting that featured numerous short presentations on underwriting ideas. The focus was on areas such as, process improvement, improved underwriting information, middle market penetration, and organizational issues.

Description: This article looks at the public's difficulty in recognizing what they need to achieve financial security and how the insurance industry's products fulfill those needs.

Description: Editor’s column thanking outgoing section council members, welcoming new section council members and discussing Marketing and Distribution sponsored activities.

Description: This article describes various insurance products now offered to SOA members as an affinity group.

Description: Editor's column discussing the contents of the January 2011 issue of NewsDirect.

Description: To better understand the product development process and practices currently used at insurance companies, the Society of Actuaries Marketing and Distribution Section Council initiated a Product Development Survey in the summer of 2006. The goal of the survey was to identify company practices for product development by asking individuals with product implementation responsibilities about the process followed at their companies. For this survey, the “product development process” was viewed holistically – encompassing everything from how ideas are generated through to how products are monitored post-launch. Also, all aspects of the product development process were considered – marketing, actuarial, underwriting, finance, customer service, IT, legal/compliance, etc.

Description: The article offers a discussion about future products, distribution, insurance laws, and contracts. Some ideas might not be possible today, but it is offered as food for thought.

Description: This article is a summary of interviews that were conducted with independent life insurance agents earlier this summer that describes their thoughts on the changes, challenges, and outlooks on selling life insurance during the COVID pandemic.