Description: Opinion article on how young analysts can avoid becoming overqualified while still taking exams quickly.

Description: An overview of the newsletter articles, as well as the introduction of a new feature: Modeler Q&A

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: This article, an Honorable Mention Essay for the Society of Actuaries' Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section 2010 Papers Competition, is a discussion of the various issues relating to measurement of data in healthcare. The author presents “a light hearted & tongue-in-cheek take on how healthcare is typically measured, and an entrepreneurial vision for a better world.” Noting that typically data is summarized in deterministic models that produce point estimates for analysis and decision making, the author’s vision presented in the paper “is that of a central repository of actuarially modeled distributions that can either be used as benchmarks or adapted to an organization's experience.”

Description: Many top-performing businesses aren’t just risk aware, but rather risk intelligent. Such a posture helps prepare companies for a major event and can demonstrate to a regulator or auditor that an appropriately strong control framework is in place. Better still, companies gain real strategic value from a “risk adjusted” understanding not only of their threats and vulnerabilities, but also the upside opportunities associated with various risks. It starts with having both qualitative and quantitative information to identify, assess and manage risks. Strategic risk management, at its core, is about creating value by increasing transparency and accountability, and quality of information. More than a mere compliance exercise, effective risk management enables more informed strategic decision making, increased accountability and transparency, a greater likelihood of organizational success, and – ultimately – competitive advantage, as borne out by many studies that correlate risk management and financial results.

Description: This article is the third in the series 10 secrets to landing your dream job. The author elaborates on: using emails and letter as marketing weapons, building your network, and networking the right way.