Description: Analysis of IASB position on the discount rate to use in computing the Fair Value of Insurance Liabilities

Description: This article discusses equity risk premium, what it is, how it should be measured, if a constant risk premium provides the best model and what are reasonable expectations for the future.

Description: This article provides an overview of the different types of real world interest rate scenarios that practitioners use in the life insurance industry and explores different approaches to building those generators.

Description: This paper will consider aspects of inflation as it affects the operations of the life insurance industry and the policyholder, and will review some of the approaches used, primarily by European companies, to meet the situation. Discussions of this paper are included.

Description: Discussion rebutting the Dec. 2004 issue of The Financial Reporter article titled, “On the Fair Value of Insurance Liabilities,” authored by Don Solow. That article expressed disagreement with the position of the International Accounting Standards Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Board to reflect the value of “own credit risk” in the fair valuation of insurance liabilities.

Description: Chairperson’s column addressing the changes the new year will bring.

Description: The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) met on May 21,2015 to discuss it ongoing project to make targeted improvements to accounting for long-duration insurance contracts. This article discusses those improvements and their ramifications.

Description: Many risk management decisions involve the timing of implementing risk strategies. The cost of hedging, capital raising and securitization changes with the economic environment. The timing of de-risking and investment in new risk management functions affect the cost and benefit of these projects as well. Like investment timing, it is important to consider the timing in risk management decisions to maximize the gain of risk management projects. This paper discusses methods of determining the appropriate timing of implementing a risk management strategy or investing in risk management projects. It explains the human biases that may lead to inferior timing decisions. It also covers the costs and benefits of risk management projects and the impact of new information on the decision-making process. Timing considerations for financial risk hedging, insurance risk hedging and investment in new risk management projects are explained. Factors used for timing decisions include economic conditions, market volatility, credit rating, borrowing cost, capital adequacy and financial resources.

Description: Diverse Risks 2016 Call for Essays

Description: Argues that the suppression or mitigation of small and intermediate economic collapses means that much bigger collapses will occur instead.