Description: Future mortality improvement has been a common assumption in life insurance and annuity pricing and forecasting for many years. However, experience over the last decade suggests this might be an assumption that merits reconsideration in the United States. This article will take a closer look at factors that impact mortality improvement trends and discuss why insurers may want to reevaluate product designs to better manage the associated mortality risk. We then introduce a product idea with this in mind, where premiums are based on a life expectancy index and insurers share the risk (and opportunity) or mortality improvement with policyholders.

Description: This paper applies the research in Prospect Theory of Kahneman and Tversky to explain why sales of annuities lag sales of life insurance products. The author theorizes that life insurance is easier to sell because customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of losses, while potential annuity customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of gains. Kahneman and Tversky showed us that people are mostly risk averse in the domain of gains and risk seeking in the domain of losses. Purchase of an annuity or life product is a risky investment. Customers will find it easier to take the risk in the life insurance domain of losses than the annuity domain of gains. The author then proposes a hybrid life annuity product that might address both mortality and longevity risk in one product that would allow both products to be more competitive than stand-alone products.

Description: This presentation, session number 53PD, took place at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 15-18 in Chicago. The panelists note that “for several years only a few foreign insurers were permitted to provide life and health insurance in China. In recent years, regulators have been more receptive to the new entry of foreign insurers…” Topics include history of the development of the market, market demographics, including regionalization, types of products, distribution systems, and regulatory requirements for entry and continued operation. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 26, No. 3.

Description: Illustrative impacts on new business profitability of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for a variety of different life and annuity product types

Description: Full version of International Section News, April 2007, Issue No. 41.

Description: Full version of The Financial Reporter, Issue No. 70, September 2007.

Description: Learn various ways that actuaries are an making an impact on social issues such as healthcare, public health and climate change. Do you ever wonder if the actuarial profession is doing more than making bottom line revenue for its employers? Hear directly from multiple actuaries who are following their vocation by utilizing their actuarial skills to address real societal issues.

Description: This presentation is a concurrent session from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held April 18-19 in New Orleans. The panelists discuss the financial management of insurance company liabilities, including the criteria for identifying significant product portfolios, lessons learned from historical results, and the challenges facing the financial managers in the future. They discuss the state of management information for appropriate product or market segments and how to improve it, and action plans for financial managers to improve financial results. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 1.

Description: This session 60OF of the 2004 Valuation Actuary Symposium open forum addresses current issues of interest to actuaries in the application of U.S. GAAP. Experts in the application of GAAP to life insurance companies lead discussions on the theoretical and practical aspects of these topics and other emerging issues.

Description: 1993 SOA Annual Meeting in New York. This session is about Dynamic Solvency Handbook developed by The Financial and Investment Management Practice Education Committee. The handbook is for actuaries who prepare solvency reports, and the targeted completion date was December 31, 1994.