Description: Given a financial transaction we are often interested in the number of internal rates of return [yield rates] and their location. From an actuarial point of view, the fundamental question is to identify those transactions with a single yield rate, or a single rate in some interval such as the positive reals. In this paper we are concerned with this counting problem. We survey various results concerning this problem, and provide a unifying approach together with some new insights.

Description: When an insurer classifies risks for the purpose of setting rates, one of the goals is to achieve equity. In general, however, inequities can be introduced when only certain factors are considered and others ignored. This paper, guided by ideas used by economists to measure income inequality, proposes a method of measuring this inequity. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1987, Vol. 39.

Description: Usual treatments of multiple-decrement theory are on a nonselect basis, with all rates of decrement depending only on attained age. This paper develops the theory on a select basis, carried out fully in the stochastic framework. The relationship between select periods in a multiple-decrement model and those of the associated single-decrement models is investigated. A discussion of the paper follows. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1991, Vol. 43.

Description: This paper deals with the problem of determining the effect on reserves of variations in the assumptions. A general approach to this problem is presented and then used to extend Lidstone's theorem, mainly to cases involving a nonmonotone critical function. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1981, Vol. 33.

Description: Traditional discounting is hazardous to corporate health unless, as this paper demonstrates, it is turned on its head and insurance managers adopt the methods of prudent bankers. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1987, Vol. 39.

Description: This article from the Chairperson discusses international actuarial notation and its shortcomings. From Expanding Horizons, June 2004.

Description: This paper arose from an investigation into the concept of yield rate. The paper first outlines the difficulties involved in comparing financial transactions strictly on the basis of yield it then develops an approach that does not depend on yield rates. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1980, Vol. 32.

Description: The goal of this paper was to establish the main results of assigning internal rates of retum to arbitrary financial projects in a more general setting than that found in the theory of Teichrow, Robichek, and Montalbano. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1993, VOL. 1

Description: This paper studies the internal rate of return of a finite series of cash flows in terms of three natural axioms. Examples of rate of return functions are constructed and their economic significance is discussed. From the Actuarial Research Clearing House 1992 Vol. 1.