Description: People often describe the actuarial profession as dealing with risk. That is true, but in the case of life and health actuaries, another element may be even more important. It is the management of liabilities that accrue over time. For example, the liability associated with a group of individual life insureds increases as the group grows older.

Description: This presentation is an open forum from the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 20-23 in Toronto. The panelists discuss the current public image of the life insurance industry, and whether life insurers meet or are able to meet public expectations. They examine the differences between the public’s outside view and the actuary's view from the inside, how they differ, and what the actuary can do to improve the industry’s image, as an educator and communicator. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 4B.