Description: This section presents book reviews and summarizes recent publications on subjects that include U.K. social insurance, financing of hospital care, state examinations of life companies, approximate valuation of life and health insurance, mortality forecasting, and valuing estate tax.

Description: This report, by the Committee on Nonforfeiture and Valuation Mortality Problems, resulted from a request by the NAIC to develop non sex distinct mortality rates in light of a recent court decision prohibiting sex distinct mortality in determining benefits derived from defined contribution pension plans. Also included is the ‘February 7, 1984, Report of the Society of Actuaries Committee on Nonforfeiture and Valuation Mortality Problems - Individual Life Insurance and Annuities Blended Selection Factors for Blended 1980 CSO Tables,’ which describes the subsequent determination of select factors, and discussion of two letters the Committee received. From the 1985 Transactions Vol. 37.

Description: This section contains reviews for the following books, Introduction to the Mathematics of Demography by Robert Brown, A Tale of Two Captains by John Baynes and Hugh Maclean, Abolitionist, Actuary, Atheist: Elizur Wright and the Reform Impulse by Lawrence Goodheart, The Federal Data Base Finder by Matthew Lesko and the Guardian Life Insurance Company, 1860-1920, A History of a German-American Enterprise by Anita Rapone. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1991, Vol. 43.

Description: The paper analyzes recent individual annuity mortality experience, derives comparative annual mortality improvement rates and, in particular, examines in detail the 1976-86 experience in the most recent Report of the Individual Annuity Experience Committee. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1995, Vol. 47.

Description: This is a discussion of the paper, A Present Value Approach to Profit Margins and Dividends by Harwood Rosser. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1951, Vol. 3, No. 7.

Description: This paper presents considerably detailed death rates according to smoking habits and health status, based on the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study I, which constitutes the largest body of data currently available for the study of smoking habits. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1987, Vol. 39.