Description: Historical note and examples of measuring investment performance

Description: This article discusses the attributes of a unified Operational Risk Management framework and how those attributes can underpin a seven-factor economic capital model.

Description: 2021 Life Meeting - Session 8E: Insurance M&A Valuation Methodologies and Considerations 9.1.21 Recording

Description: This session discussion is about the pricing considerations for risk and measurement of the rate of return in light of unexpected contingencies including: defaults, economic downturns, change in bond ratings and market value changes. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 3B.

Description: 2021 ImpACT Conference - Session 11E: Real World ESGs and the NAIC's ESG Project 10.28.21 Recording

Description: In May, 2001, the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) and the Society of Actuaries (SOA) jointly issued a request for proposals on the research topic “Modeling of Economic Series Coordinated with Interest Rate Scenarios.” The objectives of this request were to develop a research relationship with selected persons to investigate this topic; produce a literature review of work previously done in the area of economic scenario modeling; determine appropriate data sources and methodologies to enhance economic modeling efforts relevant to the actuarial profession; and produce a working model of economic series, coordinated with interest rates, that could be made public and used by actuaries via the CAS / SOA websites to project future economic scenarios. Categories of economic series to be modeled included interest rates, equity price levels, inflation rates, unemployment rates, and real estate price levels.

Description: 2021 ImpACT Conference - Session 2A: Capital Optimization Strategies and their Challenges in a Post-Pandemic World 10.25.21 Recording

Description: Millions of aging Americans are challenged to prepare for uncertain health and financial setbacks in addition to cognitive impairment that impacts one-third of adults over age 85. Advanced planning can reduce the negative impact of impairment on personal finances, including financial exploitation, scams and fraud, and care and spending decisions that are not aligned with retirement goals. To address these issues, the SOA’s Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program co-sponsored work on the Thinking Ahead Roadmap which was created by a team from the University of Minnesota and Stanford Center on Longevity. In this webinar, members of the research team will preview the Thinking Ahead Roadmap and the steps that people can take to help ensure their financial wishes are honored as they age. The presenters will discuss: 1. Advice on choosing the right financial advocate 2. Organizing financial information to pave the way for a smooth transition 3. Starting open and honest conversations about future money management 4. The importance of a financial power of attorney and how to obtain one 5. Shifting money management responsibilities when the time is right

Description: In 2022, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) Research Institute Committee on Finance Research (CFR) of the Investment Section in collaboration with the SOA Research Institute Catastrophic and Climate Strategic Research Program, published a research report on the impact of disaster events on investments. The report, The Impact of Disaster Events on Investment-Contagion Channels Perspective, which explored this issue from the perspective of contagion channels, provided a framework for further investigation. As a next step, CFR is seeking essays on how the concepts in the report and related studies may be practically applied in specific situations and recent experiences.

Description: Businesses across the board have been drastically impacted by the effects of COVID-19 over the course of 2020, and insurance was not immune. Perhaps most relevant to this industry’s current capital and liquidity concern is the prevailing low interest rate environment. This has been a global trend in the last decade, and treasury rates in much of the developed world are at or near zero. Reduced investment returns limit an insurer’s ability to achieve their desired return on equity, eliminating previously profitable strategies that depended on the leverage of life and annuity balance sheets. Focus and activity have instead shifted to other methods to counteract the low interest rate markets and accompanying capital strain. Examples include increased mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity within the insurance industry and an increasing focus by private equity firms in the insurance market for asset-intensive products, both of which reflect the goal of increasing yield rates on capital.