Description: The article discusses the role played by the "Blue Books" issued by the Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation and the authority accorded them by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Description: Discussion of Forecast 2000, the actuarial profession's public relations program.

Description: In 2020, the Korean insurance regulator, Financial Services Commission (FSC), introduced a coinsurance structure allowing for full risk transfer—including investment risk, interest rate risk, insurance risk, and policyholder lapse risk—as a permitted practice. Expanding use of coinsurance in the Korean insurance market brings a suite of potential benefits to Korean insurance companies including increased financial flexibility, options to improve policyholder protection and shareholder value through optimization of business strategies. As such, FSC’s initiative and intention to introduce coinsurance opportunities to the market is commendable.

Description: A recap of the SOA Research Institute's participation in the Spring 2024 NAIC National Meeting.

Description: The article analyzes Private Letter Ruling 202031008, which considers how Internal Revenue Code sections 72(q) and (u) apply to an annuity contract issued to a trust. In particular, the Ruling interprets the terms “taxpayer,” “holder” and “held by” in those Code sections in situations where a non-qualified deferred annuity contract is issued to a grantor trust or a non-grantor trust. The Ruling’s analysis and conclusions differ in some respects depending on which of these types of trusts is involved. In addition, although the Ruling does not address sections 72(s) or 72(e)(4)(C), the Ruling has potential implications under those provisions because they also use the term “holder” and “holds,” respectively.

Description: This article provides an overview of the Regs and highlights important open issues regarding determination of a U.S. shareholder’s GILTI amounts.

Description: Three 1983 U.S. Supreme Court pension-and-welfare-related opinions, viz. a. Shaw, b. Construction Laborers, and c. Morrison-Knudsen, merit at least passing attention by actuaries even though their impact upon the actuary’s work may vary from slight to significant.

Description: This article focuses on the differences between U.S. and Canadian policy making processes, especially as it relates to social insurance.

Description: Book review of The Brookings Institution, Washington D.C., 1974, pp. 269 Setting National Priorities, the 1975 Budget. Federal spending now accounts for at least one-fifth of the entire U.S. economy. It is the single most important expression of America's priorities. The material in the book is a fertile source of material for the needed debate.

Description: The Funds Rate Target and Interest Rates by Daniel L. Thornton from Risks and Rewards Newsletter, April 2000, Issue No. 34. The close relationship between short term rates and the Federal Reserve's target for funds rate has led many observers to conclude that the Federal Reserve has considerable ability to influence short-term rates.