Description: This article discusses the actuarial staff of the U.S. General Accounting Office GAO, providing a bit of history, the structure of the GAO, and explaining that GAO actuaries act as consultants to all the operating divisions of the GAO on matters involving pensions, insurance, and related issues. The author also revisits an earlier proposal for a Government Actuary, a higher level position responsible for all actuarial work of the Executive branch, as well as the GAO, and asks whether the actuarial profession should again support such a proposal.

Description: This article discusses key tax issues that exist under current law with respect to asset rebalancing and hedging transactions that an insurance company might undertake.

Description: In this increasingly global economy, actuaries frequently find themselves in situations involving cross-border practice. This is particularly true for U.S. and Canadian actuaries. This article is about recent agreements and discussions among the U.S. actuarial organizations and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries [CIA] that clarify how the various actuarial standards apply to cross-border activities.

Description: This article is an introduction to the principles of taxation of U.S. owned foreign insurance operations, such as controlled foreign corporations.

Description: Final regulations imposing Continuing Professional Education CPE requirements for enrolled actuaries in the United States were promulgated recently by the Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries. The Joint Board was established by federal law ERISA in 1974 to regulate pension actuaries. Certain pension actuarial certifications required by ERISA must be performed by an enrolled actuary As described below, the CPE requirements will cause some administrative inconvenience for enrolled actuaries but - with certain notable exceptions - will not affect our behavior.

Description: Two valuation proposals have occupied the regulatory agenda this year—the ACLI Interim Proposal and SVL II or the Principles Based Approach PBA to reserving. This article summarizes the ACLI Interim Proposal to the current Standard Valuation Law which allows a new preferred mortality table to be used and changes Actuarial Guideline 38 to allow lapse.

Description: Review of a new text on mortality measurement, 'Mortality Table Construction' by Robert W. Batten.

Description: The “X” Factor — Are You Ready? by Larry Gorski from The Financial Reporter, June 2000, Issue No. 42.

Description: Includes new mission statement for Reinsurance Section and overview of draft practice note, Credit for Life Reinsurance in U.S. Statutory Financial Statements

Description: 1987 Valuation Actuary Symposium Proceedings Table of Contents.