Description: The author discusses what influences the general insurance market.

Description: A look at U.S. and Dutch multiemployer plans.

Description: Article is about a new course developed in actuarial science taught at Columbia University. Course covers traditional health actuarial projects but is expanded to cover issues for a health insurance company executive (e.g., CEO, CFO, etc.). The course also includes studying of other international healthcare systems plus healthcare reform (PPACA). Students were involved in research projects, including healthcare reform and international health systems. Students also had to teach a course as part of their final exam.

Description: International case study discussing an innovative distribution method in India.

Description: John Naisbitt, in Megatrends, defined a megatrend as a general shift in thinking or approach affecting countries, industries and organizations. This article challenges actuaries to consider off-the-charts factors within their risk maps and consider their potential impact.

Description: It is, without doubt, the poorest people in the world who are most in need of the security that insurance brings. Renata De Leers and Queenie Chow discuss why the micro-insurance market has low penetration, and why actuaries are so well placed to assist insurers in understanding their clients' needs.

Description: With a reference to Malthus, this paper notes that the main constraint on human population in the foreseeable future is cultivable land for food agriculture. The author proposes a solution involving the use of land that is currently desert, using desalination and solar power a plan which he demonstrates can be sustainable and profitable.

Description: The world around us keeps changing F.A.S.T. propelling life insurance companies to respond with F.R.E.S.H. product solutions.

Description: The pension and longevity risk transfer market is growing rapidly, with British-pioneered pension and longevity de-risking emerging outside of the UK and US, with over $270bn in transactions completed globally since 2007. Emerging markets include the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and Australia. This article describes the solutions available to plan sponsors who are looking to secure member benefits and achieve a lower risk future, and provides real-world examples of companies who have used innovative solutions to meet their unique needs.

Description: The article is a series of question and answers related to microinsrance with the editors of the book "Actuaries in Microinsurance".