Description: Discussion of FinTech including PIMCO research on 401(k) use of managed accounts and observations about cybersecurity, genetic data, and retirement spend down.

Description: Impact investing is investments in “companies, organizations and funds with the intention to generate social impact alongside a financial return”.

Description: Highlights from the SOA's June 2017 Health meeting in Hollywood, Florida

Description: Highlights from the Social Security & Mortality panel at the 2017 Living to 100 Symposium - actuaries responsible for projections in the US, Canada and the UK.

Description: July 2017 issue of The Stepping Stone by Leadership & Development Section. practical information for actuaries, trends that impact section, section activities

Description: The appeal of the actuarial profession to women.

Description: The excess capacity that has triggered structural reinsurance market shifts has companies focusing on uninsured and underinsured exposures to tackle the issue.

Description: The article discusses the sustainability of the ACA individual market from a public entitlement standpoint. A key point of measuring sustainability is the reliance on market forces rather than federal budget constraints. The article explains why an actuarial viewpoint of sustainability is necessary to a greater extent than other public assistance and social insurance programs. The article challenges actuaries to be a bold, objective voice in a space that is full of opinionated but often uninformed viewpoints.

Description: Read the July 2016 issue of Product Matters!

Description: Six years after the global financial crisis, the reshaped contours of the market for the life insurance industry are coming into focus.

Description: Have you recently considered volunteering within the actuarial profession? If so, becoming a “friend” of the Smaller Insurance Company Section is a great way to start. This article explains what you can expect from your volunteer experience.

Description: Building on the Part 1 article, Introduction to the Representative Scenarios Method, this article describes testing the methodology with respect to four product types, fixed indexed annuities with GLIBs, level term life insurance, universal life with secondary guarantees, and variable annuities with GLWBs. This Part 2 article describes testing results, refinements to the RSM methodology, and next steps.

Description: Metadata for entire issue

Description: February 2016 issue of Product Matters!

Description: February issue of The Stepping Stone

Description: Recently completed experience and research studies from the SOA.

Description: This paper develops a conceptually rigorous formulation of the cost of capital method for estimating margins for mortality, lapse, expense and other forms of underwriting risk.

Description: SOA executive director’s column, research on Asia insurance opportunities, e-courses, recent research and experience studies, and professional development opportunities.

Description: Recently completed experience and research studies from the SOA.

Description: The February/March 2014 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: Compares how other industries (in this case, Fast Food) researches and tests new products. Provides examples of how the insurance industry can efficiently research and test new product concepts before going to market.

Description: Accomplishments of the past year and a look at initiatives for the year ahead.

Description: This article consists of a point-counterpoint dialogue addressing important aspects of social insurance programs. It discusses the desirability and advantages of these programs that provide financial assistance to those who are retired, disabled, ill or unemployed.

Description: Overview of a recent visit to silicon valley and how the learnings from this trip can be applied in an insurance setting.

Description: This research scorecard will keep section members informed about research projects sponsored or co-sponsored by the Financial Reporting Section.

Description: Target volatility, as an investment strategy, has been used by many funds not only as a way to smooth return but also as a way to manage risks of the VA guarantees. Contrary to existing research which favors volatility targeting over fixed allocation, this article shows that because of the existence of market jump risk, target volatility strategy does not necessarily offer an improved risk profile for VA writers. Further, target volatility coupled with leveraging can significantly increase tail risk for insurance companies.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to explore pension plan metrics— – measuring the behavior of a defined- benefit pension plan in an uncertain environment. Our goal is to measure and evaluate the quantitative impact of competing policy choices. We proceed by investigating some basic pension metrics, evaluating the characteristics of each using a simulated pension plan. We find that some typical metrics— – such as the mean and standard deviation— – are useful only in certain circumstances and that other less traditional measurements are sometimes better suited to evaluating policy choices.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to explore pension plan dynamics— – the behavior of a defined- benefit pension plan over time in an uncertain environment. We proceed by simulating the behavior of a model plan in a stochastically varying economic environment. While both the model and its environment are simplified, the model displays interesting behavior suggesting policy considerations that should be included in the design and funding of these plans.

Description: Feature article discussing the personality traits that lend themselves to board membership and how actuaries may better fit the mold.

Description: Update on Health Section research projects and topics, including health care reform, complexity science, and strategic planning.

Description: A proposal to reform current health care market, from a 'preferred payer' system, in which Medicare and Medicaid pay less than the true cost while others must then pay more, to a 'value for money' system. This would be achieved by requiring providers to bill all patients the same rate for the same services, with a standard bundling format to make all providers' rate differences transparent. Differences between billed charges and what Medicare pays would be made up by the Medicare patient, rather than subsidized by those outside of Medicare.

Description: An essay discussing universal access to high quality, low cost health care.

Description: Essay offers a vision of health care where everyone is covered, everyone is eligible, receives fair pricing, receives vital information and is taxed the same.

Description: An overview of the various track topics and sessions in the 9th Annual ILTCI Conference.

Description: The Power Of Decision Making by David C. Miller from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, January 2004, Issue No. 13.

Description: Panel discussion of varying views on: substandard underwriting with prudent pricing, qualified vs. nonqualified plans and the need for IRS clarifications, rate stabilization and aggressive pricing, noncancellable products and product features.

Description: Panelists debate the pros and cons of revising our nonforfeiture laws for life insurance, with input from the audience. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 4A.

Description: This discussion is on asset management for an insurance company, including issues of varying investment strategies for different product lines through various asset segmentation approaches, management of the assets supporting surplus, and asset/liability risk management considerations

Description: A survey of 13 universities in the U.S. and Canada indicates a wide variety of actuarial science topics of current research, as well as proposed future research.