Description: This general session features the keynote speaker from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held May 16-17 in New York. The theme of the session looks to the future in addressing the issues facing the economy, the insurance industry, and actuaries. Discussion from the floor is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 2.

Description: In this “nontraditional” general session from the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 20-23 in Toronto, the panelists, a “judge,” a “defendant,” and a “prosecutor” present a humorous “trial” to explore what the boundaries of “traditional” actuarial work are. A theme of the session is that some of what we call “nontraditional” is an expansion of traditional actuarial work, and that we owe it to our public to broaden our horizons. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 4A.

Description: This panel discussion is from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held June 3-5 in Colorado Springs. The panelists debunk myths, the conventional wisdom that actuaries have no place in the public policy arena, whether because the profession is too small to influence public policymakers, or legislators just don't want to hear from professionals whose work is so technical in nature and specialized in its application, or that It's not really necessary to become too involved in public policymaking, because what goes on in legislatures just doesn't affect actuaries’ day-to-day working lives. The panelists provide insights on lending actuarial expertise to policymaking debates. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 3A.

Description: This presentation is an open forum from the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 20-23 in Toronto. The panelists present the preliminary report of The Society of Actuaries Task Force for Research on Life Insurance Sales Illustrations, summarizing the results of the task force’s work to date. Acknowledging the near universal belief that current sales illustration practices are inadequate, the panelists, members of the task force, discuss the alternatives to current illustration practices that the task force identified. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 4A.

Description: This panel discussion is from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held May 16-17 in New York. The panelists debunk myths, the conventional wisdom that actuaries have no place in the public policy arena, whether because the profession is too small to influence public policymakers, or legislators just don't want to hear from professionals whose work is so technical in nature and specialized in its application, or that It's not really necessary to become too involved in public policymaking, because what goes on in legislatures just doesn't affect actuaries’ day-to-day working lives. The panelists provide insights on lending actuarial expertise to policymaking debates. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 2.

Description: This presentation, session number 100PD, took place at the 1999 Spring Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held June 16-18 in Seattle. “The actuarial profession is coming under increasing pressure, both internally and externally, to release more pension-related standards. The Pension Committee of the Actuarial Standards Board has responded and is in the process of completing up to four new standards by the end of 1999.” The panelists discuss the recently released Domestic Relations Standards second specific draft and the Demographic Assumptions Standard. Ongoing concerns are reviewed, such as how to write a standard that is not overly restrictive or does not target the appropriate audience. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 2.

Description: This meeting session, which occurred at the April 1982 Society of Actuaries meeting in Orlando, presented a discussion of U.S. Social Security issues. Questions discussed included: 1. What is the financial status of the Social Security program? 2. What changes have been recently adopted and what changes have been proposed? 3. How would these changes affect the private pension system costs and plan design? 4. What is the proper role of the actuarial profession regarding the Social Security program? Included discussion of the paper, Constant Replacement Ratios in Retirement: A Theoretical Approach,' by Barnet N. Berin and Anthony B. Richter.