Description: Article presents new course readings that cover hot health topics that will expand actuarial expertise in the Health Systems practice area.

Description: Outline of modifications to formulas in previously released FORTRAN program to compute two-life annuities, including those designated 'qualified joint and survivor annuities' in the ERISA Act of 1974.

Description: A summary of a preliminary report from the Committee on Valuation and Related Problems, on guidelines for quantifying balance sheet items in an insurance enterprise.

Description: A review of the book, Problem Solving in Life Contingencies, by Brian Bambrough, F.S.A., 1979. This book helps a student solve life contingencies problems

Description: This article discusses funding flat-benefit pensions and suggests steps to address what will likely be a future underfunded plan.

Description: Review of Fifty-Second Annual Report of the Board of Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System. The authors found it to be a concise well written report discussing a number of issues facing all pensions in an inflationary economy. Both the title and the dull format in the usual Government Printing Office style would seem to insure this document's instantaneous consignment to dead storage. However, behind the cover of this small pamphlet is a concise, well written report discussing-a-number of the issues facing not only federal pension programs at the present time, but all pensions in an inflationary economy. For example, several of the 11 pages devoted to the main report discuss the implications of static assumptions ignoring inflation as opposed to dynamic assumptions including inflation.

Description: The author explores reasons why blocks of business may become legacy blocks and discusses ways to decrease the likelihood of legacy blocks in the future.

Description: On October 16, 1974, the Congress overrode the Presidential veto of H.R. 15301 The Railroad Retirement Act of 1974, a bill to restructure the railroad retirement system which was based on proposals made jointly by railroad management and labor. H.R. 15301 now P.L. 93-445 embodies some far reaching changes which are mainly directed toward relieving the difficult financial situation of the railroad retirement system.

Description: A review of 'Life Contingencies' by Alistair Neill, to be used as a textbook for the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries examinations.

Description: This article about the science of characterizing and analyzing problems known as 'heuristics'. A particular heuristic useful in solving probability problems is presented.