Description: The brief from the editor of Expanding Horizons for this essay was to give some personal reflections on how actuarial education and research influence actuarial practice.

Description: This article explains the changes made to the Expanding Horizons Newsletter.

Description: In this article, the author discusses his transition to working as a practicing actuary to an academic.

Description: This article gives a brief update on the recent activities of the E&R Section Council.

Description: A solicitation for letters to the editor of Expanding Horizons.

Description: This article discusses Jed Frees’ book in progress, “Regression Modeling with Actuarial and Financial Applications” which offers a synthesized introduction to regression and time series.

Description: Learning excellence is of value to both candidates and credentialed actuaries learning new areas. Learning mastery and excellence requires 1) use of executive function (EF), multiple brain areas, for example, verbal, formal (algebraic), computational, and geometric (rule of four), and 2) goal-setting, skillful breaking down of complex tasks into subtasks each of which are simultaneously 2a) clear and specific, 2b) achievable in a short time and 2c) challenging. 10 examples are presented illustrating use of the "rule of four" to achieve elegant solutions to otherwise complex problems as well as goal setting using fellowship-exam approaches, approaches to multi-component problems, and skillful use of databases as visual organizers. The material reflects a new approach to learning complexity that is easier to use than the pedagogic hierarchies and unifies them.