Description: This is the second article in a four–part series. In this article, the industry's products are examined.

Description: Outlines a generic business model for a life insurance company and concludes with thoughts on future trends and prospects.

Description: An interview with Jim Toole, lead researcher for SOA's pandemic research project. The project examines pandemic influenza and its implications to the life and health insurance industry.

Description: There are growing concerns that the Asian bird flu virus will evolve into a form that can be transmitted from human to human, thus unleashing a new global flu pandemic. This article uses the Spanish flu epidemic and the German life insurance portfolio to analyze the additional claims expenditure due to a pandemic.

Description: Examines the trends affecting the distribution system for the industry's products, and the regulatory and tax environment in which life companies operate. Also looks briefly at the state of competition in the industry.