Description: The United States has received severe negative press the last several years regarding its massive U.S. federal government debt, currently estimated as of April 2007 at about $8.9 trillion. This article looks at the U.S. debt relative to other countries and also explores the impact on U.S. investments.

Description: The article summarizes a survey conducted by the Pension Section's Research Team. Nearly 2,400 actuaries responded with answers that ranged from abolishing the system to expanding the program to include all workers. The question, What changes, if any, should be made to the current system? is recapped.

Description: This table displays U.S. adult prevalence of all those obese during 2005–2006 by age, gender and selected ethnic group.

Description: This editorial mentions four issues from the recent Social Security Trustee's Report that will each be covered in more depth in future editorials.

Description: The book, 'Individual Accounts for Social Perspectives on the U.S. Debate' by John Turner, is reviewed in light of recent congressional failure to reform Social Security and in light of a survey of actuaries that produced divergent views on the subject [link to survey included].

Description: This is the second of three articles. The first April issue told how the 1973 Experience Table was constructed. Outlined here are two steps: i projecting the values in the 1973 Experience Table to produce the 1983 Basic Table, and ii reducing the 1983 Basic Table q's to arrive at the recommended annuity valuation table called the 1983 Table a.

Description: This table shows the results of an attribution of the major contributing factors to the rate of mortality improvement in cardiovascular disease between 1980 and 2000.

Description: This article summarizes the results of the first part of a U.S. Appointed Actuaries survey asking about the usefulness of the various documents that have been created to guide valuation actuaries.

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

Description: Article from The Actuary, May 1985 – Volume No. 19, Issue No. 5 that discusses the NAIC adoption, for future use, of two tests of continued adequacy of the 1983 Table A.