Description: The author discusses ways to grow your list of business contacts through the use of email, particularly about the proper use of e-blasts. Some of the advantages of this method the author notes are flexibility with format, saving time since the same email goes to all contacts, and providing a way to systematize your communications with your business contacts.

Description: In addition to urging members to get involved and mentioning the upcoming section elections, the chairperson of the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section discusses a proposal that would benefit both the big company and the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section 'EAS' members: the author suggests that each large insurance company should designate an actuary as the chief entrepreneurial actuary responsible for acting as a portal for entrepreneurial ideas of an actuarial nature.

Description: This article gives a listing of outside vendors and resources for supporting a small office. Resources include IT support, organizations, professional services, and internet resources.

Description: In this article, the author, an independent consulting actuary, discusses the process of becoming independent, providing advice on what you need to consider in making the transition from company employee to independent consultant.

Description: This article, an Honorable Mention Essay for the Society of Actuaries' Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section 2010 Papers Competition, is a discussion of the various issues relating to measurement of data in healthcare. The author presents “a light hearted & tongue-in-cheek take on how healthcare is typically measured, and an entrepreneurial vision for a better world.” Noting that typically data is summarized in deterministic models that produce point estimates for analysis and decision making, the author’s vision presented in the paper “is that of a central repository of actuarially modeled distributions that can either be used as benchmarks or adapted to an organization's experience.”

Description: This column outlines the activities and events in the planning stages for 2010 for the section.

Description: Brief discussion about the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section [EAS], its activities, webcasts, newsletter, and Vendor Referral Program.

Description: Article about time management and sticking to a schedule for meetings.

Description: This column highlights the articles contained in the December 2009 issue of The Independent Consultant.

Description: This article discusses how employers and employees often misunderstand the types of coverage they own, and argues that customizing insurance solutions can be a pragmatic solution. The authors note that typically an employer will provide a basic group insurance plan for all employees, and then discuss the advantages of customizing voluntary benefits to supplement core benefits, and how they can be targeted to specific groups.