Description: Hear AM Best rating analysts discuss the rating process and the best capital adequacy ratio (BCAR), a quantitative foundation for AM Best’s assessment of carriers’ financial strength. The benchmarking of BCAR scores for various company types (national MCOs, BCBS plans, smaller regional plans) will be discussed. Look at how changes in investment and underwriting environment impacted the results over the past several years. Further, AM Best’s view of the quality of capital and various factors impacting the overall assessment of the balance sheet strength will be discussed.

Description: This webinar will discuss and illustrate professionalism standards in an interactive case study format. The session will begin with a lightning round discussion with audience polling on professionalism topics and standards of investment practice. Participants will then work through several case studies in an investment context, each of which will have its own specific professionalism considerations. Audience polling and discussion will be included as part of each case study.

Description: In this webinar, the presenters will give a behind the scenes look at how the NAIC ESG was parameterized. They will also share the results of its most recent calibration.

Description: This webcast presents findings from a recent report sponsored by the Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program that explored the savings and retirement planning of 35- to 45-year-olds through a series of focus groups. The motivation for this effort was to gain insight into the attitudes, beliefs, and other factors that influence this age group’s savings and retirement planning. Along with findings from the report, additional context and perspectives on the broader implications of the report will be presented. These implications include its connection to other research sponsored by the Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program and the current retirement landscape. The perspectives of different stakeholders will be considered.

Description: Modeling Approaches and Challenges focuses on approaches to real world simulation and the challenges and considerations in real world simulation. Topics include: A frequency domain approach to build realistic multi-horizon scenarios. (Ortec approach) Cascade models structure linking models for major asset classes and economic variables. (Moody’s approach) Overview of models, calibrations & approaches within the context of different use cases. Deterministic & stochastic approaches. Importance of model re-calibration flexibility. We will also discuss specific insights into considerations and challenges in real world simulation, which include topics like: Setting capital market assumptions and/or calibration targets. Assumptions about correlation and causality. Calibrating the model to capital markets assumptions. Validating the model against capital market assumptions. Role of history, market data and stylized facts. Importance of back testing. Calibrating the model to multiple investment horizons. Inclusion of alterative asset classes such as private equity, infrastructure, and direct real estate. Associated issues of limited data, illiquidity and greater uncertainty about calibration targets.

Description: At the conclusion of the first part, attendees will be able to describe sources of reserve redundancy for products under Principle Based Reserve (PBR) and products under Commissioners' Annuity Reserve Valuation Method (CARVM). Such products include Term Life, Whole Life, Universal Life, and Fixed Annuity with and without rider. We will also review sources of capital redundancy from the C-1 factor under Risk-Based Capital (RBC) and assets such as Unrated Asset Credit Fund can have high C-1 factor even if its risks are limited. At the conclusion of the second part, the attendees will learn about potential Reserve Relief reinsurance solutions. Such solutions can provide Reserve Relief for annuity and term life businesses, as well as potential innovative asset-side solutions. Asset managers can structure assets that the C-1 factor aligned with the corresponding risk.

Description: Emerging Applications of ESG Methods offers ground-up insights on cutting edge applications of economic scenario generation. The course will focus on the incorporation of climate change risk in scenario modeling and investment applications of ESGs. The following topics will be covered: Approaches to climate risk modeling. Climate risk is very different than classical financial economic risk. Radical uncertainty is amenable to scenario analysis and lack of data. Building special deterministic scenarios that go beyond NGFS requirements as well as bespoke scenarios. Holistic Approach to Climate Risk Modeling. Overview of different Climate Risk Modeling Applications. Use of ESG scenarios for Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA). Liquidity risk management.

Description: "In this session, we will explore the latest trends in asset allocation, focusing on how these trends are shaping the investment landscape in 2025. With insights from industry experts and real-world examples, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors driving asset allocation decisions and the implications for portfolio management. We will delve into the impact of economic policies, market volatility and emerging asset classes on asset allocation strategies. This session is designed for actuaries, investment professionals and anyone interested in staying ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving world of asset allocation. Learning outcomes: Understand the key trends in asset allocation for 2025, including the influence of economic policies and market dynamics. Identify emerging asset classes and their potential impact on portfolio diversification and risk management. Gain insights into the strategies used by leading investment professionals to navigate market volatility and optimize asset allocation. Learn how to apply these trends and strategies to enhance your own investment decision-making process."

Description: "Focuses on innovations in financial reporting processes that connect actuarial results with finance in a clear, efficient way. The session covers tools and techniques for automating data flows from actuarial models to financial statements, reducing manual work at quarter-end. It also highlights the use of visualization and business intelligence (BI) tools to communicate valuation results (e.g., interactive dashboards for reserve roll-forwards or attribution analysis). By sharing success stories of automating FP&A workflows and adopting self-service analytics, presenters will show how actuaries can provide more timely insights to management. Attendees will take away ideas for improving reporting accuracy, audit trail, and the strategic value of actuarial information in decision-making."

Description: In this presentation, we will delve into the realm of structured finance, placing a spotlight on advanced structured finance modeling. This session will first explore the growth of structured assets in the insurance space, and the reasons behind this growth. We will then conduct a deep dive into different credit models underlying the cashflow projections of different types of structured securities, including an overview of approaches for modeling the prepayment rates, default rates, and loss severity. We will also explore how a refined credit model can help insurance companies evaluate the risk-return tradeoff of investing in different structured assets. This session aims to enhance understanding of structured finance products and how to model them.