Description: The article highlights the key components of the PBR resource manual and analyze its implications for companies' assumption management practice.

Description: We explore the considerations regarding discount rates in the new US GAAP Targeted Improvements, including selection of observable rates and methods for extrapolations rates where there is no observable data.

Description: This article, Spreadsheet Controls Add Risk Resilience, spotlights why spreadsheets have stood the test of time and how they help contribute to an actuary’s success. It also discusses common causes of data integrity issues relative to spreadsheets. And, offers insight into controls that can be utilized to helps actuaries solve these issues and ensure the accuracy and consistency of the data on which they base their analysis.

Description: Brief article on my SOA preliminary exam taking process. Includes specific steps taken on a daily basis to earn a passing mark for SOA Exams P, C, FM, and IFM.

Description: This article Provides a description of an IRS Directive that provides a safe harbor tax reporting position for computing tax reserves for pre-2018 tax years for annuity contracts subject to AG43 and VM-21 and life insurance contracts subject to VM-20 Principal Based Reserves methods. The safe harbor is required to be implemented on the 2017 tax return, with certain spread amounts in some cases to future tax years starting in 2018.

Description: The article analyzes Private Letter Ruling 202031008, which considers how Internal Revenue Code sections 72(q) and (u) apply to an annuity contract issued to a trust. In particular, the Ruling interprets the terms “taxpayer,” “holder” and “held by” in those Code sections in situations where a non-qualified deferred annuity contract is issued to a grantor trust or a non-grantor trust. The Ruling’s analysis and conclusions differ in some respects depending on which of these types of trusts is involved. In addition, although the Ruling does not address sections 72(s) or 72(e)(4)(C), the Ruling has potential implications under those provisions because they also use the term “holder” and “holds,” respectively.

Description: This article describes the common uses , reinsurance structures , advantages , and risk- based capital repercussions of utilizing a captive to accept health care risks .

Description: This is an interview of actuary Cary Franklin who responds to various questions about multiemployer plans with the intent of educating those readers who do not practice in that area.

Description: This article introduces a non-traditional type of economic scenario generator that relies on dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models are complex macroeconomics models and have been increasingly popular in central banks for analyzing monetary policies.

Description: Overview of upcoming second edition of book.