Description: The following Sections provide updates of their recent activities: International, Forecasting and Futurism, Product Development, and Reinsurance. From The Actuary, February 2012, Volume 9, Issue 1.

Description: Provides background about Prescription Drug Plans, PDPs, and the standard benefit package offered under Medicare Part D. It also provides a basic overview of the bid-development process for a PDP and summarizes some general strategies and observations used in developing the 2006 bids that will likely be used for 2007.

Description: Tom Terry, FSA, FCA, MAAA, EA, who founded Chicago Consulting Actuaries in 1991, is interviewed by Sam Phillips in this article. The discussion explores how and why Terry started his own business, the opportunities and risks involved, innovations his firm has come up with, and the future of pension consulting. The article includes advice for those interested in starting their own business.

Description: Discusses some basic issues for women to consider in planning for the possibility of being alone.

Description: This article examines the dynamic environment of the health care system in the United States and the challenges facing the health actuary.

Description: This is a review of 'Restructuring Retirement Risks,' a collection of papers that examines retirement risks, edited by David Blitzstein, Olivia Mitchell, and Stephen Utkus. The papers, which are a must–read for serious students of retirement systems and a good introduction for those not as familiar with the issues, explore the stresses being placed on those systems and ever–increasing uncertainty as Baby Boomers begin to move into retirement.

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: Other Post Employment Benefits OPEB deals with the promise of providing coverage for post employment non-pension benefits such as health care and life insurance. This article focuses on the recent implementation of GASB No. 43 and 45 which requires public entities to value and recognize the liability of post employment non-pension benefits.

Description: Feature article describing the need and reasoning for the new SOA Section, Social Insurance and Public Finance.

Description: Editorial discussing the tumultuous insurance industry and current financial crisis.