Description: In this article, Igor Nikitin compares the challenges faced by early 1990s video game developers with those now confronting the actuarial modeling software industry. He explains how game developers, struggling with rising costs and technical complexity, adopted game engines. These engines provided essential functionality along with access to the underlying code, giving teams flexibility to innovate without building everything from scratch. The author argues that actuarial software is reaching a similar inflection point. Many firms rely on expensive, rigid tools with limited customization and high vendor dependence. By adopting actuarial platforms that offer source code access, teams can improve model development speed, reduce costs, and apply modern skills more effectively. The article encourages the reader to consider how this shift could enhance operational efficiency, increase team agility, and support long-term innovation.

Description: In this part of the article, we will delve deeper into the complexities introduced by external influences, extending our discussion to the quantum anharmonic oscillator model. We will analyze how different types of external forces—constant, linear, and nonlinear—affect the probability distribution functions, drawing parallels with the external factors influencing medical costs and interest rates in the insurance industry.

Description: On October 4–5, 2025, actuarial educators and researchers gathered in New Orleans for the Actuarial Mathematics and Actuarial Education Special Session at the American Mathematical Society (AMS) Fall Southeastern Sectional Meeting. The event brought together seventeen speakers from universities, professional societies, and industry to discuss the future of actuarial education, practical applications of actuarial methods, and advances in actuarial modeling. The session featured rich discussions on artificial intelligence in actuarial education, experiential learning through case studies, competency-based assessments, and industry-integrated research courses. Applications-focused talks addressed mortality shocks from COVID-19, disaster aid modeling, queuing systems, health and longevity metrics, healthcare reserving, flood risk in real estate, and value-based insurance contracts. The final segment highlighted advanced actuarial models, including optimal insurance with incentives, variable annuity hedging, extreme risk inference, AutoML for insurance, and privacy-preserving data collaboration. Overall, the session emphasized collaboration, innovation, and adaptability as essential for advancing actuarial science in an era of rapid technological and societal change.

Description: The Journey of Democratizing Actuarial Knowledge Through AI

Description: Obesity rates in the United States have climbed to historic highs, with nearly 42% of adults now classified as obese—a trend with significant implications for the health care system. Among Medicare-aged individuals, obesity is strongly associated with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal disorders, all of which increase health care utilization and spending. As costs continue to rise, understanding the financial impact of obesity management is increasingly important for policymakers, payers and providers. This analysis uses detailed traditional Medicare claims and eligibility data to examine how obesity levels relate to health care expenditures and how costs change as members move between different diagnosed obesity categories over time

Description: As a college student decades ago, and now as an educator for more than a decade, I have always felt that the greatest challenge, both for myself and for my students, was the human limitation of how to learn more efficiently and master an ever-growing body of knowledge. The pride and sense of accomplishment that come after hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of study and practice have long been part of what defines us as professionals.

Description: This article discusses the work of the Accreditation Implementation Task Force in developing accreditation standards for university actuarial programs.