Description: Insurers in the European Union 'EU' were busy preparing themselves for the new Solvency II regulations when the European Court of Justice surprised the industry with its judgment on March 1, 2011, to end gender discrimination in insurance aimed at supporting the fight against unfair discrimination. This article provides background, industry reaction, and the possible effects on the life insurance industry.

Description: Background on IACA and its activities.

Description: Briefing about recent activity of the International Section Council Members and initiatives, including recount of the International Committee charter.

Description: A suggestion to review and reassess LTC pricing of the last three decades, in light of dangerously inadequate ratesetting in the early years, and the NAIC's introduction of a model rate stability law.

Description: The editor discusses the importance of purchasing a long-term care insurance policy. He also presents highlights of the articles contained in the issue.

Description: The five words for ERM are transparency, discipline, alignment, adaptability and resilience. This article focuses on transparency, discipline and resilience.

Description: The article makes reference to how the intervention by government agencies and institutions into the financial marketplace are creating distortions. This artificial tampering into market mechanisms will likely result in major financial dislocations down the road as natural economic forces (coined by the term "invisible hand") eventually are allowed to come into play.

Description: A sound enterprise risk management (ERM) framework functions as an ecosystem by balancing the interdependencies of its elements while constantly adapting to an ever‐changing, external environment. Each stakeholder has a unique role to play in forming a thriving ERM ecosystem by integrating risk‐conscientiousness in decision‐making. A resilient ERM framework has a single well‐ understood risk language and culture to promote healthy risk‐taking behaviors. The central focus of such a framework is concentrated around all stakeholders and everyone is held accountable. Every day, external forces can potentially disrupt how we operatively conduct business. Unforeseen changes in regulation, market trends, terrorist’s attacks and extreme natural disasters are often categorized as extremely adverse. How then will your ERM ecosystem survive the one‐in‐200 event and continue to flourish through dynamically changing environments?

Description: Abstract for the 2009 Housing Wealth monograph paper, “Retirement Implications of Housing Wealth Spending”. This paper explores comparative trends in home ownership versus renters, the associated levels of housing expenditures, and the extent of equity borrowing. The goal is to stress the need in retirement to cover basic housing needs and the risks of using housing for other purposes.

Description: Health Section Chair, Jennifer Gillespie, discussed the Health Section and other organizational resources, in the context of a list of recommended career resolutions for actuaries.