Description: This is a book review of Uncertain Times: A Chief Investment Officer's Journey, by Alton R. Cogert.

Description: Feature article discussing how insurers have reflected volatility in asset return assumptions when determining capital requirements, but have largely disregarded the impact of mortality volatility on their liability assumptions when performing stochastic analysis.

Description: Interview with investment actuary Carl Hess, head of Towers Watson global investment practice, on his background and career path.

Description: Feature article discussing arithmetic means.

Description: The August 2013 issue of Risks & Rewards newsletter—a member benefit for the Investment Section of the Society of Actuaries.

Description: Update to section members on recent initiatives: professional development tool EBSCO Business Source Corporate Plus; Investment Symposium; Investment Contest.

Description: Provides a metric based on the concept of "entropy" from information theory/signal processing, for modifying a stochastic scenario set to meet pre-defined targets on average across the set. Explains the concept and develops it in simple examples. Illustrates why an optimal adjustment to the scenario set is one that maximizes entropy. Provides guidelines to limit use of the technique appropriately and avoid invalid application of the tool.

Description: 2013 Investment Contest challenges section members to assemble an asset portfolio which will prevail in one of three risk/return metrics.

Description: This article provides a view on financial market dynamics and how this view can be applied to the Japanese public equity markets today.

Description: The article explores several major historical conflicts in the region and identifies the impact these conflicts had on various asset classes, for both Canada and the U.S., and provides some strategies for risk management and for responding to opportunities.