Description: Excerpts from a conversation with Alan Mills regarding his work in complexity science and agent-based modeling.

Description: Review of The Improbability Principle: Why Coincidences, Miracles, and Rare Events Happen Every Day, by prominent statistician David J. Hand.

Description: The article endorses broader use of lifetime income in DC plans. It explains why the use of DB plans will continue to decline. The article points out that plans sponsors will not willingly take on additional ERISA fiduciary exposure. The article endorses three regulatory reforms that would increase the use of lifetime income in DC plans. 1. A robust annuity issuer safe harbor that would free employers from fiduciary exposure for putting an annuity provider on the DC platform. 2. A requirement that a plan offer a lifetime income option to qualify for the 404(c) safe harbor. 3. A revision to 404(c) to allow plan sponsors to allocate part or all of the employer match to lifetime income.

Description: This article deals with enterprise risk management and how the techniques contained within the discipline can help prevent unforeseen large mistakes in strategy, product design, and product management

Description: This article discusses the global capital standards for Global Systemically Important Insurers (G-SIIs) and Internationally Active Insurance Groups (IAIGs) currently being developed by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).

Description: Over the last decade, the actuarial career has gained significant attention of entry level job-seekers as it continues to be one of the consistently top rated jobs in the market. There are different avenues to break into the profession, but one of the most common is through an Actuarial Student Program, where a company formally supports the exam progress of individuals through paid study materials, exam fees, and time off to study. Most programs also include an emphasis on development of leadership and communication skills. As the recruiter for MassMutual’s Actuarial Student Program, I get the opportunity to regularly share with candidates why I believe a student program is such a powerful springboard for a successful actuarial career. Profiled in the article is two actuarial students and one recent actuarial student program “graduate” to highlight the value a student program can bring to one’s professional development.

Description: This article is based on a seminar about international financial reporting standards IFRS sponsored by the Society of Actuaries and Ernst & Young LLP on November 30 and December 1, 2004.

Description: A discussion of the need to connect the interrelated requirements of reserve requirements, capital requirements, risk management, IASB requirements and so forth.

Description: This scorecard will keep section members informed about research projects sponsored or co-sponsored by the section.

Description: This article discusses business risks in the National Football League - “NFL” - and the author describes a model his firm developed to address the risks of a player’s salary exceeding the value of the player, and the risks of the negative impact of off field behavior. The author refers to this as the Negate Failure and Legal, or “N-F-L,” player selection and pricing model, effectively a risk management tool for NFL teams.