Description: The National Center For Health Statistics recently came out with preliminary 2006 U.S. population mortality statistics—showing lower mortality and a record life expectancy!

Description: Election results for Product Development Section Council.

Description: Column describing the events of a recent Product Development Symposium 2009.

Description: Encourages readers to visit specified URL to read selected essays from “Life Insurance 2020 Foresight—A Call For Essays.

Description: New chairperson’s column discussing his goals for the Product Development Section.

Description: Chairperson’s letter asking Section members to send in their thoughts.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to provide international actuaries with benchmark assumption data.

Description: This article reviews some of the highlights of th 2010 SOA Annual meeting including the impact on pricing resulting from Solvency II, Market Consistent Valuation of New Business - MCVNB, the latest on mortality, Standards of Practice in product development, managing risk in product design and a regulation update.

Description: In this article, the authors give their overview of sessions that they attended at the June 2012 Life and Annuity Symposium. The sessions discussed are Life Insurance Illustration Regulation (15 years later), Advanced Mortality Topics, and Life and Annuity Product Development Strategies in the Wake of Low Interest Rates.

Description: As we further explore how life insurance customers think and behave, we can address their needs more effectively. Using data and predictive analytics we can better identify groups to target. By embracing technology and approaching customers with the right distribution channels based on preference, we can make life insurance more accessible. We can speak the customers' language. We can understand that they are not all created equal, and tailor products to meet individual needs. In short, we can leverage data, research and technology to become very consumer centric. Getting closer to the customer, can we lower the perceived cost, and raise the perceived benefit of life insurance to a point where customers get excited? Will this not then be a product to buy, not sell?