Description: When building stress tests, modelers need to consider worst cases that are plausible. The most useful and robust scenarios begin qualitatively, with a narrative or story. Consistent quantitative relationships are then developed.

Description: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been our chosen metric for growth since the Great Depression, but expectations are for lower GDP growth going forward than we are accustomed to. Its two components, population and productivity, face headwinds—population from a declining birth rate and longevity, and productivity from increased climate events, energy costs, global conflict and raw materials shortages.

Description: This article discusses that while life style funds make sense for some, a growing minority of individuals successfully make their own investment decisions. It points out that these options should be kept available and that if proper education is provided the informed investor population would grow.

Description: This call for essays where encourages authors to identify data sets or historical patterns of experience that are not predictive because something has changed.

Description: The goals of this project are to describe the impact on assets and liabilities if nominal interest rates remained low for an extended period of time. In addition, several other questions were considered that provide insights to the reader: • Is a long-term low interest rate scenario possible? • What could cause a long-term low nominal interest rate scenario and should this be presented to management? • What strategies should insurers and others providing oversight consider in response to an extended low interest rate scenario?