Description: An interview with Bozenna Hinton, the newly elected President of the International Actuarial Association (IAA). In this wide-ranging conversation, President Hinton shares her vision for the IAA, discusses emerging trends in actuarial education, and offers insights on how the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and its members can contribute to the global actuarial community.

Description: The author shares their experiences and timeline in building an actuarial science program from scratch and reaching the Advanced Curriculum level

Description: This presentation proposes a solution to the student actuarial paradox “I mastered the syllabus but failed the exam,” by utilizing the two-dimensional syllabus vehicle which pedagogically focuses on the two dimensions of content and problem difficulty. This presentation advocates the PMR characterization of three levels of problems difficulty: Plug-ins (easy), Monkey-wrench (intermediate), and Research-type(hard) questions. PMR was developed by examining difficulty levels in SOA exams, and problems of various software vendors. The author's students routinely score high on the SOA FM exam; it is hoped that these methods will assist other instructors in their quest for good pedagogy. Very briefly: “Plug-ins,” refer to multi-part problems, for example, calculating the price of an annuity that is first increasing and then level; “Monkey-wrench” problems specifically refer to plug-in multi-part problems where one component is a monkey-wrench, an issue the candidate has not previously encountered. It might be a non-typical modeling or it might be a non-typical algebraic simplification or it might be an unexpected integration of distinct modules in a manner that the candidate has not yet seen. “Research-type questions” refer to problems requiring some type of experimentation for example, looking at initial cases, seeing a pattern and then applying methods

Description: We discuss a teaching program for new actuarial science and risk management & insurance educators at Georgia State University that includes the following topics: - Introducing insurance - Syllabus construction - Creating content and actively engaging students - Student motivation and career paths - Assessment and grading rubrics - Professional ethics and other

Description: This article is an interview of Stuart Klugman, senior staff fellow for Education at the SOA, who explains the changes to the pathway to earn the ASA designation.

Description: The numerous restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have certainly affected everyone and those measures may have consequences for our health. The article attempts to uncover possible links between COVID-19 and depression.

Description: Educational opportunities for those interested in Long Term Care.

Description: A brief discussion on the importance of governance and documentation being in place. The article provides some resources to assist in the development, and the reasons behind having it in place.

Description: We discuss an event that was hosted on the Georgia State University campus with the support of the Society of Actuaries. The purpose of the event was to introduce nearly 300 high school students, teachers and career counselors to the actuarial profession through presentations, an industry panel, and fun activities.

Description: As actuaries, we’re trained to see patterns in numbers and to design solutions that mitigate risk. But I can tell you from experience that while quantitative analysis and modeling are critical actuarial tools, looking at the numbers alone can lead to insurance products that don’t succeed in the real world the way the math says they “should.” With new digital technologies, we have more data at our fingertips than ever before, but I believe it’s equally as important to bring qualitative research methodologies into your product development process if you want to design solutions that meet real needs in the market. In this article, Amanda Turcotte shares what happens when qualitative research is neglected or ignored, what happens when you incorporate it into the product design process, and how to implement qualitative research practices in your organization.