Description: Underwriting specialty risks in life insurance can be challenging, but due diligence is at the core of what allows us to make the best and most informed decision.

Description: Read the Quo Vadis Reinsurance.

Description: This article explores implications for the future of improving the application of existing underwriting techniques and and taking maximum advantage of new technologies.

Description: The sentinel effect in the underwriting process refers to the tendency for unhealthy individuals to apply for insurance coverage where testing is not performed. The article reports on evidence of the effect with respect to cocaine and tobacco use and HIV positive prevalence

Description: The authors explain big data and the potential uses of this information, especially as it is beginning to be adopted by the life insurance industry.

Description: Ways of closing the mortality protection gap, by leveraging some of the new technology, data and analytics to reduce the friction in the buying process.

Description: This article is based on a presentation made by the author at the Spring 2005 meeting of the Society of Actuaries. In a survey conducted in early 2005, many managers of simplified underwriting programs said that they were upgrading or testing products utilizing new underwriting tools. This article discusses the survey and lessons to be learned.

Description: This article discusses whether or not the Preferred risk class wears off over time.

Description: Describes some of the content of the Underwriting issues and innovations seminar for the last 2 years, and lays out the topics for the seminar for 2015.

Description: The article urges actuaries to see AI not just as a tool but as a strategic partner, drawing parallels to past transformative technologies like the printing press. Using NAIC survey data, it shows AI adoption is surging in health and auto insurance, lagging in life. It outlines AI’s potential to boost productivity, improve data quality, and enhance contract analysis, while warning actuaries to master AI before others use it to evaluate their work. Ethical standards demand transparency and fairness, making responsible AI use part of professional duty. Historical examples—like James C.H. Anderson’s 1970s cash flow testing breakthroughs—highlight how visionary actuaries can redefine the profession. The article applies Harvard professor Jeff Bussgang’s “hair-on-fire” innovation lens, suggesting AI-powered, urgency-driven insurance products, akin to Y2K coverage, could revolutionize offerings. It calls on actuaries to address protection gaps, discrimination, and industry opacity through AI-enabled fairness. The message: courage, creativity, and proactive adoption will let actuaries shape—not just survive—the AI-driven future. The closing reflects on the author’s tenure with the SOA Reinsurance Newsletter, framing this as a final, forward-looking call to action for actuaries ready to lead in a transformed insurance landscape.