Description: A compilation of reader responses is presented to a real life situation posed involving a management, leadership, or other business decision. This issue’s case study involved a new employee being hired specifically for an expertise that then does not seem to be valued once they arrive.

Description: Inaugural article in a series to share resources with other actuaries at smaller companies. This article will introduce the reader to the Academy's Life and Health Valuation Law Manual, an annual publication containing numerous references, notes and guidelines to help valuation actuaries complete their statutory regulatory work.

Description: Responsibilities Of The Actuary For Communicating Sarbanes-Oxley Control in accordance With Actuarial Standards of Practice

Description: This article discusses challenges that short-term predictions have on actuaries' reputations, both as individuals and as a profession, and discusses strategies to improve our professionalism and better manage this risk.

Description: This article is about the International Actuarial Association [IAA] issuing its first International Standard of Actuarial Practice.

Description: In the absence of good research and analysis, decisions are made on the basis of intuition, unexamined assumption, and fixed ideas. This is the 'I believe…' approach to decision-making. The less information that individuals have, the more likely they are to rely on belief rather than evidence. This keynote address from the 43rd Actuarial Research Conference held in 2008 in Regina, Saskatchewan discusses the importance of research in health care reform, talks about the difference between pure and applied research, and explains what separates good applied research from poor research. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 2009, Vol. 1.

Description: This paper discusses the limits placed on actuarial pension practice since the passage of ERISA. From The Pension Forum, January 2003, Volume 15, Issue No. 1.

Description: The ACLI porposed some changes to the current Standard Valuation Law even though Principles Based Reserving PBR is being considered as SVL II by the regulatory community. This article outlines the current SVL, those recent changes to the current SVL and the implications of the changes.

Description: Two valuation proposals have occupied the regulatory agenda this year—the ACLI Interim Proposal and SVL II or the Principles Based Approach PBA to reserving. This article summarizes the ACLI Interim Proposal to the current Standard Valuation Law which allows a new preferred mortality table to be used and changes Actuarial Guideline 38 to allow lapse.

Description: This article includes updates on the IASB, the ACSEP publications for education on IFRS for insurance and the development of model standards - International Standards of Actuarial Practice.