Description: This article is a discussion about the trends and changes affecting the life insurance industry by impacting product growth. Read how today's ideas can become tomorrow's successes.

Description: This article presents the idea that a New Product Notebook, which contains all of the aspects of a product's development and is accessible to all involved, can make the product development process more efficient.

Description: This paper applies the research in Prospect Theory of Kahneman and Tversky to explain why sales of annuities lag sales of life insurance products. The author theorizes that life insurance is easier to sell because customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of losses, while potential annuity customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of gains. Kahneman and Tversky showed us that people are mostly risk averse in the domain of gains and risk seeking in the domain of losses. Purchase of an annuity or life product is a risky investment. Customers will find it easier to take the risk in the life insurance domain of losses than the annuity domain of gains. The author then proposes a hybrid life annuity product that might address both mortality and longevity risk in one product that would allow both products to be more competitive than stand-alone products.

Description: The Society of Actuaries and LIMRA have sponsored a Variable Annuity Guaranteed Living Benefit Utilization Study. This study is an annual update of earlier investigations conducted since 2006.

Description: Updates on partial annuitization and exhanges, prevailing CSO valuation mortality tables, disclosure of offshore accounts through FATCA.

Description: Initiated by the Financial Reporting Section, this paper explores rising interest rates. Following this path, the paper will look at implications of interest rate changes for the life insurance industry, current stress testing practices, and how a risk manager can proactively prepare for an uncertain future. A paper published in 2014 focused on why rates could stay low, and some aspects of this paper are similar (e.g., description of insurance products). This paper also uses a sample model office to help practitioners look at their own exposures. It includes typical interest-sensitive insurance products and how they might perform across various scenarios, as well as a survey to establish current practices for how insurers are testing interest rate risk currently.

Description: The Society of Actuaries are once again offering a seminar that investigates all aspects of life insurance, annuity and long term care product tax compliance. Developed by the Taxation Section, participants will be brought up-to-date on recent Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance and learn about the newest tax issues related to product design and administration. Legal, IRS and product development experts will provide vital insights into the challenges of developing and administering products within the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), and allow ample opportunities for networking, questions and information exchange.September 12The optional “boot camp” will provide an intense introduction to the basics of product taxation. The boot camp will include sessions focused on life insurance, annuities, and long-term care combination products. The basis of the boot camp will be the authoritative textbooks, “Life Insurance and Modified Endowments Under IRC Sections 7702 and 7702A” and the “Annuities Answer Book.” Book authors will conduct these optional programs. September 13–14The general sessions will feature product, tax, legal and compliance experts as well as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) representatives. Recent changes in the qualification requirements of insurance products and a host of product tax issues beyond Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 7702 and 7702A will be emphasized.

Description: Discusses Product Development Section activities at the upcoming SOA Annual Meeting in the fall.

Description: Gather with members and non-members in the China actuarial community to discuss recent topics and related issues in areas such as macroeconomic sharing, pension, investment, product strategy, and more.

Description: The life insurance industry has been dealing with low interest rate environment for many years. As a result, investment incomes have been low but many have found ways to embrace and deal with it. Recently, the interest rates have started to increase and at times are moving rather rapidly. While a rise in interest rates is perceived as a good thing, a rapidly rising interest rate environment can be problematic. Additionally, is 'lower for longer' no longer the norm? Learn more about the recent trend of rising interest rates and what can actuaries do about it in consideration to pricing and risk management.