Description: A high-level overview of the recent release of the update to the illustration practice notes, or IPNs.

Description: Chairperson’s column likening product development to campaigning.

Description: Discusses the events of the inaugural Life and Annuity Symposium held May 17 and 18, 2010.

Description: Chairperson’s column describing activities the Product Development section has undertaken to date.

Description: This is the accompanying spreadsheet for the 2001-02 U.S. Individual Life Persistency Update report. Please see the SOA website experience studies for the full report.

Description: Response to Life Insurance 2020 Foresight – A Call for Essays. An essay stating the author’s vision for the future of the life insurance sector. Focus is on the long term guarantee embedded in the basic life insurance contract to pay the death benefit.

Description: Discusses results of author's recent survey of professionals in the viatical and life settlement, a.k.a. secondary insurance industry, to discover how actuaries could best serve this particular business.

Description: Global megatrends in technology are disrupting the life insurance industry.

Description: Provide high level summary of predictive modelling.

Description: Against the backdrop of low interest rates, rapidly expanding data analytic capabilities, and increased consumer demand for better products, many life insurers struggle to innovate their product development initiatives. RGA conducted an online survey in the third quarter of 2018, asking 30 leading life insurance companies in Japan to identify current and future product development trends. A complementary survey of approximately 4,800 policyholders of life products in Japan was also completed in 2018. The findings highlight the product trends for risk, savings and living benefit products being developed, the market segments being targeted, and how insurers are differentiating product offerings through unique features and value-added services. Companies indicated they focused new product development efforts on substandard and standard risk segments, with only 20% pursuing the preferred market. Respondents indicated the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) being used to measure successful product development are predominantly topline – premium, face amount and number of policies.