Description: Discusses the growing and evolving field of pricing and valuing stock option plans, and makes the case that actuaries are the professionals best qualified to serve clients in the field.

Description: The topic of social and demographic changes has been included in the Emerging Issues Advisory Committee's screening because changes in demographics and social norms can directly impact products offered and how they are distributed by the life insurance industry. Also, changes in demographics can impact pricing and underwriting refinements within the industry. This article focuses on mortality from obesity and on mortality of the older population.

Description: CBS has a new show in its lineup about an FBI agent who recruits his mathematical genius brother to help him fight crime. The show is called Numbers and although most things on TV don't really capture my imagination, I do enjoy this one. For one thing it gives my teenage daughters a point of reference with their friends. "Yes, my dad is an actuary. He's kind of like that crazy guy on numbers, saving the world, one math problem at a time." From The Actuary Magazine April 2006

Description: Non-actuary discusses how studying for the ASA exams has helped him to excel in his field.

Description: Principles serve as signposts of practice. They can be a combination of core truths, values, heuristics and paradigms that collectively encapsulate the theoretical underpinnings, mental processes and attitudes of the practitioner.

Description: Six pointers about career advancement for actuaries, based on real life experiences from my 47 year career.

Description: We are living in a time of significant changes which are taking a toll on some employees. To assist our team members through these tumultuous times, being a supportive manager is key. We discuss using emotional intelligence to help employees have a positive work experience.

Description: Can the global reinsurance market emerge from its recent consistent underperformance and grasp the opportunity to build back a better more model that meets the demands of society as a whole as well as its traditional stakeholders

Description: This article demonstrates that the alternative method of adjusting DAC amortization for actual experience fails to serve its purpose if amortization is based on amounts in force at the end of a reporting period. In that situation, the method would increase the amortization rate for excess terminations. Applying that increased rate to a lower basis, however, does not reliably reduce the unamortized DAC balance as required.

Description: Chairperson of the LTC Section reflects on his three-year term on the LTC Section Council.