Description: This article describes why dressing up - even while working remotely- can help create work / life balance when the day is done.

Description: Stakeholders in a specific state (Minnesota) were interviewed about the potential value -- and obstacles -- of a catastrophic backstop program to handle long term care (LTC) financing needs. The design would entail a payroll deduction which would produce a fund to pay LTC expenses once a deductible period (of 1 to 4 years, depending on income) was reached. This design was believed to encourage enrollees to cover the front end better than done today, whether by private insurance or other means.

Description: This article discusses two key challenges one must overcome to gather the best data for managers to make data-driven decisions.

Description: A compilation of reader responses is presented to a real life situation. This issue’s case study involved an actuary trying to add to staff, who encounters questionable behavior by a prominent actuarial recruiter. What the actuary actually did is shared after the compiled responses.

Description: Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, is plagued with poverty, political unrest, and natural disasters. The latest disaster was a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck the town of Les Cayes and surrounding communities on August 14, 2021. Only three days later tropical storm Grace brought devastating flooding to the very same region along the southern peninsula of Haiti. Over 2,200 were killed and many thousands more injured, homeless, or missing. Food and drinking water were scarce. Relief from the capital in Port-au-Prince was limited due to structural damages to bridges and landslides on roads. Outside aid took days to arrive. Spontaneously, Pierre-moise Louis of Jérémie Bakery sprang into action. He donated his entire stock of konparèts (a dry biscuit baked from breadfruit flour) to affected families in the area. With additional support from Trees That Feed Foundation, over 80,000 meals were provided by local Haitians to victims of the disaster. Since its inception in 2008, Trees That Feed Foundation has received financial and operational support from my fellow actuaries in several countries.

Description: Feature article discussing how workflow breakdowns happen and how to remedy and avoid the situation.

Description: A description of a new award for outstanding educators in actuarial science.

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 an actuary who received disappointing news from his boss, and what he should do in reaction to it

Description: A story about a mother/actuary’s journey of discovering her work-life balance through entrepreneurship.