Description: In the copula literature there are many bivariate distribution families but very few higher dimensional ones. Moreover, most of these are difficult to work with. Some of the bivariate families can be extended to more dimensions but in general the construction of distribution functions with more than two variables is a difficult problem. This paper introduces a construction method that is straightforward to implement and can produce multivariate distribution functions of any dimension.

Description: This paper is the introduction to the Society of Actuaries 50th Anniversary Monograph, which contains significant papers published by SOA-sponsored research publications during the past fifty years. This introduction describes the selection process and provides a brief summary of each of the seven papers making up the monograph.

Description: Letter From The President column for the December 2012/January 2013 edition of The Actuary magazine—an excerpt from Tonya Manning’s presidential acceptance speech at the SOA 2012 Annual Meeting.

Description: This column highlights the recent activities of the Society of Actuaries and lists professional development opportunities.

Description: This column highlights the recent developments in the Financial Reporting, Long Term Care Insurance, and Management & Personal Development Sections of the Society of Actuaries.

Description: This series of articles provides an in-depth look at the activities of the SOA in 2009.

Description: This article from the SOA’s Education Department discusses recent updates to the Education Principles including the incorporation of the elements of the SOA Competency Framework.

Description: Actuary Dave Dillon describes his role volunteering his time as a teacher in higher education, including the rewards and challenges that teaching offers. He discusses the importance of being attentive to his audience’s pre-existing knowledge and adapting his presentations accordingly. His work as a teacher typically encompasses three distinct domains: 1) acquainting young students with the actuarial profession, 2) educating non-actuaries about public policy issues related to health insurance (including the Affordable Care Act), and 3) instructing current actuaries on advanced methodologies and principles within the field. Recently he taught a health insurance course for actuarial science graduate students at Georgia State University and lectured at Boise State University’s master's program in Population & Health Systems Management. In every teaching and mentoring opportunity, actuaries can contribute to the expansion and prosperity of the profession and are encouraged to pursue these endeavors.

Description: The Actuarial Teaching Conference (ATC) provides an opportunity for all faculty members engaged in actuarial teaching to come together, participate in learning sessions, share ideas, network with each other and learn more about the actuarial profession.

Description: This article previews the session on Predictive Modeling at the 2009 Spring meeting that is co-sponsored by the Education & Research Section and Health Section of the SOA.