Description: ongoing discussion of the proper interest rate to use in discounting liability cash flows to reflect credit risk of the insurer in a fair value accounting system

Description: Evidence is building from the physical sciences that we are starting to reach some of earth’s limits. Unless we can find some technological solutions, once these limits are reached, we can expect to see a very changed world. Instead of having constantly increasing resources available to us, we can expect ever-decreasing resources to be available. Instead of seeing year after year of growth, increasing longevity and improving morbidity, we can expect the opposite.

Description: Introduction to option pricing using Black-Scholes. Discussion on the limitations of Black-Scholes and of its alternatives such as Heston. Clear, accessible explanation of key results of mathematical finance including risk-neutral valuation.

Description: Part II of this discussion focuses on current investment and funding practices for pension plans. Taken from the March 2005 issue of the Bulletin of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Description: John Shuttleworth explains why our exam syllabus needs updated and shares examples of inconsistencies in the material and actual financial economics. Edward Friend responds to this article.

Description: Feature article discussing the 2009 price action - periods of extreme distress and incredible euphoria across the global financial markets. The reversals experienced from asset class lows to their highs have not been seen in decades.

Description: Since insurance contract liabilities are uncertain in amount, an estimate is required. And under most accounting frameworks, the estimate of an uncertain amount should contain some sort of margin for uncertainty. This paper provides a mathematical connection between that margin and the market price of risk as measured by the cost of capital. The connection makes use of the theory of utility and an exponential utility curve.

Description: R. Evan Inglis, the new chairperson of the SOA/AAA Joint Pension Finance Task Force, shares with us his view of the important pension finance issues facing actuaries and the task force’s vision of how pension finance can strengthen the actuarial profession.

Description: This article discusses how publicly traded companies fail to realize their full potential due to a lack of clarity in identifying which shareholders they are trying to serve, especially when viewing short term versus long term goals.