Description: Evan Borisenko looks at previous challenging environments for the life insurance industry, such as the a period of severe stagnation in the 1930s, the increased inflation in the 1980s and a catastrophe like the Spanish influenza after the World War I. Evan explains that "while each event described above challenged the life insurance industry in a unique way, each event stimulated an equally unique solution." The article concludes that we "fight to repeat history" in a way that we as actuaries should be able to propose unique solutions with when faced with crisis in the future.

Description: This article discusses how unemployment and underemployment information can help improve economic forecasts, insurance assumption setting and risk management. It summarizes the current modeling practices of unemployment which shows a deficiency of using unemployment/ underemployment information in actuarial works. It also gives three examples of using unemployment/underemployment information for economic assumption setting, new business growth prediction and stress scenarios related to the labor market.

Description: While some people proclaim the imminent triumph of renewable energy, this article argues that fossil fuels will continue to be part of the energy mix.

Description: Results and discussion of a survey of FAS 87 Assumptions employed for non- USA defined benefit plans as of 12/31/1996

Description: It summarizes the activities that took place on the “Day of reflection and evaluation of insurance in Argentina” held at the School of Economic Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires (FCE-UBA) on October 17th. The main objective of the Day was to present the progress achieved through the National Strategic Plan for the Insurance Industry (PlaNeS 2012-2020) launched in 2012. The audience included the Superintendent and Vice Superintendent of Insurance, Juan Bontempo and Santiago Fraschina, as well as the Dean of the FCE-UBA, Professor Alberto Barbieri, and authorities of all insurance chambers and industry trade bodies.

Description: In this article the author argues that a falling currency is a symptom of a country’s economic problems and discusses Canada’s experience through late 1997, and concludes that the government’s fiscal and monetary policies were not the long term answer to the problem.

Description: Chronically low interest rates are a reflection of macroeconomic trends. Care must be exercised in making assumptions regarding mean reversion.

Description: Risk management techniques do not include system science. System science requires that the uncertainty of the world is incorporated into the results. The articles explains the difference between risk and uncertainty. Learn how risk practices create an overoptimistic view of future outcomes.

Description: Table featured in the Futures Research Project Provides Insight into Tomorrow's Economic Environment article in The Actuary. Please see the SOA Website research section for the full report on the Delphi Study of Economic Variables. These variables are 1. Change in CPI, 2. 10 Year T-Bill rates, 3. S&P500 rate of return and 4. Corporate Baa Bond Yields.