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Leading actuaries and actuarial organizations are making headlines. When it comes to a variety of topics, from insurance to broader financial issues, actuaries are often called upon to help people to better understand complicated situations. The following is a sample of recent articles where actuaries were called upon to help explain a complex and pressing issue.

September | August | July | June | May | April | March | February | January |

September 2009

• Working Mothers of the Year- Shantelle Thomas
  This September 2 article from Working Mother highlights the life and accomplishments of Shantelle Thomas, Director and Senior Actuary, Allstate; Northbrook, IL.

August 2009

• Olivet College announces new majors, minors and concentration
  This August 27, BattleCreekInquirer.com story features information about the new actuarial science major at Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan.


• Don’t smoke and cut your costs on life insurance up to 50%
  This August 21 article from Ecommerce-Journal.com offers five tips for saving on life insurance, citing findings from the Society of Actuaries.


• Workers find can’t retire with shriveled portfolios
  This August 12 story from the Chattanooga Times Free Press highlights the findings of the recent SOA, LIMRA and InFRE survey and the impacts of the current economy on retirement and offers some advice about how to save for retirement.


• Uncertain about savings, retirees tighten belts, seek advice
  As reported in a LifeHealth.com story recapping the findings of the recent SOA, LIMRA, InFRE survey, The number of retirees who say they are worried about financial security has more than doubled in the past year, and many are tightening budgets or seeking professional financial advice. Forty-nine percent of retirees said they felt less secure than when they first entered retirement, compared with 20 percent who said so last year.

July 2009

• Craig Raymond Named Chief Risk Officer & Chief Actuary for John Hancock Financial
  This July 31 announcement highlights the work of Craig Raymond, FSA, MAAA and past SOA Vice President (2000-2002, 2006-2008) and his promotion to Chief Risk Office and Chief Actuary for John Hancock Financial.


• The New Retirement
  In actuary Mike Boot’s, FSA, FCA, MAAA, recent ProducersWeb.com posting, references a June Capitol Hill presentation sponsored by the American Academy of Actuaries, the "What a Difference a Year Makes" Retirement Report by from the Society of Actuaries, International Foundation for Retirement Education, and LIMRA, an association of insurance and financial services companies and provides some perspective on how financial advisors can use this research.


• Insecurity Grows Among Retirees
  This July 22 post on RetirementIncomeJournal.com highlights the findings of the "What a Difference a Year Makes" Retirement Report by from the Society of Actuaries, International Foundation for Retirement Education, and LIMRA, an association of insurance and financial services companies.


• Retirees Become More Conservative
  This July 16 U.S. News and World Report Blog Post discusses ways in which baby boomers who retired before the recession are becoming more frugal.


• Futurists See Trouble Ahead for Retirees as Recession Takes Toll
  This post to “Burns on Business,” a blog of the Chicago Tribune references the recent World Futures Society gathering, cites recent SOA research regarding retirement and quotes actuary Anna Rappaport, FSA, EA, MAAA.
• Retirees Become More Conservative, Frugal
  This July 16 story from USNews.com cites the results from the "What a Difference a Year Makes" report from the Society of Actuaries, International Foundation for Retirement Education, and LIMRA, an association of insurance and financial services companies.


• Three Initiatives to Reduce Costs and Increase Health Care Efficiencies
  A follow-up to his recent essay on Health Care Reform, Dale Yamamoto’s, FSA, EA, FCA, MAAA, July 8 post on TheHealthcareBlog.com outlines three potential initiatives that may be undertaken by the government and the private sector to help achieve the objectives of reducing health care costs and improving the quality of health care delivery.


• Can You Afford to Retire?
  This July 2 BusinessWeek Special Report highlights ways to secure your retirement.


• Washington: Reworking Retirement Savings Plans
  This July 2 BusinessWeek cover story explores Lawmaker’s debate over how to protect 401(k)s from market swings and ensure workers don't outlive their savings.

June 2009

• Retire Debt-Free
  This June 2 article on Philly.com talks about the four things everyone should consider about retirement and debt.

May 2009

• Personal finance: Tips Help Buyers Evaluate Long-term Care Insurance
  This May 31 article published on TheColoradoan.com uses life expectancy calculations provided by the SOA to discuss long-term care insurance.


• Inflation’s Burden on Seniors
  This May 21 article in MercuryNews.com offers solutions to the problems faced by older Americans who feel squeezed by the ever-rising cost of living.


• Keeping a Longer-term Perspective in a Shaky Environment
  This May 21 article on PRODUCERSWEB.com, by Mike Boot, FSA, MAAA, FCA, explores applying the concept of mean reversion to understand our current economy.


• What Businesses Can Do About Swine Flu
  The May 21 article on MSN.com discusses disaster planning for companies and offers tips to help organizations stay on top of crisis situations like the recent Swine Flu virus.


• ERM Support Still Soft, SOA Survey Finds
  This May 18 article in National Underwriter Property & Casualty provides findings from a survey of the 2009 Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Symposium attendees. The survey findings indicate that a majority of companies have not increased support for their ERM programs.


• Canada's Top 40 under 40
  This May 14 article in Insurancenetworking.com discusses how economic challenges are causing companies to review their risk profiles and analyzes how risk-management decisions are being made.


• Companies Choosing Risk Management Status Quo
  This May 14 article in Insurancenetworking.com discusses how economic challenges are causing companies to review their risk profiles and analyzes how risk-management decisions are being made.


• ERM Conference Attracts 400 to Chicago
  This May 11 article highlights the Enterprise Risk Management symposium held recently in Chicago.


• Models Showed Financial Risks, But Execs Ignored Warnings: Experts
  This May 11 article suggests that models functioned accurately at indicating financial risk, however not all of these results were heeded.


• Complex Processes Employed to Identify Emerging Risks
  In this May 11 article, enterprise risk management experts discuss how to recognize the signs of emerging risks.


• Is Longevity Insurance Right for You?
  This May 1 article on USNews.com discusses longevity insurance with Anna Rappaport, FSA, MAAA, EA.


• Life & Health Advisor
  This May 1 article in Lifehealth.com, features Long Term Care consultant Claude Thau’s, FSA, MAAA, evaluation of the independent review process and analysis of cost/benefit trade-offs for the industry and consumers.
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April 2009

• Do Firms Need A Chief Skeptical Officer?
  In this April 6, 2009 National Underwriter article, Max J. Rudolph, FSA, CERA and owner of Rudolph Financial Consulting LLC in Omaha, Nebraska, explores how corporate culture must encourage challenges to assumptions in strategic plans.

March 2009

• Five retirement tips…for women only
  This March 17, 2009 Mainstreet.com story features insight from Anna Rapport, FSA, EA, MAAA, Anna Rappaport Consulting.


• Emerging risks and personal risk management strategies
  Mike Boot’s, FSA, FCA, MAAA, Managing Director, Actuarial Marketplace Solutions, Society of Actuaries, March 11, 2009 column on ProducersWeb.com highlights the findings of a recent actuarial survey on emerging risks conducted by the Joint Risk Management Section, jointly sponsored by the Society of Actuaries, Casualty Actuarial Society and Canadian Institute of Actuaries.


• Bonus Risk for CROs
  In this March 1, 2009 Treasury & Risk Article, Actuary Max Rudolph discusses how many corporations may have gotten into trouble not just because they didn’t listen to warnings from the their chief risk officer (CRO), but also because they were compensating the risk manager in the wrong way.

February 2009

• Using Risk Management to Beat the Downturn
  Actuary Max Rudolph discusses how entrepreneurs and businesses can build risk management into their operations during a recession by focusing on risk as an opportunity, not a obstacle in this January 10, 2009 BusinessWeek article.

January 2009

• Best Jobs for new College Graduates Now
  This January 9, 2009 Forbes article discusses that becoming an actuary is one of the best jobs for graduates. Actuary James Miles explains why actuaries are currently in high demand.