Category Archive

Many Academy members might be surprised to hear that counseling actuaries (the “C” in ABCD) is a more common activity for ABCD members than is discipline (the “D” in ABCD). For example, in 2017 Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline members replied to 104 requests for guidance from actuaries, while disposing of just 15 discipline cases. As an FCAS serving … Read More

The other day at the gym, there was this guy wearing a T-shirt that read, “And planks don’t like you either.” For those who may not be familiar, a plank is an efficient exercise to strengthen your core in which you take a push-up position on your forearms, and hold. I am not particularly fond of them, but they are … Read More

A fable is best described as a narrative that illustrates or leads to a particular moral lesson. While these stories may be entertaining, they also play an important role in passing along core values. Many famous fables are attributed to Aesop, a fable writer and slave in Greece during the fifth century BCE. Apollonius of Tyana, a first-century CE philosopher … Read More

“I know one thing; that I know nothing.” If you recognize the quotation above as one commonly attributed to Socrates, congratulations. You are probably someone who does well in trivia contests. If you recognize the quotation as one that is commonly incorrectly attributed to Socrates, greater congratulations. You may well be someone who has had to dispel plausible but false … Read More

As members of any of the five U.S.-based actuarial organizations that has adopted the Code of Professional Conduct must know, Precept 3 of the Code states that: “An Actuary shall ensure that Actuarial Services performed by or under the direction of the Actuary satisfy applicable standards of practice.” For actuaries practicing in the United States, that means following the applicable … Read More

Eric Ratesetter walked into his boss’s office and said, “I’ve got a problem.” Melissa Wisdom looked up and said, “All right, let me guess, it’s a State of Arcadia rate filing again.” Eric sighed and said, “Yes.” “Let me give you the background again,” he said. “We have a lot of business in Arcadia, so our experience is credible. Our … Read More

“Violations of the Code of Professional Conduct—Precept 13. An Actuary with knowledge of an apparent, unresolved, material violation of the Code by another Actuary should consider discussing the situation with the other Actuary and attempt to resolve the apparent violation. If such discussion is not attempted or is not successful, the Actuary shall disclose such violation to the appropriate counseling … Read More

In 1984 my husband and I got married and decided to spend three weeks in Europe for our honeymoon. We were young and adventurous (and in retrospect, maybe a little stupid), so we decided to book flights but not lodging—we had no idea what countries/cities we were going to visit—except for our very first night in Amsterdam. Amsterdam did not … Read More

Recently an actuary contacted the Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline about a confidentiality issue. The actuary’s year-end actuarial reports with reserve opinions contained language about who could see the report. The language said that the report contained work papers, trade secrets, and the principal’s confidential information. It was prepared for the use of management and was available for regulatory … Read More

I retired from active practice last year after more than 40 years. A major portion of my career was spent as a consultant, back in the days when the Actuarial Standards Board and the Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline were just being established. There were times when client situations forced us to determine what constituted good actuarial practice. I … Read More