Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Math and Music

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Brian Fannin

Music is expressive, it is simultaneously immediate and timeless, diverse yet universal. Music can lift us to a higher form of communication. (Think of humans and aliens learning to communicate at the end of “Close Encounters.”) And – like most human experience – music is also very mathematical. A caveat- there is a danger in … Read more »

Posted in Communications.

CAS’ Continuing Diversity Efforts

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Mallika Bender

Led by the CAS Diversity Committee, the CAS continues to ramp up efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within the actuarial profession. Last year, we organized or supported a number of signature events, such as: Our general session on diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the 2018 Spring Meeting, Presentations by the International Association of Black … Read more »

Posted in Diversity, Future of the Profession.

Are You Qualified?

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Ken Williams

Earning the ACAS designation is a great accomplishment. Your college education, hundreds of hours of studying, and maybe a little exam luck have earned you a valuable accreditation for work in insurance and other industries. The question you should now ask yourself is “What does a CAS designation allow me to do?” If you work … Read more »

Posted in Future of the Profession, Professional Education, Regulation.

Overcoming the Insurance Talent Gap

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Wesley Griffiths

You’ve likely heard about the talent gap facing the insurance industry. The gap was detailed in a 2018 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; it found that there would be over 200,000 open positions in the industry by 2022 due to an aging workforce. Since that time, our industry is experiencing unprecedented change brought … Read more »

Posted in Future of the Profession, Volunteerism.

Actuaries Abroad in Israel

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Jonathan Charak

This past December, Melissa Boudreau, FCAS, and I had the opportunity to present at the Israel Association of Actuaries (ILAA) seminar, “Changing the Actuarial Mindset.” This participation aligned well with Jim Christie’s 2019 goals for the CAS, specifically goals #4 (Represent the CAS by speaking at events and highlighting that the CAS is the gold … Read more »

Posted in Events, International.

Expectations for the CAS for 2019: My Presidential Goals

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Jim Christie

It is a tremendous honor to become the new President of the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). Last year brought several special challenges for the CAS. With lots of hard work from hundreds of volunteers we surmounted those issues and emerged stronger than ever. The CAS continues to be the premier educator of property casualty actuaries … Read more »

Posted in From the President, Future of the Profession, Governance, International, The CAS Institute.

Recognizing Important Contributions to Property Casualty Research

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Julie Lederer

Two years ago, the CAS Reserves Committee (CASCOR) established the Reserving Research Hall of Fame (RRHOF) to honor and draw attention to important reserving-related research. The inaugural RRHOF class, announced at the 2016 Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar, included papers by Thomas Mack, Ronald Bornhuetter and Ronald Ferguson, and James Berquist and Richard Sherman. To get … Read more »

Posted in Research.

Courses on Professionalism

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Ken Williams

I recently coordinated the CAS Course on Professionalism (COP) in Orlando for 117 candidates who are approaching their Associateship designation.  Another 120 candidates attended a recent course in Las Vegas and 75 soon will be attending our Canadian course in Montreal. In total, nearly 600 candidates will have taken the course in 2018. The Course … Read more »

Posted in Events, Regulation.

Vegas, Baby! 5 Memories from the 2018 Annual Meeting

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Justin Brenden

I just returned from another great CAS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, and I wanted to share my top 5 most memorable moments:   Welcoming New Members – One of the most important features of any Annual Meeting is the induction of the new members. At this meeting, we had 244 new Associates and 241 new … Read more »

Posted in Events, Professional Education.

Speaking at Society Symposium was Super

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Brian Fannin

Last month I spoke at the Society of Actuaries 2018 Analytics Symposium in Minneapolis. The experience was a delight. Because it was an SOA conference, I had expected that at times I would feel confused or missing critical background, but there were very few instances of this. Several presentations may have meant more to me … Read more »

Posted in Communications.