Publishing Research Through the CAS
The CAS Reserves Committee is currently reviewing papers submitted to our non-technical reserving call paper program. Our call for papers (annually or bi-annually) provides a smooth path for budding authors to publish their work, since the committee provides a guiding hand at every step of the way: Once an author’s proposal is accepted, the author … Read more
2019 CAS Spring Meeting: President’s Perspective
The 2019 CAS Spring Meeting in New Orleans has just concluded! As expected, it was a great meeting with tremendous presentations on a wide variety of topics. The CAS offered lots of opportunity to learn, discuss, and expand your knowledge while earning CE credits. The CAS also recognized 60 new Fellows and 253 new Associates. … Read more
Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Math and Music
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
CAS’ Continuing Diversity Efforts
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
Are You Qualified?
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
Overcoming the Insurance Talent Gap
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
Actuaries Abroad in Israel
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
Expectations for the CAS for 2019: My Presidential Goals
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
Recognizing Important Contributions to Property Casualty Research
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
Courses on Professionalism
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

