1. A. Actuaries Flashcards
What are actuaries?
Acknowledged experts in the analysis and modelling of situations involving financial risk and contingent events
With what are actuaries concerned?
Asset and liability management and associated risks (both sides of the balance sheet).
They are able to provide realistic solutions to complex problems with a long-term outlook on issues.
Skills actuaries possess
- Highly practical
- Innovative
- Versatile
- Numerate
- Good communicators
The first pension fund to be based on actuarial principles
The Scottish Ministers’ Widows Fund
- 1743
James Dodson
Mathematician, and the father of modern life insurance.
Areas where actuaries have added value and become established in: (5)
- Life insurace
- Pensions
- Investments
- Short-term (general) insurance
- Healthcare financing
Actuaries in Life insurance
The design, pricing and valuation of life insurance product.
Actuaries in Pensions
Advising on an appropriate set of benefits and the required funding method and rate.
Actuaries in Investments
Advising on an appropriate investment strategy for an insurer, taking into account the nature and term of its liabilities.
Actuaries in General insurance
Determining the appropriate amount of money to be held in reserves to meet future claims.
Wider Actuarial Fields
- Demography
- Government initiatives
- Environmental impact evaluations
- Compensation calculations
- Corporate finance
- Personal financial planning
Actuaries in Healthcare financing
Contribution and benefit setting for a medical scheme
Actuaries in Demography
The modelling of the AIDS pandemic
Actuaries in Government initiatives
Advising on national social security
Actuaries on Environmental impact evalutions
Estimating the cost to society of a particular event or activity such as the mining of a dangerous substance such as asbestos
Actuaries in compensation calculations
Determination of an individual’s loss of income following a disability caused by an industrial accident.
Actuaries in corporate finance
The evaluation of alternative development projects and methods of financing them.
Actuaries in personal financial planning
Advising an individual on appropriate death or retirement provisions.
5 Values of the actuarial profession
- Expertise
- Integrity
- Professionalism
- Serving the public Interest
- Adding value
Integrity
Actuaries aspire to the highest ethical standards. We recognise, raise and resolve conflicts of interest before acting and decline to act rather than compromise our advice.
Professionalism
We accept the highest standards of competence set by our professional body. If we fail to meet professional standards we accept the disciplinary procedures of our professional body.
We put the interests of our client ahead of our own.
Serving the public interest.
As a professions we do not hesitate to raise public interest issues and enable the public to make informed judgments.
Adding Value
We use our training, experience and professional judgement to provide solutions to important problems.
How the profession serves the public interest: (4)
- It provides skilled, trustworthy actuaries to meet both business and society’s needs.
- It meets requirements for current or future statutory prudential roles in the financial management of all major financial institutions such as Life and General Insurance Companies, Pension Funds and Banks.
- Its members are willing to accept roles which ensure financial protection for consumers.
- It provides authoritative and objective input to public debate.
3 Key areas where further steps are continually needed to achieve the vision
- Serving the Public Interest
- Broadening the Profession
- Marketing the Profession
3 Factors driving changes in actuarial education
- Globalisation of the actuarial career
- Changing world
- Mistrust
The Profession will need to continually address the issue of increasing mistrust in the following ways: (4)
- An early introduction to students about what it means to be a professional.
- A more detailed consideration of professionalism issues when a student qualifies to become an actuary.
- A system to ensure that newly qualified actuaries have acquired sufficient relevant work-based learning/skills.
- A system of continued post-qualification education/development to ensure that skills and professional standards remain up-to-date.
The 2 tradisional areas where actuaries have added value
- Life insurance
- Retirement funding
Under life insurance, actuaries have had a central role in: (5)
- Valuation of assets and long-term liabilities to ensure solvency of life insurers
- Design and pricing of life insurance products
- Investment advice
- Risk identification and management
- Developing mortality (and morbidity) experience tables
Actuaries have added value to the Retirement Funding area in the following ways: (4)
- Valuation of pension fund liabilities and the assets backing them to ensure the retirement fund is sound (statutory responsibility)
- The sound financial management of retirement funds.
- Design and pricing of retirement funds.
- Investment advice
