By Ted Gotsch
Understanding the language of actuaries is not so simple for those outside the profession. Too often, the important insights that Academy volunteers contribute to policy papers do not translate easily to broader audiences, as readers can get lost in the technical jargon.
Since its inception, the Academy has recognized that part of the value we bring to the profession is our ability to help translate actuarial expertise into public policy vernacular. Our practice councils and leadership frequently ask the question, “Who is the audience, and what do they need to know?” Working to meet people where they are and to provide information through multiple communication channels has been a focus for a number of years, resulting in the Actuarially Sound blog and this column.
Engaging Policymakers Through Direct Outreach
Our outreach efforts to those who work in the world of policy—legislators, regulators, consumer advocates, and industry and trade groups—go beyond words on a printed page or a screen. Each year, we host multiple events where Academy members and staff engage with elected officials and others who help shape and influence proposed legislation and regulation, in an effort to fulfill our mission of assisting policymakers by providing actuarial expertise, analysis, and insight in a balanced and objective manner.
On March 9, the Academy will host the Spring Policy Summit, a full day of continuing education programming featuring leading Academy volunteers, representatives from Capitol Hill, federal agency staff, and key stakeholder groups. Together, they will explore emerging priorities and challenges for 2026, with insights from leaders shaping insurance regulation and policy at the highest levels. Participants will engage in dynamic discussions on the evolving policy landscape and examine critical questions around professional standards and self-regulation.
On March 10, volunteers and staff representing each practice area will visit Capitol Hill to meet with congressional staffers, discussing a broad range of issues, including the cost drivers of health insurance, Social Security and retirement security, the impact of climate events, artificial intelligence, annuities, and more. (Read also, “Bringing Actuarial Expertise to Capitol Hill” and the Public Compass column in the January/February issue of Contingencies.)
Building and maintaining congressional office relationships and holding in-person meetings with staff in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals are essential outreach efforts to remind and reinforce to those crafting the rules of the road that the Academy is here to provide independent and objective actuarial insight and analysis.
Collaborating with Stakeholders
These Hill Visits will be followed in mid-April with a Health Practice Council-sponsored summit in Washington, D.C., titled “Broadening the Focus—Evaluating Health Care Programs.” This summit will bring together volunteers from the Health Equity Committee, actuaries, and nonactuaries to discuss the need for and the development of a principles-based framework that may be helpful when assessing and potentially making recommendations for program changes aimed at more efficient use of health care resources.
Next, on May 12-13 in New York City, the Life Practice Council will hold the second annual Insurance Investment Summit. This year’s event will expand on last year’s general theme of “Insuring the Future,” with a greater emphasis on life insurance companies investing in private credit, an emerging hot topic in the investment space. Golub Capital President David Golub will serve as keynote speaker, with other sessions focused on reinsurance, rating agencies, and new or improved structured products. Like last year, a panel featuring regulators is anticipated, and attendees will benefit from continuing education.
A summit offers the Academy an opportunity to engage with stakeholders, focused on timely issues that impact an actuary’s day-to-day work, with an eye toward evolving priorities and practices, while also offering continuing education. The intended audience is mixed—actuaries, other practitioners, and trade groups—and registration is required. While it does not usually focus on the elected official audience, they are active participants as they share their thoughts and prospectives.
Early in the fall, the Retirement Practice Council will hold its annual Retirement Symposium. As has been the case for the past two years, the event will highlight key policy issues in retirement and financial security, bringing together speakers from Capitol Hill and key federal agencies with Academy volunteers. While 2024 and 2025 marked some key anniversaries—the 50th anniversary of ERISA in 2024 and the 90th anniversary of the Social Security program—this year’s focus will remain grounded in issues of retirement security, the changing landscape of employment and savings, and the very real implications of anticipated federal legislation and proposed retirement reforms that have the potential to directly impact nearly every employer and individual in the near future.
Symposia are great opportunities for the Academy to more directly speak to and collaborate with our public stakeholders. These events are usually hosted free of charge and are intended to provide an opportunity to share ideas on potential solutions, freely discuss priority issues, such as the affordability and accessibility of insurance coverage, and encourage dynamic conversations between our members and the people who share our concerns and focus on specific issues.
Education through Seminars
Later in the year, the Academy will host the annual Seminar on Effective P/C Loss Reserve Opinions in Nashville on Dec. 7–8. The event is designed for property/casualty actuaries who prepare, or help prepare, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) annual statements of actuarial opinion on P/C loss reserves.
Seminars are educational events, aimed at the actuarial profession and offering a targeted and nuanced agenda that provides perspective and education that actuaries need to continue performing in their day-to-day work.
In addition to the Opinion Seminar, the Academy also hosts the annual Life and Health Qualifications Seminar every fall—another event that spotlights the value of the Academy and the content that we provide on a regular basis, both for our stakeholders involved in policy engagement as well as for our members and the broader U.S. actuarial profession.
Together, these events provide an opportunity for those inside and outside the actuarial field to learn more about the role the Academy plays in policy and professionalism. Our symposium, summits, and seminars—along with stand-along events like Hill Visits and our webinars, podcasts, and blogs—are tools that we use to fulfill our mission to serve the public and the U.S. actuarial profession, while demonstrating the organization’s core values of independence, objectivity, and balance.
Our volunteers and staff are available to policymakers to educate and inform, but never to lobby. To learn more about these events and to stay informed about registration, go to the Careers & Education tab on the Academy’s website and click on the Event Calendar.
Ted Gotsch is policy content and publications manager at the Academy.