By Roy Goldman
I received my January/February 2026 issue of Contingencies after returning from hearing Andrew Ross Sorkin speaking on his book, “1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation” in Jacksonville, Florida. Mr. Sorkin talked about the growing debt in the United States and stated that debt was the major cause of every financial crisis.
I opened Contingencies to find Sam Gutterman quoting that exact statement in his article, “Are We Close to the Tipping Point Yet?” How timely! Sam lists five theoretical methods for addressing our upcoming debt challenge but concludes that the likelihood of any of these occurring is low. He ends by saying that a major concern for actuaries is when the tipping point will be reached and what follows. My immediate thought was: Actuaries should not wait for that to happen. We actuaries need to jump into the political thicket. Our country needs people with strong financial and analytical skills and a reputation for integrity and unbiased decision-making to voice concerns and suggest solutions or even run for office. When a public issue is in our bailiwick of expertise (such as debt, health care, or retirement), we should not pull punches in our pronouncements.