The Retirement Report winter issue includes a Q&A deep-dive into the Pension Practice Council’s (PPC) new practice note, Forecasting Investment Returns and Expected Return Assumptions for Pension Actuaries; the Pension Committee’s new lump sum practice note; PPC comments to the Bipartisan Policy Center; a preview of April’s Enrolled Actuaries Meeting; and recent legislative and regulat

Proposals to expand access to public health insurance plans are being put forward as a way to supplement efforts to strengthen insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or to replace the ACA marketplaces and/or other health insurance programs altogether. Goals of these proposals vary and include increasing access to affordable coverage, exerting downward pressure on provider prices, increasing plan availability, and reducing the number of uninsured.

In the March/April issue of Contingencies, the cover story, “Fighting Fake News,” explores cognitive biases—what they are, how to recognize them, and how to avoid falling prey to their clarion call. This feature aims to provide some clear-headed tools that today’s reader can deploy to distinguish fact from fiction—and lays out how actuaries are in a unique position to help.

The Actuarial Standards Board has released a fourth exposure draft of a proposed new actuarial standard of practice (ASOP) titled Modeling. The proposed ASOP will provide guidance to actuaries in any practice area when performing actuarial services with respect to designing, developing, selecting, modifying, or using all types of models.

In the February Actuarial Update, the Academy announced that members may begin nominating their colleagues to become Academy regular directors. Nominations are due May 1.

It’s time to share your recommendations for Academy regular directors, who are elected to the Academy Board of Directors by Academy membership in an online election from a slate of candidates presented by the Academy’s Nominating Committee. The committee will meet in the coming weeks to identify new candidates for regular directors in accordance with the criteria provided in the Nominating Committee Guidelines.