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RECENT ACADEMY ACTIVITY | |
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Only have a minute? Catch up on this week’s top stories with the latest “This Week … In a Minute” video. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive alerts as they are released. |
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No Issue Next Week; Actuarial Update Out Sept. 30 There will not be an issue next week—the September Actuarial Update will be published next Wednesday, Sept. 30. In Update, meet this year’s Academy service and recognition award nominees. |
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This Week—A Focus on Public Policy Academy Symposium Spotlights Key Retirement Issues |
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EBSA’s Aron Szapiro gives the keynote address | | | |
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EBSA’s Aron Szapiro gives the keynote address |
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The Academy’s Retirement Practice Council (RPC) held a successful retirement symposium Wednesday in Washington, D.C., covering a wide range of retirement-related issues, including Social Security’s solvency, gaps in access to retirement savings and lifetime income, and options for sustaining employer-based plans. Aron Szapiro, senior ERISA program advisor in the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), delivered the opening keynote address, discussing retirement plan sponsorship and the Labor Department agency’s 2027 priorities. He discussed EBSA’s role in the retirement system, its role in the current administration, and encouraged actuaries “to keep giving us thoughtful comments on rulemakings.” ▶ Photos & more coverage—See more photos on the Academy’s LinkedIn page, and more coverage in the Fall Retirement Report.
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Issue Brief Examines Medicare’s Financial Condition |
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A health issue brief, Medicare’s Financial Condition: Beyond Actuarial Balance, offers Academy Health Practice Council analysis of the annual Medicare Trustees Report released earlier this year. Its key points note that “corrective action remains necessary—delay risks larger future burdens on beneficiaries, providers, and taxpayers. Any reforms should weigh impacts on care access and affordability alongside financing goals.” ▶ Oct. 6 Medicare Webinar—Register today for an Oct. 6 webinar, Medicare 2026 in Focus: Policy, Practice, and Emerging Trends, which will include analysis and policy implications from the Medicare Trustees Report.
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Next Week—Webinar to Offer Insight on Auto, Homeowners Insurance Cost Drivers The Academy will hold a webinar next week, Cost Drivers and Affordability in Automobile and Homeowners Insurance, that will examine cost issues in those two ubiquitous lines of insurance. Automobile Insurance Committee Chairperson Amy Ning will moderate a panel including committee members Margo MacKenzie and Jared Smollik, and Homeowners Insurance Task Force member Norman Niami. It will be held next Thursday, Oct. 1, at noon EDT. Register today. Public Policy in Brief - The Annuity Products Subcommittee submitted comments on the NAIC Draft Buyer’s Guide for Deferred Annuities, recommending clarifications, consolidation of redundant content, and alignment of glossary terms with industry standards.
Resource Center—Visit the Resource Center to stay up to date with the latest Academy news and activity. |
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Membership Call for Volunteers Extended Through Tuesday |
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If you’ve been considering answering the Call for Volunteers, there’s still time—the Academy’s annual call has been extended through next Tuesday, Sept. 29. With more than 200 committee seats and short-term opportunities open, your experience as an actuary is valuable to the committees and projects looking for volunteers right now. Responding takes about 15–20 minutes. ▶ Get involved—Visit the Call for Volunteers page to see the many volunteer opportunities available to Academy members and submit your interest.
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Save the Date—2026 Leadership Summit & Governance Transition The Academy’s annual Leadership Summit & Governance Transition will take place on Dec. 10 in Washington, D.C. This special event will include a day of leadership-focused learning, the Academy’s annual meeting featuring remarks by the current and incoming Academy presidents, and a celebration of this year’s Academy award recipients. Academy members will be able to access a free livestream and receive insights on leadership, post-election trends, and a look back and ahead on the Academy’s public policy and professionalism efforts. |
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Professionalism Reminder—Download Your USQS Attestation Form Data The U.S. Qualification Standards (USQS) Attestation Form was developed by the Academy to help actuaries voluntarily demonstrate how they meet the USQS requirements for signing NAIC annual life, health, and property & casualty statements of actuarial opinion (SAOs). The Academy is upgrading the USQS Attestation Form. If you have used this form in the past, you may download your data until Sept. 30. After that date, the form and data will be unavailable. The new form will be ready later this fall. |
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Outreach & News Retirement Report Spotlights Symposium, New Policy Papers |
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Academy Club Presentation Focuses on Qualification Issues Member-Selected Director Donna Megregian discussed actuarial competency frameworks and USQS qualification requirements in a Monday presentation, “Are You Qualified?,” to the Tri-State Actuarial Club (Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky), in Louisville, Ky. Megregian engaged the audience with hypothetical scenarios and questions about when an actuary is qualified—or not. |
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JBEA Seeks Applications for Actuarial Exam Advisory Committee The Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries (JBEA) is seeking applications for the next term of its Advisory Committee on Actuarial Examinations, which will run from March 1, 2027, through Feb. 28, 2029. The committee plays an integral role in the JBEA’s examination program by assisting in offering examinations that enable examination candidates to demonstrate the knowledge necessary to qualify for enrollment. Applications are being accepted through Dec. 4—interested individuals can find application instructions in the IRS webpage notice. |
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Academy in the News - Reform options described by the Academy, and the Academy’s Social Security Challenge, are featured in a Yahoo! Finance story covering new projections from the Congressional Budget Office on Social Security’s financial condition.
- Committee on Professional Responsibility member Kathy Wong participated in a Q&A on professionalism issues surrounding AI, published in the September edition of the Society of Actuaries’ Actuarial Intelligence Bulletin (p. 15).
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