Insights and Ideas from the American Academy of Actuaries
Contingencies
September/October 2026
How are severe convective storms, health care access in rural and underserved communities, retirement planning, and economic shifts changing the way actuaries assess risk and plan for the future? Explore these topics and more in this issue of Contingencies.
Features
Convective Convergence
The confluence of severe convective storms, rising costs, and evolving hazards is changing how actuaries measure and manage risk. By Michael G. Malloy Fifteen years ago, on May 22, 2011, the enormous tornado that tore through the city of...
Hard To Reach
Gaps in health care access and data in rural and underserved communities complicate how actuaries assess risk, design coverage, and evaluate models of care. By Noah Kirsch Since the Affordable Care Act was adopted in 2010, the number of...
The Roth Question
How actuarial modeling and long-term planning can help determine whether a Roth conversion will increase a retiree’s after-tax wealth. By Mark Shemtob How does a retiree use their accumulated wealth? Generally, it is allocated to one or...
The Evolution of Risk
Editor’s Note: This article is the second in a two-part series on turning points in the history of insurance. Part I, which appears in the July/August 2026 issue of Contingencies, examined foundational developments in law, data, and public...
Trade-Offs
Editor’s Note: This is the concluding article in a two-part series exploring how global trade dynamics influence risk, investment, and insurance. Tariffs and labor market shifts are changing costs, liabilities, and the assumptions that...Departments
Editor’s Note
An Ordinary Summer Day
An ice cream truck was making its rounds through my neighborhood as I returned home from work one afternoon in June. School was out. Pools were crowded. Children were playing and riding bikes. The forecast called for afternoon...
President’s Message
Is It Still Insurance? Navigating the Era of Data-Driven Pricing
When I learned that access and affordability of insurance was a key theme of this issue, I decided to write about the impact that data-driven pricing may have on individuals’ ability—particularly higher-risk individuals—to obtain coverage. The...
CEO Insights
Making Investments That Strengthen Our Value and Future
One of the core strengths of the American Academy of Actuaries is the expertise and commitment of our members who choose to raise their hands as volunteers. Every public policy work product, professionalism resource, educational effort, and member...
Policy Compass
Affordability in Focus
As the nation approaches the 2026 midterm elections, a common theme across the political spectrum is affordability.
While inflation surged in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising prices have largely persisted and, in some cases, have...
Member Spotlight
Beyond the Finish Line
For retirement actuary Kyuman (Q) Lee, MAAA, FSA, EA, CERA, FCA, CFA, the finish line is never really the end of the race. Whether it’s earning actuarial credentials, taking on new responsibilities at work, volunteering for the Academy, or...
Crossword
Word Salad
Ready to put your problem-solving skills to the test? Download the crossword puzzle below and see how many clues you can solve. You can also download the answers to the previous crossword.
Cryptic Puzzle
Island Rings
Here is another puzzle from Bob Fink and Jerry Miccolis.
Aloha! This puzzle might best be savored on a tropical beach, under a swaying palm tree, while sipping a cool, refreshing mai tai—indeed, the very conditions under which it was conceived....
The Last Word
The Skills AI Can’t Replace
While rereading one of my family’s favorite children’s books at bedtime the other night, I noticed a striking analogy between artificial intelligence (AI) in education and the title character in Creepy Crayon! by Aaron Reynolds.
In this...
Up To Code—The Classics
Perspectives from the ABCD—Moral Turpitude
The current Code of Professional Conduct was released to the members of the five U.S.-based actuarial organizations on Jan. 1, 2001. In the covering memorandum, the Joint Committee on the Code of Conduct referenced comments received during the...
