Insights and Ideas from the American Academy of Actuaries
Contingencies
Features
On Chance and Intelligence
How much of our success can we chalk up to innate ability, and how much to random luck? By Carlos Fuentes Introduction "The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same" -Colin R....
Black Warrior—A Buffalo Soldier Looks Back
By Ivan J. Houston with Gordon Cohn Editor's Note: Academy member Ivan J. Houston enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 in 1943 and served as a member of Combat Team 370 of the 92nd Infantry Division of the U.S. 5th Army. Also known as the...
Stress
By Leo Apilash The guy two tables down from me was reading a contemporary fiction bestseller. A sister's marriage was the topic of conversation in front of me. I tried to ignore these distractions and squeeze out every last second going through...Departments
Member Spotlight
Audrey Halvorson
Why did you become an actuary?
People sometimes ask why I became an actuary. I have a funny story about that. In grade school, I asked my dad, also an actuary (William Halvorson) if he made $50,000 a year. This was in the 1970s. He laughed and...
Member Spotlight
Gareth Kennedy
Why did you become an actuary?
I decided to become an actuary during my last year of university. I was a theoretical physics major and was looking for a way to apply my math skills in the business world when I came across a career pamphlet at my...
Special Section
The Hows and Whys of WannaCry: Ransomware, cryptoviruses, and IT security—what you need to know.
By Joseph Wang
On May 12, 2017, major companies around the world walked into their offices to discover a message on their computers. Their files had been encrypted, the message said, and in order to retrieve their data, the companies would need to...
Special Section
The Promise of Blockchain
By R. Greg Szrama III
A New Technology, Blockchain, is being implemented by organizations and governments worldwide. Proponents claim it's a panacea for revising stale business processes and securing all our data. That's inspiring marketing copy,...
Inside Track
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
By Eric P. Harding
What
a short, strange trip it's been.
Though it feels like eons, we've only been
ensconced in our home offices for eight months or so. But as I mentioned in my
last Inside Track, we're growing accustomed to the routine...
President’s Message
Asking the Right Questions
By D. Joeff Williams
As you read this message, the Academy will be getting ready for its Annual Meeting and Public Policy Forum, where I will hand the presidential gavel to Tom Campbell. (It's still hard to imagine that we will not be...
Commentary
My First Boss
By Daniel D. Skwire
When
I applied for a summer internship at Unum Life Insurance Company some 30 years
ago, I had only the vaguest sense of what actuarial work involved. I knew it
had something to do with insurance and mathematics. I knew it...
Up To Code
Follow-Up Exam
By Allan W. Ryan
As I wrap up my final year on the Actuarial Board for Counseling and
Discipline (ABCD), I am also presenting my final "Up to Code" article. I
decided I would go back four years and revisit the topic of my "Up to Code"
article...
Crossword
Greek Food
By Warren Manners
Across 1 Lumbermill tool7 Sea dog11 Colleague15 Lines in the ER?19 Former Sandinista leader20 Shevat follower21 Old Indian coin22 Spanish measure23 Small wheel24 Wheels of fortune?25 Bridge coup26 Distinct...
Cryptic Puzzle
And the Winner Is . . .
By Tom Toce
Some say puzzle-solving is good
for the brain and may stave off dementia.
Others say that puzzle-solving is only good for helping you get good at
puzzle-solving. I'm happy either way, contributing to the common welfare or...
Puzzles
The Big Wheel
By Josh Feldman
All
throughout my childhood,
my favorite game show was "The Price Is Right." Before our family purchased a
VCR, I looked forward to every day off from school just so I could watch the
show at home. Everything about the spectacle...
End Paper
On Loneliness
By Sam Gutterman
We've all experienced it
sometime in our lives, maybe more often than we care
to admit. And in the midst of a pandemic, loneliness, a fundamental emotion,
seems more common than ever before, especially with more people living...
