Professionalism Counts
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Precept 11: Truth in Advertising
Professionalism Counts, September 2026
Family lore has it that many grandparents drank a glass of Guinness every evening. Why? Because “Guiness is good for you.” That advertising slogan lasted for decades but was retired as advertising...
Newsletter
Courtesy and Cooperation: Required in All Circumstances
Professionalism Counts, August 2026
Precept 10 of the Code of Professional Conduct provides critical guidance for some of the most difficult situations actuaries may face during their careers: technical disagreements...
Newsletter
Confidentiality: The Lynchpin of Trust
Professionalism Counts, July 2026
Confidentiality is the lynchpin of trust. Without it, professional relationships can fall apart. With it, the trust that it engenders gives principals the confidence to share information actuaries need to...
Newsletter
Preventing Misuse of Your Work
Professionalism Counts, June 2026
Because principals and other stakeholders make critical decisions based on actuarial services, actuaries bear a special responsibility. You must not only take appropriate steps to...
Newsletter
Conflicts of Interest: What's at Stake?
Professionalism Counts, May 2026
Merriam-Webster defines conflict of interest as “a conflict between the private interests and the official responsibilities of a person in a position of trust.” Investopedia goes a bit further: “a...
Newsletter
Clear Communication in the Code
Professionalism Counts, April 2026
“Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.”1
Precept 4 of the Code of Professional Conduct embraces this simple idea by requiring actuarial...
Newsletter
Navigating the Code’s Precept 3
Professionalism Counts, March 2026
Today’s Code of Professional Conduct requires actuaries to ensure that actuarial services they perform, as well as those that are performed at their direction, satisfy applicable standards of...
Newsletter
Qualifications, Integrity, and You
Professionalism Counts, February 2026
When the Academy was founded in 1965, there were no qualification standards for the actuarial profession. As the New York State Insurance Superintendent said at the time, “Our laws today demand no more...
Newsletter
Honesty, Integrity, Competence: The Foundation of Actuarial Professionalism
Professionalism Counts, January 2026
Honesty. Integrity. Competence. These three words lie at the heart of Precept 1 of the Code of Professional Conduct and form the foundation of actuarial professionalism. Indeed, these principles are so...
Newsletter
25 Years of ‘The Code’
Professionalism Counts, December 2025
Jan. 1 will mark 25 years since the current Code of Professional Conduct took effect. The Code is fundamental to actuarial professionalism in the United States: Because all five actuarial...
Newsletter
Have You Wrapped Up Your CE for the Year?
Professionalism Counts, November 2025
The end of the year is fast approaching, and actuaries are making sure they’ve completed their continuing education (CE) requirements for the year. The Qualification Standards for Actuaries...
Newsletter
Applicability Guidelines Updated for ASOP No. 58 and Others
Professionalism Counts, October 2025
The Applicability Guidelines—a useful resource that can help actuaries determine which actuarial standards of practice (ASOPs) might apply to an assignment—has been updated for new and revised ASOPs that...
Newsletter
The Resilience of Actuarial Professionalism
Professionalism Counts, September 2025
Several years ago, the Academy published a series of articles called The Academy and the Web of Professionalism. Not everyone liked the title—the word “web” conjured unwelcome images of spiders lying...
Newsletter
Summer Quiz, Part III: The ASOPs
Professionalism Counts, August 2025This third and final part of our summer professionalism quiz series focuses on the actuarial standards of practice (ASOPs). As you enjoy the last few days of summer (or just take refuge from the heat before cooler...
Newsletter
Summer Quiz, Part II: U.S. Qualification Standards
Professionalism Counts, July 2025
This is the second part of our summer professionalism quiz, which focuses on the Qualification Standards for Actuaries Issuing Statements of Actuarial Opinion in the United States (U.S. Qualification Standards,...
Newsletter
Summer Quiz, Part I: The Code of Professional Conduct
Professionalism Counts, June 2025
School may be out, but actuarial professionalism never takes a vacation. This summer, Professionalism Counts will bring you a series of short quizzes on the Code of Professional Conduct (the Code), the U.S....
Newsletter
Professional Judgment: Use it Wisely
Professionalism Counts, May 2025
"…[M]ore and more in the modern world, large business rests on rectitude and honor as well as on good judgment." - Charles William Eliot[1]
Though this quote is from a late nineteenth-century reformer of...
Newsletter
Returning to Actuarial Practice
Professionalism Counts, April 2025
Several times each year, the Academy receives questions from actuaries returning to actuarial work after some time away from the profession. Whether they've taken time off to care for family members or...
Newsletter
ASB, ABCD Report on Their Work for You
Professionalism Counts, March 2025
The Actuarial Standards Board (ASB) and the Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline (ABCD) play vital roles in helping actuaries adhere to high standards of conduct, qualification, and practice. By doing...
Newsletter
I’m Retired—Do I Still Need to Meet CE Requirements?
Professionalism Counts, February 2025
You've had a long and rewarding actuarial career. After decades of hard work and keeping up with developments in your constantly evolving actuarial environment, you are looking forward to retiring. Finally,...