The New Normal

Here’s your source for industry briefings and SOA news. Important headline information, section highlights and current stories—in short, news to note.

 August/September 2017

Significant Milestone for the NAAJ

The North American Actuarial Journal (NAAJ) has been selected as a listing in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), a new index in the Web of Science Core Collection.

Inclusion in the ESCI will:

  • Expand the citation universe of the NAAJ
  • Increase visibility to readers
  • Elevate the importance of publishing in this prestigious, peer-reviewed journal
  • Prompt others to cite the NAAJ in their research papers

Inclusion in the ESCI also elevates the quality of the NAAJ and further increases its international recognition, broadening the ability to solicit distinguished authors, as well as top-tier papers, worldwide.

Priming Actuaries for the Future

“Actuaries have always done predictive analytics, but it’s become more important than ever,” notes Stuart Klugman, FSA, CERA, Ph.D., Society of Actuaries (SOA) senior staff fellow, in a new video titled “Enhancing the Curriculum: Priming Actuaries for the Future.”

“Companies of all kinds and actuaries in all practice areas are collecting more data and need the technical ability to process a larger amount of data,” says Klugman. “What they need now are the tools to successfully process that data to make good business decisions for their clients and for their employers.”

In the short video, Klugman and Kory Olsen, FSA, CERA, MAAA, assistant vice president at Pacific Life Insurance Company and general chair of the SOA Education Executive Committee, explain how the associate of the SOA (ASA) curriculum has changed to help members across the board, enhancing the quality and rigor of the SOA education system to keep its commitment to move the profession forward.

“Actuaries have always been problem-solvers,” concludes Klugman. “For their clients and for their employers, the enhanced education in predictive analytics will take that a step further because the whole predictive analytics process is one of problem-solving.”