Description: Expanding Horizons recently had the opportunity to interview Wenjun Zhu, the winner of the Society of Actuaries’ (SOA’s) third Actuarial Science Early Career Award.

Description: The article highlights the importance of learning and development (L&D) for personal and professional growth. While many have access to resources like seminars and online courses, few fully utilize them. Genuine curiosity, behavior shifts, priority management, and discipline are key to effective L&D. Learning is an active, deliberate process, requiring consistent effort and time management. It’s important to set clear goals, create a timeline, and schedule regular progress checks. Rather than relying on motivation alone, building disciplined habits is crucial for sustained improvement. Ultimately, personal growth is a self-driven journey, not dependent on external validation.

Description: Increasing technology is available to create and disseminate educational resources worldwide. In response, this article advocates creation of open educational resources (OERs) that will benefit the actuarial profession with both recruitment and retention of members. Specifically, we describe OER contributions made at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and more recently through the ASTIN Academy, a working group of ASTIN, the non-life section of the International Actuarial Association. We advocate pushing boundaries and creating new ways of teaching effectively for the future. The innovative use of technology and open-source materials is a way to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the actuarial profession.

Description: Column highlighting education committee volunteers and the benefits of volunteering.

Description: Andy Rallis delivers his speech at the presidential luncheon of the SOA 2019 SOA Annual Meeting & Exhibit in Toronto.

Description: Pandemic impact on continuing education. Financial Reporting Section and Community Engagement. US GAAP textbook update for LDTI. IFRI textbook update for amendments.

Description: This article discusses two perspectives covering the experience of attending and presenting at in-person conferences after COVID-19. It also briefly covers the value of attending conferences, volunteering, and networking.

Description: Now that Covid and other viruses seem to be leaving us (hopefully!), what is left of the aftermath? For two locked-down years, we no longer could network face-to-face, meet with colleagues at work, do lunch or breakfast, enjoy meeting for coffee, nor attend conferences or other events to experience great speakers up close. Nor could we show up as one of those great speakers ourselves! This article explores what's next in our newly virtual world of public speaking!

Description: Feature article discussing the SOA’s competency framework and how it provides direction for professional development.