Description: Discover the "101” basics of project management including developing project plans, monitoring progress relative to timelines, facilitating meetings, communicating with the project team and stakeholders, and effective tools to support project management. There will be a focus on the type of technical work actuaries are often asked to manage, such as actuarial modeling projects.

Description: The Society of Actuaries (SOA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the creation of a Diversity Extension of the new University-Earned Credit (UEC) program. One of the SOA’s key strategic initiatives is to engage diverse communities to address key societal issues and to work to build a more diverse actuarial profession. The UEC Diversity Extension will begin investing in efforts to achieve greater diversity within the actuarial profession.

Description: All actuaries are not created equal. Our personal brands are built through the various dimensions of ourselves. This session will cover the role of self-awareness, clarity of values, and consistent communication in establishing an authentic personal brand. We will also cover how to promote your brand and stay up with its evolution throughout your career.

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: In this real life case study, an actuarial candidate tried to get the hiring manager to increase the level of the position for which she was interviewing. Did that raise red flags about her candidacy? A compilation of reader responses is presented, along with what actually happened.

Description: This article is the result of the Leadership & Development book club on Dare Lead. The article talks about major themes in the book and relates them to other podcasts and authors thought on those themes.

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: This article gives examples of good and bad prompts for actuaries to use when using large language models.

Description: On October 7, 2023, the SOA Research Institute assembled an industry expert panel to discuss current issues in GenAI. The group was diverse in terms of employment, including company actuaries from life, health and property/casualty backgrounds, as well as consultants from various kinds of firms.