Description: This newsletter article provides an update, as of December 2024, on Financial Reporting Section sponsored research projects in process and those recently completed.

Description: Appointed actuaries are facing a number of changes in the regulatory landscape. Some of these occurred in the past few years, such as Actuarial Guideline (AG) 51 (Asset Adequacy Testing for Long-term Care Insurance). Some were very recently put in effect and are evolving, such as AG53 (Modeling and Documentation of Complex Assets). Some are quickly approaching, such as the potential changes to asset adequacy testing requirements for reinsurance ceded by life insurers.

Description: Generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP) reporting frameworks are more involved than ever before. From disclosures to assumption changes, to interest rate movements, uncovering the drivers of income emergence can prove hard to do, and even trickier to communicate. This session will revisit how the updated standards create layers of complexity and offer ways to sidestep these obstacles to generate useful earnings analysis by various drivers.

Description: Even though the 2018 Tax Cut and Job Act significantly simplified the tax valuation methodology, taxation can impact the valuation outcomes and financial decisions. This presentation will start with an overview of the key taxation topics relating to valuation work, and then dive into more complex topics, such as the deferred tax asset/liability handling and reinsurance implications.

Description: Indexed universal life (IUL) continues to be the most popular universal life (UL) product with sales reaching $1B in Q4 2023, according to LIMRA. There is little long-term experience for IUL and many companies value and model IUL just like UL, but there are material potential differences that need to be considered for valuation and projection purposes.

Description: Hot Topics in Setting Pension Return Assumptions is the third in a series, following Mathematics of Pension Return Assumption and Inflation, focusing on Effects, Forecasts, and Role in Pension Valuations. What time horizon is more appropriate for Capital Market Assumption (CMA) forecasts: mid-term or long-term time horizon, or a blend of both? How do we map the asset classes of a plan's own investment policy to the asset classes of investment forecasters' CMAs? If we use asset-smoothing for valuation assets, should we use market-driven expected returns or smoothed/average versions of them?

Description: This will be an engaging and interactive session that will begin with a game show to level set basic knowledge of LDTI. Next, you will have an opportunity to ask the experts in-depth questions about anything related to LDTI. Finally, we will invite the 2023 adopters to share their experiences with the 2025 adopters. The exact content will be driven by participants but is expected to include MRB valuation approaches, LFPB reinsurance topics, DPL, DAC, and disclosure topics. At the end of the session, participants will understand different perspectives from industry experts and peers on the many facets of LDTI.

Description: This session will provide an overview of the landscape of accident and health insurance valuation. Attendees will gain an understanding of key concepts and various actuarial techniques employed in the valuation of accident and health insurance policies. By incorporating real-world perspectives and experiences, this presentation equips attendees with actionable knowledge to enhance their understanding and approach to accident and health valuation in an ever-evolving insurance landscape.

Description: June 2024, AG54 will begin for new RILA sales. This guidance requires companies to determine an interim value that is more aligned with the market value of the position on a daily basis. This discussion will talk through companies adoption of AG54, lessons learned, approaches and integration with the administration system. Additionally this session will discuss how AG54 impacts new product design, reserving and capital implications.

Description: This session will cover the latest information on annuity products. It will cover sales levels, product features, and pricing trends. It will also cover latest regulation effects on products and pricing. It will give the audience a well-rounded view of the annuity market and the current environment.