This July-August issue includes articles on:
The Casualty Actuarial Society is offering a Student Program at this year’s Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar (CLRS) in Anaheim, CA on September 6, 2018. Members of CAS Student Central are invited to participate in this FREE one-day program!
Attend the CAS Student Program for the opportunity to:
If you would like to register to attend the CLRS Student Program, please contact Tamar Gertner, CAS University Engagement Manager at Tgertner@casact.org. There are a limited number of spaces, so we recommend you reach out early!
Location:
Anaheim Marriott
700 West Convention Way
Anaheim, CA 92802
Last month the CAS participated in a webinar hosted by Canada’s Actuarial Students’ National Association (ASNA), on the topic of Excel and R for Actuaries. The webinar was presented by CAS members Derek Wong, FCAS, Analytics Senior Consultant at CNA Insurance and Brian Fannin, ACAS, CSPA, CAS Staff Actuary.
The presentation provided an overview of each software package and featured live demos of common uses and functions of each software that are most relevant to actuaries.
Check out the webinar recording available for viewing on the ASNA website, to expand your knowledge and sharpen your skills in Excel and R!
ASNA presents a monthly webinar series for actuarial students at its member universities. You can view the list of past webinar recordings hosted by ASNA. Since 2013, the CAS has participated as a sponsor of the ASNA Convention held annually each January. The CAS has also contributed two case studies for the ASNA Case Competitions held in conjunction with the convention. To learn more about ASNA,  visit their website.
As part of the Insurance Careers Movement, a campaign was released to give college students advice and a variety of perspectives on the value of a career in insurance. As you know, many actuaries end up working for insurance companies, and with that come many advantages and opportunities to make an impact. Insurance leaders from across the globe wrote letters sharing their insights on what the industry can offer you, addressed: #OpenLetterToCollegeGraduates. Read along for some of the highlights from the campaign!
In this letter, Larry G. Mayewski, President and CEO at A.M. Best, explains why right now is an exciting time to join the insurance industry – “Insurance is a purpose driven industry and you can make a positive impact on individuals, businesses, and communities around the world.” In addition, he shares how the use of data analytics and the impact of emerging technology are driving significant change.
Watch this video featuring David Bell, President and CEO of ALPS, who believes that through a career in insurance, “you can work in a stable, intellectually challenging industry and pursue the life that you want to build.” Read Sean Kevelighan, Insurance Information Institute CEO’s  letter, which states that “insurers invest in their workers by building corporate cultures that embrace diversity and inclusion, offer outstanding work/life balance, and serve their communities.”
CAS President Brian Brown will tell you! Refer to this letter outlining the benefits of an actuarial career, stating, “From job satisfaction to growth opportunity, hiring outlook to high average pay – actuarial careers provided math-minded individuals with outstanding benefits as well as unparalleled opportunities to grow their skills.” Brian also states that property and casualty actuaries serve a critical role in their companies by providing trusted information that helps ensure that risks are assessed accurately. Additionally, “property and casualty actuaries, in particular, are increasingly in demand in the insurance industry, and beyond.”
President of Valen Analytics, Kristin Marr shares why the insurance industry is one of the hottest tech industries in her letter. According to her, “The overall insurance industry is a trillion dollar annual market, which is more than three times the 2017 revenues of Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google combined; and over 10 times the amount of Venture Capital that was invested in tech in 2017.”
President and CEO of the Hanover John C. Roche shares that the property and casualty industry employs about 2.3 million professionals and generates more than $500 billion in revenues each year in the U.S. alone. With baby boomers retiring in record numbers, “P&C companies offer an incredible number and range of opportunities… the industry is on a hiring spree, hoping to fill tens of thousands of jobs by 2020.” Read his letter to learn more.
The CAS Trust Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce this year’s winners of the CAS Trust Scholarship: Ann Pogrebitskiy, Kristen Marshall and Adam Lathan.
Ann Pogrebitskiy, a junior at The University of Nebraska – Lincoln double majoring in actuarial science and finance and minoring in computer science, mathematics, and statistics, is this year’s recipient of the $10,000 CAS Trust Scholarship.
“I am incredibly honored to be selected as one of the scholarship recipients this year,” she said. Pogrebitskiy is currently interning at Cigna, within the Group Healthcare Expense Pricing sector. Her internship allows her to analyze the expense allocation factors to determine how expenses are included in group case premiums, as well as communicate with various matrix partners to learn how financial reporting currently allocates expenses. “Becoming an Actuary is no easy feat, but having the support of an organization like the CAS simplifies the process and makes a complicated career path understandable. I have worked very hard to get to where I am today, and this award means that I am heading in the right direction. I hope that winning this award inspires other young aspiring actuaries to take the chances they think are impossible.”
Kristen Marshall, a senior at Illinois State University working towards a major in actuarial science and a minor in risk management & insurance, has been awarded a $5,000 CAS Trust Scholarship. “As an aspiring Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, I am truly honored to be chosen as one of the recipients of the prestigious CAS Trust Scholarship. I am blown away by the generous support from the industry through scholarships, internships, and conferences that foster the next generation of leaders,” Marshall said. Senior year, Marshall will serve as Co-President of the Actuarial Club and Treasurer of Christian Business Leaders. Throughout the remainder of her college career, she will continue to gain experience through her internship at Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, where she has accepted a full-time offer after graduation. “I look forward to the opportunity to meet actuaries from across the nation at the Annual Meeting in the fall. For my senior year at Illinois State University, I am excited to help improve participation in the Actuarial Club and to pay it forward by taking the time to help younger students find their way in the competitive field of actuarial science. Finally, I would like to thank my family, co-workers, professors, and classmates who supported me in pursuing my passion.”
Adam Lathan is an actuarial science, data analytics, and information systems major, and rising junior at Drake University. He has been awarded a $5,000 CAS Trust Scholarship. “I am incredibly honored to be selected as one of the scholarship recipients this year,” Lathan said. Lathan recently completed an actuarial internship at the Iowa Farm Bureau where he contributed to the creation of automated reporting tools to be used across multiple departments, as well as worked on automation, reducing runtime by over 50%, or roughly 20 hours. Prior to his internship at the Farm Bureau, Lathan worked as a project associate at Bridge Solutions, studying historical pricing methods for microinsurance products, among other tasks. “Receiving this scholarship helps me with more than just paying for school—it gives me the confidence of knowing that there is a wealth of support and resources for aspiring actuaries like myself.”
To learn more about the CAS Trust Scholarship, and to apply for next year, be on the lookout for the 2018-2019 announcement and application! Coming soon – fall 2018.
