SOA Podcasts - Society of Actuaries

Join host Justin Le, ASA, MAAA for a talk with Kate Smith FSA, MAAA about finding meaning and purpose in our work as actuaries. Kate is a Director and Actuary working in Valuation at Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. In this episode Kate shares her perspective and advice on connecting her work to the impact on her company’s members.

Listen as Danny Moore interviews Charlie Larimer on Epidemiology and Predictive Analytics.  Listen as Charlie gives his insight on applying predictive analytics techniques to determine drivers of health outcomes in differing populations and regions.

This interview featured Amanda Hug, the president and chair of the Society of Actuaries, discussing the role of actuaries in building trust with AI models. Amanda shared a personal anecdote from a trip to Uganda, highlighting the global reputation of actuaries. The discussion covered the importance of integrity, excellence, and professionalism in the actuarial field and provided advice on incorporating AI into actuarial processes while maintaining ethical standards.  Contributors: Amanda Hug, FSA, MAAA ;  Jon Forster, ASA, MAAA Thanks for watching and don’t forget to subscribe!

Arielle Galinsky—Harvard Kennedy School MPP candidate, JD candidate at Yale Law School, and advocate for aging with dignity—joins host Roger Loomis for a wide-ranging conversation on caregiving, aging, and how her generation sees the future of LTC financing.

Listen to this interview with Whitney Pratt – an actuary who leads a team of data scientists – about similarities and differences of the two fields and how we can better work together.  If you are an actuary wanting to know more about data science, or trying to choose between the two career paths, this is a must listen!

Becoming credentialed is one of the major goals for an actuary, but what does life look like after? Join Carly Mauro, FSA, MAAA and Chris Lombardi, FSA, MAAA as they discuss “the void” and how to approach personal growth, investing time in the community and the SOA, and professional development after exams. 

SOA is proud to present the audio version of the winning entry in the 2024-25 Speculative Fiction Contest, Faulty Medication by Brian Tajlili, FSA, MAAA. Here is what the contest's literary judge, Dr. Bob Mielke, had to say, “Nothing but positives here. A plausible and timely scenario, excellent world-building, vivid incidents, lively and detailed, polished and very well-written. …This story has a real shot at publication even beyond the realm of actuaries.” Find the written version at https://www.soa.org/sections/2024-25-speculative-fiction-art/    

Join host Tiana Zhao, FSA, CERA, as she explores the emerging field of marketing actuaries in this insightful episode of the SOA Marketing and Distribution podcast. Discover how these professionals blend actuarial science with marketing strategies to drive data-informed business decisions. Tiana breaks down the key responsibilities of marketing actuaries, including data analysis, predictive modeling, customer segmentation, and pricing optimization. Learn how this evolving role is shaping the future of marketing in our increasingly data-driven business landscape. Whether you're an actuary looking to expand your skillset or a marketing professional curious about the power of actuarial science, this episode offers valuable insights into this exciting intersection of disciplines.

In this podcast episode Joe Alaimo interviews Bob Leach.  Bob introduces us to model validation concepts from the article that he has written for the emerging topics community: Model Validation 101: Bring your Calculus Mindset!  Bob discusses how to use calculus concepts to validate results from actuarial models.  This discussion is in the context of principle-based reserve valuation models, but the concepts can be extended to other types of actuarial models, like pricing or risk management models.  Partial derivatives of the value function can be used to validate that a model is appropriately applying discount rate, expense, withdrawal rate and other actuarial assumptions. For more details, please read the full article here: https://www.soa.org/digital-publishing-platform/emerging-topics/et-2025-02-leach/

In this podcast, Michael Frings FSA, MAAA, now Chief Actuary at one of the Bermuda insurance companies, shares his experiences on his career path, where he started from an unexpected place -- medical school, which ultimately took him to where he is now -- an actuary. Please join us as we explore how Michael navigated his "unusual" path, how he found success, and what one may expect entering the profession from a different background.