This series takes a fresh, sometimes challenging, look at some of the issues facing the actuarial profession and society
The ‘think’ series aims to promote debate on topics across the spectrum of actuarial work and beyond. It looks to provide a platform for members and stakeholders to share views that may differ from the IFoA’s ‘house’ view.
Through this, we hope to challenge the status quo within the profession, question orthodoxy, and shine a light on complex or under-examined issues. At its heart, the series is about stimulating discussion and dialogue to help tackle issues from a different perspective.
Our fourth publication in the ‘think’ series has been authored by IFoA Fellow Rajeshwarie VS.
‘The Brain Game’ explores the intersection of human behaviour and financial decision-making, including why understanding biases and behaviours is crucial for actuaries in shaping the future of our profession and how it can help design products that truly benefit consumers.
Read the complete publication to find out more about why behavioural economics is such a crucial part of the actuarial toolkit, especially in the era of AI.
Our third publication in the ‘think’ series has been authored by Now:Pensions, an award-winning UK workplace pension provider.
The piece focuses on the gender pensions gap and builds on research Now:Pensions published in February 2024. The research highlighted that for women to retire with the same amount of money in their pension pot as a man, they would need to work an extra 19 years on average.
Read the complete publication to find out more about the research and how the actuarial profession can help to address this problem.
Our second publication in the ‘think’ series has been authored by Dr Vina Theodorakopoulou, a behavioural economist.
Dr Theodorakopoulou is a passionate advocate for diversity of thought in the workplace and serves as a Supervisory Board member for GAIN (Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment and Neurodiversity). GAIN has a mission to spark a radical improvement in the employment prospects of neurodivergent people in the financial sector.
‘Much to GAIN’ highlights the benefits of a neurodiverse workplace for actuarial organisations, and what steps can be taken to enable neurodiverse employees to thrive.
Read the complete publication to find out more about what Dr Theodorakopoulou has to say on this important issue.
Our first publication in the ‘think’ series has been authored by Duncan Minty, a chartered insurance practitioner and independent ethics adviser, specialising in insurance, data ethics, and digital trends.
In ‘Revolutionising fairness to enable digital insurance’, he refers to fairness as a ‘‘tectonic issue, in that it is capable, like one of the Earth’s geological plates, of forcing everything in insurance into new alignments’’.
Read the complete publication to find out more about what Duncan Minty has to say on this important issue.