Policy Update: How Actuarial Research Shapes Public Policy
Actuary Voices
In this episode of Actuary Voices: Policy Update, host Ted Gotsch speaks with Dr. Kim Ferrero, the Academy’s assistant director of research, and Dr. Julia Goodwin, the Academy’s senior research analyst, about how actuarial research helps inform public policy and translate complex risks into actionable insights. The conversation explores the Academy’s nonpartisan, data-driven approach to research, its collaboration across practice areas, and how its findings help policymakers and regulators better understand the trade-offs behind important decisions. Kim and Julia also discuss...
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What Happens When We Live Longer? Kyle Wan on Longevity and Risk
Actuary Voices
Kyle Wan, chairperson of the Academy's Life Experience and Assumptions Committee, explores what happens when one of humanity's greatest achievements, living longer, creates new financial and societal challenges. Kyle examines how longer lifespans, declining birth rates, medical advances, and an aging population could reshape retirement, insurance, and the systems people rely on as they grow older. He also explores the important difference between lifespan and healthspan. It’s not simply about how long we live, but how many of those years we spend in good health. He breaks down why...
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The Actuary and the AI Agent: Elizabeth Eason on a New Way of Working
Actuary Voices
Elizabeth Eason, Director of Actuarial Data Science at Willis Towers Watson, and host of the Network of Actuarial Women and Allies’ podcast, Real Actuarial Women (RAW), explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and AI agents could change the way actuaries work and why adopting the technology shouldn't mean replacing the people behind the work. Elizabeth breaks down what AI agents can and can't do, where they could make actuarial workflows more efficient, and why human expertise, judgment, creativity, and communication may become even more valuable as routine tasks are automated. She...
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Policy Update: Inside the 2026 NAIC Summer Meeting
Actuary Voices
In this episode of Actuary Voices: Policy Update, host Ted Gotsch speaks with Katie Dzurec, the Academy’s director of public policy outreach, about key developments from the NAIC’s 2026 Summer National Meeting in Columbus, Ohio. The conversation explores how affordability, accessibility and trust shaped discussions across insurance practice areas, from rising health care costs and homeowners insurance challenges to artificial intelligence, climate risk and financial regulation. Katie also highlights the Academy’s engagement with regulators throughout the meeting, work underway across...
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Everyone “Maths” Differently: Tiffany Eaton on Building Confidence
Actuary Voices
In this episode of Actuary Voices, Tiffany Eaton, actuary, educator, and board member of the Actuarial Foundation, shares her journey from aspiring math professor to actuary and how those experiences shaped her passion for helping students build confidence in math. Tiffany explores why a growth mindset can make a difference in how students approach math, the importance of normalizing mistakes as part of learning, and how parents and educators can help students overcome the idea that they simply aren't “math people.” She also discusses the Actuarial Foundation’s work to expand...
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Managing Risk in a World of Polycrisis with Rade Musulin
Actuary Voices
In this episode of Actuary Voices, Preeti Vasishtha sits down with Rade Musulin, longtime Academy volunteer, recipient of the 2025 Jarvis Farley Service Award, and author of Managing Risk in a World of Polycrisis, the cover story of the July/August 2026 issue of Contingencies. The conversation explores systems thinking, scenario analysis, climate and geopolitical risk, and the limitations of relying solely on historical data and sophisticated models. Rade also discusses how actuaries can help policymakers navigate uncertainty, why judgment remains essential alongside analytics, and what...
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Policy Update: Representing the U.S. Actuarial Perspective Globally
Actuary Voices
In this episode of Actuary Voices: Policy Update, host Ted Gotsch speaks with Will Behnke, public policy manager for the Academy's Risk Management and Financial Reporting Council, and Lisa Slotznick, chairperson of the Academy's International Committee, about why international engagement matters for the U.S. actuarial profession. The conversation explores how the Academy represents U.S. actuarial perspectives on global issues such as solvency regulation, financial reporting, artificial intelligence, and emerging risks. Will and Lisa also discuss the Academy's growing international role,...
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The Hidden Cost of Complexity: Pietro Parodi on Smarter Actuarial Models
Actuary Voices
In this episode of Actuary Voices, Pietro Parodi, pricing actuary, author, and thought leader, shares his unconventional path into the actuarial profession, from studying physics and AI to becoming one of the industry's leading voices on pricing and actuarial modeling. Pietro discusses why more data doesn't always lead to better decisions, the importance of building models that are both accurate and understandable, and how actuaries can avoid the trap of unnecessary complexity. He also shares his perspective on artificial intelligence, the value of critical thinking, and his widely used...
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GLP-1s Explained: Beyond the Weightloss with Dr. Kimberly Ferrero
Actuary Voices
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are making headlines for weight loss, but their potential impact goes far beyond the numbers on a scale. Could these drugs reshape health care spending, insurance coverage, longevity, and even the assumptions actuaries use to model risk? In this episode of Actuary Voices, Contingencies Editor-in-Chief Preeti Vasishtha speaks with Dr. Kimberly Ferrero, the American Academy of Actuaries' Assistant Director of Research. Drawing on her background in cardiovascular and metabolic disease research, Dr. Ferrero explores the science behind GLP-1...
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Hidden to Heard: Transgender Visibility and the Power of Data with Cynthia Edwalds
Actuary Voices
In this episode of Actuary Voices, Cynthia Edwalds, treasurer of the Sexuality and Gender Alliance of Actuaries (SAGAA), talks about her path to becoming an actuary, the importance of visibility and community within the profession, and the challenges of understanding risks when data doesn't tell the full story. She explores how actuaries account for missing data, barriers to insurance access, the evolution of underwriting practices, and how actuarial expertise can help create more informed and inclusive systems. Cynthia also shares how SAGAA supports both...
info_outlineTune into the latest Actuary Voices episode featuring Ethan Sonnichsen, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Chief Government Affairs Officer, and Katie Dzurec, the Academy’s Director of Public Policy State Outreach. The two discuss the relationship between the two organizations and how they work together in areas such as health care, casualty, life insurance and more to improve public policy in a way that benefits both insurers and consumers.