Recent Presentations

Why Go Spectral?

"Why Go Spectral? Harnessing Spectral Pricing Rules in Strategic Portfolio Management" delves into the advantages of using spectral (SRM) pricing rules in insurance pricing and planning. Tailored for actuaries engaged in capital modeling, individual risk, reinsurance, and strategic planning, this presentation illustrates how SRM rules not only generalize traditional methods like CoXTVaR but also effectively address their limitations. Instead of prescribing a single solution, SRM methods offer a spectrum of results, each tailored to different risk appetites. Illustrated with a compelling case study, it demonstrates SRM’s utility in problems such as diversifying risk pricing and reinsurance evaluation. Readers will acquire the expertise to implement SRM in their work the ability to explain its results to business stakeholders. Incorporate SRM rules in your pricing work to align more closely with your organization's risk appetite and strategic goals!

Presentation Why Go Spectral? Harnessing Spectral Pricing Rules in Strategic Portfolio Management, December 2023.

Sought or Sold? Reflecting Motive in Insurance Pricing

The influence of buyer motivation on insurance pricing is under-explored. This talk delves into the dynamics of insurance policy cash flows and capital financing, demonstrating their primary divergence lies in buyer intent. Using Spectral Risk Measures, we'll unravel the pricing implications of such motivations within a one-period framework. These insights are built upon the foundational concepts introduced in "Pricing Insurance Risk" (Wiley 2022, co-authored with John Major) and are brought to life with examples using the speaker's open-source aggregate software package. To maximize engagement and understanding, attendees will be asked to opine on a pricing problem during the talk. Presentation Sought or Sold? Reflecting Motive in Insurance Pricing from November 2023, delivered to CAGNY.

Modern Pricing: Update your Methodology

Modern Pricing: Update Your Methodology - Two leading actuaries will look at the history of pricing methodologies and discuss how the latest thinking compares, based on the recent book by Steven Mildenhall and John Major. During this seminar the speakers will consider a range of questions such as: How does cost of capital vary by line? Why do we ignore the variation? How the cost of capital varies by layer of capital (investment grade bonds, junk bonds, equity) and implications by line. My presentation Modern Pricing: Update your Methodology from January 2023, delivered in The Old Library at Lloyd's.

Pricing Insurance Risk: Theory and Practice

What modern finance has to say about pricing insurance. Taken from my book "Pricing Insurance Risk" (Wiley 2022, co-authored with John Major). For a more academic audience. Presentation from October 2022 delivered at the Bayes Business School, London, and September 2022 to Convention A (ASTIN Non-Life Insurance).

When is Premium Riskier Than Loss?

Presentation When is Premium Riskier Than Loss? updated September 2022, and delivered to the Aon Analytics Conference in July 2022.

Pricing Insurance Risk: Theory and Practice

From June 2022, the ASTIN Colloquia Keynote.

AI and Insurance

AI solves problems people find easy but computers find hard. It works in part by leveraging hidden data structures. When applied to problems people and computers find hard the results can be disappointing. Presentation The Promise, Pitfalls and Process of AI from November 2019.

Blockchain and Insurance

Blockchain solves trust problems. If you trust your counter-parties, or operate in a country with a well developed legal system, do you need to put your data in a tank? Presentation Blockchain Mechanics to Insurance Opportunities from March 2019.

FinTech

Billions of dollars are flowing into new FinTech and InsurTech start-ups. How do these companies view the insurance stack? Will they revolutionize insurance? Presentation 2020 and Beyond: The Future of Insurance from July 2018.

Presentations, 1998-2023

2023

  1. Sought or Sold? Reflecting Motive in Insurance Pricing, CAGNY Meeting, November online
  2. Pricing Insurance Risk: Theory and Practice, at SCOR Insurance, September
  3. Introduction to Python six week CAS online workshop with Brian Fanin
  4. Modern Pricing: Update your Methodology, The Old Library at Lloyd’s, January

2022

  1. Pricing Insurance Risk: Theory and Practice, Bayes Business School
  2. Pricing Insurance Risk: Theory and Practice, Convention A (ASTIN Non-Life Insurance)
  3. When is Premium Riskier than Loss?, Aon Analytics Conference, online
  4. Pricing Insurance Risk: Theory and Practice, ASTIN Colloquia Keynote, online
  5. Reinsurance Decision Making, with John Major, CARe in July, online
  6. Introduction to Python six week CAS online workshop with Brian Fanin

2021

  1. When is Premium Riskier than Loss?, CAS Webinar November, with David Wright, November online
  2. A Modern Approach to Pricing for Risk, Liberty Mutual Capital Modeling Forum, November online
  3. When is Premium Riskier than Loss?, Aon Insurer Analytics Virtual Series
  4. When is Premium Riskier than Loss?, Everest Re Actuarial and Modeling Summit, online
  5. The Cost of Goods Sold, with John Major CARe meeting, June online
  6. When is Premium Riskier than Loss?, CAS Spring Meeting with David Wright, online
  7. When is Premium Riskier than Loss?, CAGNY May meeting, online
  8. Introduction to Python six week CAS online workshop with Brian Fanin

2020

  1. Equilibrium Risk Pools in a Regulated Market with Costly Capital, Robert A. Hedges Research Seminar Series at Temple University, October
  2. Equilibrium Risk Pools in a Regulated Market with Costly Capital, World Risk and Insurance Economics Congress, August online
  3. Charging for Diversifiable Risk and Proud to Do It: Multiline Insurance Pricing with a Distortion Risk Measure, CAS Webinar Series with John Major, September
  4. Introduction to Python six week CAS online workshop with Brian Fanin, July-August
  5. How to Allocate Capital if You Really Must, CAS Spring Meeting with John Major, May online
  6. Spectral Risk Measures and Applications in Insurance ERM Part 2, ASTIN Special Interest Webinar with John Major, March
  7. Market Structure, St. John’s University Brown Bag talk, February

2019

  1. The Promise, Pitfalls and Process of AI, Liberty Mutual Capital Modeling Symposium, Boston, Ma, United States. (November 14, 2019).
  2. The Promise, Pitfalls and Process of AI, Data, Disruption, and Digital Transformation Conference IDMA and iCAS, The Institutes, Newark, New Jersey, United States. (October 24, 2019).
  3. The Promise, Pitfalls and Process of AI, Data in the New Conference at St. John’s University, New York, New York, United States. (October 17, 2019).
  4. The Promise, Pitfalls and Process of AI, ISCM Education Event, New York, New York, United States. (September 19, 2019).
  5. The Promise, Pitfalls and Process of AI, Aon Analytics Conference, Aon, Chicago, IL, United States. (July 11, 2019).
  6. The Promise, Pitfalls and Process of AI, CAS Spring Meeting, New Orleans, LA, US. (May 20, 2019).
  7. Blockchain Mechanics to Insurance Opportunities, at Holborn Insurance Brokers, New York, NY, United States. (April 24, 2019).
  8. Introduction to Python One-day workshop with Brian Fanin and John Bogaardt, CAS RPM Seminar, Boston, MA, March
  9. Blockchain Mechanics to Insurance Opportunities, Casualty Actuaries of New England (CANE) Meeting, Foxwood, CT, US. (March 8, 2019).
  10. Blockchain Mechanics to Insurance Opportunities, at Verisk Inc., Newark, NJ, US. (January 10, 2019).

2018

  1. An Actuary’s Guide to the Mechanics and Magic of Blockchains, CAGNY Meeting, New York, NY
  2. Blockchain and Self-Sovereign Identity, CAS Annual Meeting round table, Las Vegas, NV
  3. An Actuary’s Guide to the Mechanics and Magic of Blockchains, CAS Annual Meeting, Las Vegas NV presentation and round table
  4. A Tale of Two Analytics Tribes: Actuary vs. Data Scientist, CAS Annual Meeting, Las Vegas NV
  5. 2020 and Beyond: The Future of Insurance, ISCM, New York NY
  6. 2020 and Beyond: The Future of Insurance, Aon Analytics Insights Conference, Chicago IL
  7. 2020 and Beyond: The Future of Insurance, Next Gen Analytics and The IOT, St. John’s Conference
  8. An Informal and Formal Introduction to Spectral Risk Measures, CAS Spring Meeting, Boston MA
  9. Where is the Insurance Cycle?, CAS Spring Meeting, Boston MA

2017

  1. FinTech and the Traditional Insurer: Disrupt or Distract?, Bowles Symposium, Atlanta GA
  2. FinTech and the Traditional Insurer: Disrupt or Distract?, Liberty Mutual ERM Symposium

2016

  1. Why is Economic Capital Modeling so Difficult?, Liberty Mutual ERM Symposium
  2. ERM Town Hall Debate, CAS ERM for the P&C Actuary Seminar
  3. Twenty Five Years of Actuarial Research: Successes and Open Problems, CAS Spring Meeting, Washington DC

2015

  1. The Promise, Peril and Threat of Big Data, CAS Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA
  2. Risk Management in Theory and in Practice, The Ron and Mary Simon Lecture, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI
  3. Big Data and Insurance: Threat & Opportunity, Aon Benfield Analytics Insights Conference, St. Louis, MO
  4. Big Data and Insurance: Threat & Opportunity, Beyond Tomorrow, Aon Benfield Hazards Conference, Gold Coast, Australia
  5. Big Data and Insurance: Threat & Opportunity, Aon Benfield Analytics Conference, Tokyo, Japan
  6. Catastrophe Insight: Actual Results May Vary, Aon Benfield Research Conference, Zurich, Switzerland
  7. Risks of the Future, Aon Benfield Research Conference, Zurich, Switzerland

2014

  1. Big Data: What is it? And what does it mean for the insurance industry?, CAS Centennial Annual Meeting with Jim Guszcza, New York, NY, November
  2. Capital Adequacy, Capital Allocation and Risk Pricing: The Current State of Play, CAS Centennial Annual Meeting, New York, NY
  3. Re-rating Challenges in the Face of Global Warming and Higher Frequency of Natural Disasters and Greater Severity of Loss, East Asia Insurance Conference, Taipei, Taiwan
  4. Big Data and Insurance, Aon Benfield Analytics Insights Conference, Dallas, TX
  5. Actuarial Geometry: Volumetric and Temporal Diversification of Insurance Risk, Insurance Risk and Finance Research Conference, NTU, Singapore

2013

  1. Modeling Correlation in the Face of Uncertain Parameters, Aon Benfield ReMetrica Conference, London, UK
  2. Analytics for Insurance: Finding the Right Balance, Aon Benfield Analytics Conference, Atlanta, Georgia
  3. Global Trends and Their Insurance Implications, Aon Benfield Research Conference, Singapore
  4. Catastrophe Modeling - Lessons From Recent Experience, Midwestern Actuarial Forum, Chicago, IL
  5. Actuarial Geometry: Volumetric and Temporal Diversification of Insurance Risk, University of Wisconsin, Madison

2012

  1. What Executives Need to Know about Predictive Modeling, CAS Annual Meeting, Lake Buena Vista, FL
  2. Industry Perspectives: Challenges and Opportunities, CNA Actuarial Conference and Aon Benfield Analytics Insights Conference

2011

  1. Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: Efficiently Modeling Thick Tails, Aon Benfield ReMetrica Conference, London, UK
  2. Actuarial and Business Perspectives on the Insurance Cycle, CAS Annual Meeting, Chicago IL
  3. The Impact of Catastrophes on Reinsurance, SOA Fall Meeting
  4. Reinsurance Economics: Evolution or Revolution?, Aon Benfield Analytics Insights Conference
  5. Navigating Today’s Underwriting Cycle, “Unravelling the Capital Conundrum” Aon Benfield Client Conference, London, UK

2010

  1. The Use of Economic Capital Models: Internal Applications Success Stories, Aon Benfield Japan Analytics Conference, Tokyo
  2. The Insurance Cycle and Value Based Management, CNA Actuarial Conference, Chicago IL
  3. The Insurance Cycle: Historical Perspectives and Speculative Projections, Aon Benfield Florida Catastrophe Risk Conference
  4. Insurance Strategy to Maximize Shareholder Value, Aon Benfield Florida Catastrophe Risk Conference

2009

  1. Reinsurance and How it Affects the Underwriting Cycle, CAS Underwriting Cycle Seminar, Washington DC
  2. View from the Top: The Role of the Board in ERM, CAS/SOA ERM Symposium, Chicago IL

2008

  1. Economic Capital Modeling: A Report Card, CAS Spring Meeting, Quebec, Canada
  2. Actuarial Geometry, Northern Illinois University Symposium Talk
  3. The State of the Reinsurance Market, CAS Ratemaking Seminar, Cambridge MA

2007

  1. Risk Based Capital: So Many Models, CAS Annual Meeting, Chicago IL
  2. Extreme Events—Those of Most Concern and How to Model Them, SOA Spring Life Meeting
  3. The State of the Reinsurance Market, CAS Ratemaking Seminar

2006

  1. Natural Catastrophes: Have the Rules Changed?, CAS Spring Meeting, El Conquistador Resort, Puerto Rico
  2. Actuarial Geometry, Risk Theory Society, Richmond VA

2005

  1. Integration & Aggregation in Risk Management: An Insurance Perspective, CAS Spring Meeting, Phoenix, AZ

2004

  1. The Iman-Conover Method, CAS Spring Meeting, Colorado Springs CO

2003

  1. Risk Premium for Insurance Product Pricing, CAS/SOA ERM Symposium
  2. Discussion of Myers-Read PCAS paper, CAS Spring Meeting, Marco Island, FL
  3. Intersection of Finance & Insurance, Midwestern Actuarial Forum, Chicago, IL
  4. The Evolution of Property-Casualty Insurance Liabilities, Seminar on Industrial Problems, Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications, Minnesota, MN

2002

  1. Actuarial Shareware, CAS Spring Meeting, Coronado, San Diego CA
  2. Finance and Insurance: Converging or Diverging?, Kellogg Business School MBA Class for Howard Bolnick, repeated in 2003

2001

  1. Actuarial Applications of the Fast Fourier Transform to Computing Aggregate Loss Distributions, Computational Finance Seminar, Purdue University, IN
  2. Practical Issues in Computing Aggregate Loss Distributions, CAReSeminar, Washington DC
  3. Computing with Bivariate Distributions, ASTIN Meeting, Washington DC

2000

  1. The Intersection of Finance and Insurance, Kellogg Business School, MBA Class for Howard Bolnick, repeated in 2001
  2. Recent Developments in Transferring Risk, CAS Spring Meeting, Las Vegas, NV
  3. Applications of the Option Pricing Paradigm to Insurance, Discussion of PCAS paper, CAS Spring Meeting, Las Vegas, NV

1999

  1. Bayesian-Bootstrap Loss Development, CAS DFA Seminar
  2. The Role of Reinsurance in a Total Risk Management Program, CAReSeminar, Baltimore MD
  3. Four Actuarial Applications of the Bootstrap, AIB Bootstrap Workshop, Boston MA
  4. A Systematic Relationship Between Minimum Bias and Generalized Linear Models, CAS Spring Meeting, Orlando FL

1998

  1. Liability Dynamics, CAS DFA Seminar
  2. Pricing and the Use of Aggregate Distributions, CARePractitioner’s Track