The Academy’s June 28 webinar on Big Data and Actuarial Professionalism (see page 3) was just the latest addition to the Academy’s growing trove of professionalism webinars.
Since 2007, these webinars have provided an easy way for Academy members to earn professionalism continuing education (CE) credits free of charge. They remain relevant and of perennial interest in many areas of practice.
These recorded webinars, presented by Academy volunteers with expertise in professionalism, provide in-depth information on a wide range of professionalism topics, including the Code of Professional Conduct, the U.S. Qualification Standards (USQS), the actuarial standards of practice (ASOPs), and the guidance and discipline processes of the Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline (ABCD). While the Code of Professional Conduct is woven through all of these webinars, five focus specifically on the Code, covering topics such as skill and care, conflict of interest, and courtesy and cooperation. A few home in on a single precept, Precept 13, which deals with violations of the Code.
The eight webinars on the USQS delve into many aspects of the standards and frequently asked questions about them. They cover just about everything you need to know about the USQS, from basic education and experience requirements to continuing education, what constitutes a statement of actuarial opinion (SAO), practicing in more than one area, and specific requirements for issuing NAIC statements. Nine webinars examine various actuarial standards of practice, including ASOP No. 1, Introductory Actuarial Standard of Practice, ASOP Nos. 36 and 43 on unpaid claim estimates, pension standards and recent changes to them, enterprise risk management standards, and the draft modeling standard. In addition, the webinars on ASOP No. 41, Actuarial Communications, discuss what constitutes an actuarial communication, disclosure requirements, and practical considerations regarding disclosures.
Four ABCD-related webinars look at requests for guidance, the wide variety of professionalism issues that working actuaries face daily, the pros and cons of peer review in connection with actuarial work, case studies, and ABCD considerations in balancing transparency with confidentiality.
In addition to covering these broad professionalism categories, these webinars have also examined perceived ethical issues identified in a survey of all Academy members, peer review, the actuary’s responsibility to the public, international practice, and what to do when you don’t have all the information you need to perform an assignment.
Time for a CE Check
Under the USQS, actuaries issuing a statement of actuarial opinion in the U.S. must earn 30 CE credits each year (see this infographic for detailed information). Halfway through the year, now is a good time for a CE check—how many CE credits have you earned so far this year? If the number is lower than you would like, you can watch the Academy’s recorded professionalism webinars free of charge at any time to earn professionalism CE credit. And don’t forget that attending a live webinar earns organized CE credits—watch for two more Academy professionalism webinars this year, one to be presented
by the Actuarial Standards Board and another by the ABCD.
(Featured in the June 2016 Actuarial Update.)
