On Pinnacle’s September 2019 APEX webinar, “Digging Into the Modeling Lifecycle,” we discussed the importance of understanding all of the steps involved in the modeling lifecycle—far beyond simple model construction. That includes understanding the business question, anticipating the potential constraints of implementation, and staying ahead of model usage from a change management perspective. Management of those issues are among the most critical contributors to the model’s best chance for success.

This past May I was able to attend the SAS Global Forum in Dallas, Texas. Like many in our industry, I work in SAS software every day. SAS is considered by some an industry standard data and analytics application. I was grateful to be able to attend the sessions in Dallas alongside thousands of other users, and learn so much more about SAS software tools and approaches.

At Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, we focus on innovation and thought leadership with a goal to make sure our clients remain ahead of the technological, economic and related forces shaping our profession and the insurance industry. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are two of those forces.

Pinnacle Actuarial Resources is dedicated to keeping our clients up-to-date on relevant regulatory, administrative and economic conditions that impact their businesses. Recently, the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) of California issued guidance regarding lower-than-anticipated workers compensation (WC) system loss costs. On September 5, the insurance commissioner of California approved all of the WCIRB’s proposed changes. The most current pure premium WCIRB filing, dated August 20, 2019 recommended a 5.4% decrease in average advisory loss costs, effective January 1, 2020.

My colleague at Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, Inc., Gary Wang, often says that he’s lucky. As a consulting actuary in the field of predictive analytics, Gary lives the exact life he envisioned for himself when he was a kid. I understand how Gary feels. We are fortunate to work in an exciting and expanding industry absolutely filled with opportunity. We get to work with great clients and tackle interesting projects on a daily basis. It’s an exceptional time to be in predictive analytics and I agree with Gary: We are incredibly lucky.