The following additional resources will give you a different viewpoint on topics presented in SA4
You are not expected to have read all of the items but you should familiarise yourself with current issues and the general market background in the 18 months preceding the examination session.
Actuarial Standards
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries is responsible for the setting of ethical actuarial standards. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is responsible for the setting of technical actuarial standards.
- Technical Actuarial Standards (TASs)
- The Actuaries' Code
- Actuarial Profession Standards
- Actuarial Quality Framework
- Download additional helpful guidance material about the TASs.
Book
- Fundamentals of private pensions. 9th ed. McGill, D.M. et al. Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0199544516.
(Borrow from libraries) - Good governance for pension schemes. Thornton, P.; Fleming, D. Cambridge University Press, 2011. ISBN 978-0521761611.
(Borrow from libraries) (eBook available via the Athens portal, contact the library service for details)
Articles and papers
These article and paper references from Unit 18 of SA4 Core Reading 2017 are listed alphabetically by title. Title links are to papers first presented to IFoA sessional research meetings or to Staple Inn Actuarial Society (SIAS) papers. Papers subsequently published in British Actuarial Journal (BAJ) and Journal of the Institute of Actuaries show their permanent 'DOI' links to the JIA and BAJ, as published by Cambridge Core. Members can access these articles without charge following login to the IFoA website or to the Athens portal for online resources - please contact libraries@actuaries.org.uk for an Athens account.
- Actuaries, pension funds and investment. Arthur, T. G.; Randall, P. A. JIA (1990) 117: 1-49.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020268100043018) - A central discontinuance fund for pension schemes. Black, J. M.; Booth, G.; Cooper, D. R. et al. SIAS, 1999. 34 pages.
- Extending retirement choices. Retirement income options for modern needs. Retirement Choices Working Party. Faculty and Institute of Actuaries, 2001. 39 pages.
- The financial theory of defined benefit pension schemes. Exley, J.; Mehta, S. J. B.; Smith, A. D. BAJ (1997) 3(4): 835-966.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S135732170000516X) - Liability driven benchmarks for UK defined benefit pension schemes. Chambers, A. J.; Barnes, A. E.; Barnes, M. et al. 2005 Finance & Investment Conference. 56 pages
- Longevity in the 21st century. Willets, R C; Gallop, A P; Leandro, P A et al. BAJ (2004) 10(4) 685-832 and 878-898.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S135732170000516X) - Matching and portfolio selection: Part 1 and Part 2. Wise, A. J. JIA (1987) 114: 113-133 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020268100019028) and JIA (1987) 114:551-568
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020268100019193) - The matching of assets to liabilities. Wise, A. J. JIA (1984) 111: 445-501.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020268100041858) - A note on pension scheme design issues. Faculty of Actuaries Pensions Research Group, 2002. 10 pages.
- Note on the relationship between pension assets and liabilities. Speed, C. A.; Bowie, D. C.; Exley, J. et al. SIAS, 2003. 26 pages.
- Pension fund valuations and market values. Head, S. J.; Adkins, D. R.; Cairns, A. J. G.et al. BAJ (2000) 6(1): 55-141.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1357321700000830) - Pensions and low inflation. Meredith, P. M. C.; Horsfall, N. P.; Harrison, J. M. et al. BAJ (2000) 6(3): 547-619.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1357321700001896) - Pensions, funding and risk. Chapman, R. J.; Gordon, T. J.; Speed, C. A. BAJ (2001) 7(4): 605-686.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1357321700002488) - Reinventing annuities. Wadsworth, M. J.; Findlater, A. J. M.; Boardman, T. V. SIAS, 2001. 77 pages.
- Risk budgeting in pension investment. Urwin, R. C.; Breban, S. J.; Hodgson, T. M. et al. BAJ (2001) 7(3): 319-364.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1357321700002385) - The role and responsibilities of actuaries in the defined contribution environment in the United Kingdom. Stocker, M. A.; Dudley, S. D.; Finlay, G. E. et al. BAJ (1999) 5(4): 763-800.
(DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1357321700000659) - The role of high yield corporate debt in pension schemes. Sweeting, P. J. SIAS, 2002. 54 pages.
- The role of your actuary in your pension scheme. Faculty and Institute of Actuaries, 2003. 16 pages
- Sponsor Covenant Working Party Final Report – Allowing for the Sponsor Covenant in Actuarial Advice. November 2005. 40 pages
- Submission on the relationship between pension assets and liabilities. Hill, J. SIAS, 2003. 6 pages.
Other sources
- Guidance for trustees. The Pensions Regulator.
Contact Details
For any library enquiries please contact:
We try to respond to email queries within one working day. Researcher access to historical resources may require notice in advance of visit in order to retrieve items from storage.
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Events calendar
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Building Appropriate Trust and Maintaining Integrity as a Non-Executive Director - Edinburgh
Level 2, Exchange Crescent 7 Conference Square Edinburgh EH3 8RA1 April 2020
We are sorry that this Professional Skills event has been cancelled.The IFoA's policy regarding COVID-19 is designed to safeguard the well-being of members and employees. As stated within the policy, the IFoA is reviewing its events programme on a case-by-case basis.
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SIAS Event: CMI Update
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ1 April 2020We are sorry. This event has now been cancelled.
Following the release of the updated CMI Mortality Projection Model, CMI_2019, the CMI Mortality Projections Committee will lead a discussion on future mortality improvements.
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Finance and Investment Webinar: Investing in Private Credit – An Investment Manager’s Perspective
Webinar3 April 2020
In the webinar, Stuart Hitchcock, Head of Portfolio Management for Private Credit, within LGIM Real Assets, will provide some insight into the nature of the private credit markets. Discussion will evolve around development of the markets and lending landscape, key investment characteristics including structural and legal protections, public vs private investments, advantages and drawbacks for borrowers, and attractiveness for investors.
The webinar will also focus on describing the investment process such as origination through execution, credit, structure, pricing, on-going asset management, portfolio construction within private markets.
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Current Issues in General Insurance (CIGI) 2020
Webinars22 April 2020
Due to the COVID-19, we will be running this programme via a series of webinars commencing 22 April. CIGI is a well-established one-day seminar designed to increase awareness and encourage discussion on a variety of topical issues across the general insurance industry.
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CIGI Webinar - Jumping the Gap - Updating Embedded Systems
Webinar22 April 2020InsurTech headlines are often big statements, which seem impossible to many working in the sector day-to-day. How can actuaries implement new systems, keep the value from legacy systems, deliver BAU and not require the resources of three teams?
This talk:
- Highlights effective strategies to jump the gap to new technologies
- Illustrates practices that provide contingency for future technical growth
- Introduces the concept of “technical debt” and how you can best manage it
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CIGI Webinar - Climate Change Risk in Insurance and Reinsurance
Webinar22 April 2020Pressure on organisations to address climate change risks is intensifying. But what does this really mean for insurers? In this session Adhiraj Maitra and Gareth Sutcliffe will look at the why, the what and the how of this risk through a number of different lenses including regulatory, principle and resilience.
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CIGI Webinar - An Update for Property and Casualty Reinsurance Renewals 2020
Webinar27 April 2020Update on renewal pricing outcomes for Property and Casualty markets at the latest 1/1 reinsurance renewals.
The focus will be on capacity availability and price drivers. These issues include but are not limited to the cat bond market, wider trends in claims outcomes, trends in Casualty RI space that affect pricing such as social inflation, yield curve and the reserving cycle.
Finally, a note on how this may affect actuarial pricing, reserving and capital.
Learning objectives: Business knowledge of reinsurance renewal outcomes and the main drivers
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CIGI Webinar - Current Issues in Personal Injury Modelling
Webinar28 April 2020The Ogden Discount Rate shock of 2017 brought about a period of profound uncertainty to General Insurance market. GI Actuaries' first task was to estimate the impact of the Ogden shocks, particularly to reserving and reinsurance pricing. Their second was to navigate a period of framework uncertainty, maintaining an agility in actuarial modelling as the Civil Liability Bill took shape.
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Professional Skills Training - Edinburgh (29 April 2020)
IFoA (Edinburgh), Level 2, Exchange Crescent 7 Conference Square Edinburgh EH3 8RA29 April 2020A Trusted Profession
A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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Professional Skills Training - London (29 April 2020)
Staple Inn, High Holborn, London WC1V 7QJ29 April 2020A Trusted Profession
A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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CIGI Webinar - Improving Customer Outcomes through Pricing
Webinar30 April 2020The FCA’s interim report into general insurance pricing practices has brought into focus a number of market wide issues including:
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CANCELLED The Global Actuarial Profession
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ30 April 2020We are sorry that this event has been cancelled.The IFoA's policy regarding COVID-19 is designed to safeguard the well-being of members and employees. As stated within the policy, the IFoA is reviewing its events programme on a case-by-case basis.
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CIGI Webinar - IFRS 17 Working Party Deep Dive
Webinar1 May 2020Working party have been producing a number of deep dive papers, these include topics such as risk adjustment, impact of disclosures on how uncertainty is perceived, deferring acquisition costs over renewals, PAA eligibility and more.
We will select where to focus the session based on market focus closer to the time. The plan is to do a detailed session with practical examples and considerations rather than a high level educational session. Very happy to discuss further.
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SIAS Event: Cyber Insurance
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ4 May 2020The talk will cover:
• Why cyber security is regarded as the top threat to businesses (Allianz Risk Barometer 2019)
• What is causing the shift in threat landscape
• Who is attacking, why, and how we can stop them
• Customer impressions of cyber security and how you can help them
• Threats to evaluating insurable losses and responding to claims
• How cyber insurance policies have evolved, and need to continue to do so
• Can and should you recover ransoms under cyber insurance?
• What is the future for cyber risk? -
KSS event: Technology: A red-eyed Terminator or an actuary’s best friend?
Hymans Robertson, Exchange Place 1, 1 Semple Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8BL4 May 2020Despite long-running concerns that innovation could lead to widespread redundancy, technology has enabled greater productivity, created higher-value jobs and spurred us on to new heights. With artificial intelligence increasingly automating work undertaken by professionals, I look at the prospects for the actuarial profession in the era of unprecedented technological innovation.
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Finance and Investment Conference 2020
Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Pl, London NW1 4LE05-05 May 2020
Due to COVID-19, we are running this programme via a series of webinars commencing 5 May.The environmental, social and governance (ESG) space is growing rapidly and increasingly moving centre stage. In many cases, it is now an essential part of policy and central to the way stakeholders make decisions for the long term to ensure retention of clients, manage risk better, and ensure more economically efficient and sustainable investment returns.
ESG factors cover a wide range of areas reflecting how vital consideration of these factors are part of wider systemic risks.
The IFoA’s policy regarding Coronavirus is designed to safeguard the well being of those who attend IFoA events. Find out more.
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Professional Skills Training - Edinburgh (19 May 2020)
IFoA (Edinburgh), Level 2, Exchange Crescent 7 Conference Square Edinburgh EH3 8RA19 May 2020A Trusted Profession
A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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Professional Skills Training - London (19 May 2020)
Staple Inn, High Holborn, London WC1V 7QJ19 May 2020A Trusted Profession
A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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CILA 2020
Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Pl, London NW1 4LE20 May 2020CILA is aimed at practicing life actuaries from life offices, consulting firms and other employers of actuaries. It will also be of interest to all those who work in, or advise on, the life assurance market in the UK and Europe. The programme this year features a timely mix of hot topics including sessions on: -
Protection, Health and Care Conference 2020
The Grand Brighton, 97-99 Kings Rd, Brighton BN1 2FW02-03 June 2020The Protection, Health and Care Conference is an annual conference aimed at all insurance professionals with a passion for harnessing insurance risk in their organisations. -
SIAS Event: Why personal impact matters for career progression & organisational performance & what affects it
Staple Inn Hall, High Holborn, London, WC1V 7QJ2 June 2020How we relate to others at work, whether they are colleagues, clients, prospective clients or other business contacts is key to individual career progression and business performance. People buy people , so considering what we are known for and how to be positively memorable are vital. This session looks at the importance of professional relationships, the psychology of personal image and impact and the three personal impact 'tools' which affect what people say about us when we're not in the room.
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Mortality and Longevity 2020
1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London SW1H 9JJ08-08 June 2020This highly regarded seminar will provide topical and practical updates and discussion on the latest thinking and innovations in mortality and longevity. The program is designed for life, pensions and health and care actuaries, academics, researchers, underwriters and related practitioners eager to learn about the latest developments in mortality and longevity. The sessions are designed to be very accessible to a broad range of exp -
Professional Skills Training - London (10 June 2020)
Staple Inn, High Holborn, London WC1V 7QJ10 June 2020A Trusted Profession
A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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Professional Skills Training - Edinburgh (17 June 2020)
IFoA (Edinburgh), Level 2, Exchange Crescent 7 Conference Square Edinburgh EH3 8RA17 June 2020A Trusted Profession
A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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Professional Skills Training - London (18 June 2020)
Staple Inn, High Holborn, London WC1V 7QJ18 June 2020A Trusted Profession
A 2 hour CPD event designed to meet the IFoA’s Stage 3 Professional Skills Training under the IFoA’s CPD Scheme 2019/2020. This session is suitable for actuaries working in any area (i.e. it is not specifically aimed at Pensions, GI or any other technical discipline) and is interactive, so you should come along prepared to take part in the discussions.
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Pensions Conference 2020
Renaissance Manchester City Centre Hotel, Blackfriars Street, Manchester,M3 2EQ18-19 June 2020Join us as this year’s conference that will focus on topics including funding and savings, pension law current issues, ESG, the end game and transferring risk, investment issues, data visualisation and data science. -
IFoA Asia Conference 2020, Kuala Lumpur
CCEC Nexus, 7, Jalan Kerinchi, Bangsar South, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia24-25 June 2020This event has been postponed. A new date will be announced.
The IFoA's policy regarding COVID-19 is designed to safeguard the well-being of members and employees. As stated within the policy, the IFoA is reviewing its events programme on a case-by-case basis.
To this end the IFoA and their strategic partner, the AIR, have taken the decision to postpone this year's Asia Conference. A new date will be announced pending further reviews over the following months.
Due to the COVID-19, we will be running this programme via a series of webinars commencing 22 April. 
Due to COVID-19, we are running this programme via a series of webinars commencing 5 May.