2025 - SOA Research Institute - Student Research Case Study Challenge

What happens when the retirement benefits employees value most are compared with what those benefits actually cost employers? In this episode of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute's Research Insights Podcast, host Lisa Schilling, Director of Practice Research, welcomes Timothy Geddes, FSA, EA, FCA, MAAA, Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP, and Ian Raver, EA, FCA, MAAA, Actuarial Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP. Building on earlier research into employee retirement preferences, the discussion explores how plan sponsors can balance employee satisfaction with financial sustainability. Topics include the cost-effectiveness of survivor and legacy benefits, surprising opportunities involving 20-year certain annuities, the expense of inflation protection, disability coverage, retirement eligibility ages and employee cost-sharing arrangements. Discover how understanding both employee preferences and employer costs can help plan sponsors make more informed retirement plan design decisions and potentially deliver greater value without significantly increasing spending. Explore the research: What Retirement Plan Features Do Employees Really Want?

In recognition of World Environmental Health Day, this episode of the Research Insights Podcast revisits a Research Insights Classic exploring climate change and its connection to health, risk, and decision-making. The discussion examines how climate-related changes—including shifts in air quality, extreme heat, severe storms, and displacement—can affect health outcomes, economic stability, and the risks individuals, communities, and organizations may need to consider and plan for. World Environmental Health Day highlights the important relationship between the environment and human health. This conversation offers a timely opportunity to revisit how changing environmental conditions can translate into real-world challenges and why understanding these interconnected risks continues to matter. Listen now to revisit this Research Insights Classic and explore the connections between climate change, health, and risk.

Behavioral health is increasingly recognized as an important part of overall health—and an area where health plan sponsors, providers and actuaries have opportunities to improve outcomes. In this episode of the Research Insights Podcast, Kara Clark, Senior Research Actuary at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, is joined by Joan C. Barrett, FSA, MAAA, author of the report Developing and Evaluating Behavioral Health Solutions. Their conversation explores the connection between behavioral and physical health, how behavioral health disorders are diagnosed and treated, and the barriers patients may face when seeking care. Joan also discusses emerging opportunities, including digital health applications, advances in treatment and genetics, evolving provider strategies, and the growing role of health plan sponsors in addressing behavioral health. The episode also examines how actuaries can evaluate behavioral health solutions from both financial and stakeholder perspectives, with the goal of lowering total cost of care, improving quality of care and improving quality of life for patients and caregivers. Tune in to learn more about the challenges, opportunities and evolving strategies shaping behavioral health today. Series Landing page: https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/behavioral-health Feedback at [email protected]

How can actuaries assess mortality and morbidity risk when historical experience may no longer fully reflect a changing climate environment? In this episode of the Research Insights Podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, welcomes Carlos Arocha, FSA, SCR, and Jérôme Crugnola-Humbert, SAV, IA, authors of the report Quantifying Mortality and Morbidity Impacts from Climate Risks: A Practical Framework for Decision-Making. Carlos and Jérôme discuss how climate hazards, population exposure and vulnerability can translate into life and health outcomes and ultimately affect actuarial decision-making. They explore why historical mortality and morbidity data alone may be insufficient in a changing risk environment, how climate-related variables can be incorporated into mortality modeling, and what a case study examining France, Italy and Spain can teach actuaries about interpreting forward-looking scenarios. The conversation also examines the "streetlight effect" and the "quantitative fallacy," along with practical considerations for life and health insurers seeking to better understand and prepare for climate-related risks. Listen to the episode and explore the full report, accompanying actuarial toolkit, and additional research from the Society of Actuaries Research Institute by visiting SOA.org and navigating to the Catastrophe & Climate research area. Read the Report: https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/climate-mortality-morbidity-framework/

The 2026 NAIC Summer National Meeting brought a wide range of actuarial and regulatory issues into focus, from mortality and expense assumptions to long-term care, artificial intelligence, catastrophe risk, insurance affordability and more. In this episode of the Research Insights Podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, is joined by Geralyn Trujillo, Senior Director of Public Policy at the American Academy of Actuaries, for a recap of the meeting in Columbus, Ohio. Together, they explore key developments across the life, health and property and casualty practice areas and discuss what these evolving issues could mean for actuaries, regulators, consumers and the broader insurance system. The conversation examines SOA Research Institute experience studies and emerging research, the Generally Recognized Expense Table (GRET), long-term care and combination products, the growing use and regulation of artificial intelligence in insurance, catastrophe risk, affordability, resilience and the increasingly interdisciplinary role of actuaries. Listen to hear which developments from the NAIC Summer National Meeting may have the most momentum through the remainder of 2026—and what actuaries should keep on their radar.