From the Executive Editor

Hello ASEA—

I am in the midst of getting ready for a few days off, while new issues and requests come in. Luckily, I have the ASEA Google Group to help with the more esoteric issues. Much appreciation to the big brains of ASEA.

Summer is here, and you know what that means—getting geared up for the ACOPA Symposium! Raymond D. Berry, MSPA, ASA, EA, MAAA, a Consulting Actuary, fills us in on the ASEA Actuarial Symposium, which will be here mid-August, and why you should attend. You can find his article here.

The next article, from John Iekel, is a recap of a recent ASPPA webinar in which Stephen W. Forbes, JD, LLM, emphasized the importance of the Form 5500 and how it can be an impetus for audits and other questions from people you don’t want asking questions. So get your 5500s 100% correct! You can find John’s article here.

ASEA President Justin Bonestroo, MSPA, EA, CPC, CPFA, a Senior Vice President at CBIZ, has a call for volunteers. Before I became involved with ASEA, I thought so much of the work done by this group magically rains downs from the sky—nope, people are generously giving their time and effort. If you are a young actuary, you are doing yourself a disservice if you are not getting involved in volunteer activities. Put aside the networking—you just learn so much and become a better actuary. You can find Justin’s article here.

If you are a fan of the Rocky movies and Eminem’s 8 Mile, you know it is exciting to watch someone struggle to beat the odds and achieve their goals. Matthew C. Longley, EA, MAAA, MSEA, a Retirement Plan Actuary at CBIZ, gives an honest and compelling account about his struggles with the actuarial exams. You can find his article here. Given Matt’s desire to volunteer and how hard he has worked, I am super excited to have just invited him to join the 2023 EA-2L Exam Writers Committee. 

Okay folks, my 2021 concert season begins in August. If you volunteer to write an article for the next ASEA Monthly, I can get another issue out right away and tell everyone about it!

Be safe and healthy!!! — Alan