The Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section exists to provide education, networking and business resources to our members.  We are providing a variety of meeting sessions, webcasts and communications to carry out the education element of our objectives.  Additionally we are expanding our vendor “preferral” program.  The Section Council is considering additional actions to further the networking and business resources objectives.

The current focus of this consideration is on Web-based resources.  The SOA and the Sections are about to start a process to enhance the Web, including Section Web pages.  We would like to be able to provide input from you, our members, to this process.

Your Section Council is just starting to brainstorm ideas for enhancements, and we’d like to share our preliminary thoughts with you.  There will be a lot of behind the scenes work to ensure these ideas are feasible (some may not be), but we want to strive to make the best tools and resources available to you, the entrepreneurial actuary.  We can only do that with your help, so we hope you’ll complete the poll included in this newsletter (in the sidebar just to your left), and even better contact a council member to let us know exactly what you think!

Member Bios
The site would provide EAS members the opportunity to post contact information and an abbreviated description of the type of services and/or products the member offers.

Member as Provider of Services
This section would provide an opportunity for EAS members to indicate more detail about the specialty product(s) or areas of service they provide.  This may be organized by increasing level of specificity; from practice area to broad categories or functions to specific project area.  Someone looking for a particular expertise may be able to sort by these descriptors to find members with particular capabilities.  For example, one may indicate the practice area of Health, the category of Medicare Part D and the specific project of Actuarial Attestations for Subsidy Applications.  Exactly how such a listing will be organized to be most effective still needs to be defined.

The intent of this listing of services would be to provide an opportunity for members to both network and advertise.

Project Posting
The objective here is to provide an opportunity for EAS members and others to post project assistance needs.  This can provide the entrepreneurial actuary with additional staffing for large projects or additional expertise for projects of broad scope.

Peer Review Posting
The entrepreneurial actuary may have the need for peer review assistance.  We envision a capability for the Web site to have a section on peer review needs.  Additionally the section would provide a contact listing for those actuaries that are interested in providing peer review services.

Outside (Non-Member) Posting
Non-EAS members will be able to provide a listing of services they provide that may be of use to entrepreneurial actuaries.  These may include such areas and legal, data, human resources, office services, information technology, insurance and other areas.

M & A Activities
Member’s interests in buying and selling business opportunities are included here.  This may be buying and selling of practices or business segments.  Some may be looking to partner or affiliate with similar or complementary practices.

Let the Buyer Beware!
We envision the Web-based resource to be a forum to provide opportunities to bring together providers and users of various services and needs.  We do not anticipate any involvement by the Section in the transactions that may occur.  Further, the EAS involvement is to facilitate the connections and does not include interaction with the participants.  We will function as a clearinghouse and not a referral service.  We will not evaluate or endorse participants.

Volunteers Needed!
Please take a moment to respond to the poll question in this newsletter (in the sidebar to the left of this article) so we can gauge your interest in and priorities for this project.  If you have and ideas to contribute or interest in participating in the development of the Web-based resource for entrepreneurial actuaries described here, we welcome and would appreciate your contribution.  The project is in the definition and formulation stages and could use your input.  Please feel free to contact me or other council members directly.

  Kevin Dolsky, FSA, MAAA, is a principal with Actuarial & Health Care Solutions, LLC in Wisconsin and the chair of the Entrepreneurial Actuaries Section. He can be reached at
kmdolsky@ahcs-llc.com or 262-241-5633.

[ return to top ]