Alan Stone

By Alan Stone 1/27/2021

Hello ASEA— Happy 2020.5, all. I look forward to getting back to the old normal sooner than later. But actuarial work continues... I was edumacating (sic) myself on 401(a)(26) rules under the SECURE Act and I came across an article by John Markley, our former president and Industry Relations... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 11/23/2020

Hello ASEA— Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season. I hope next year is back to the normal we once knew. As we live in somewhat of a divided nation, our first article concerns the epitome of a divided nation, the Civil War. Incredibly, the last Civil War-era pension died... READ MORE

Life on the Exam Writer’s Committee – Pandemic Version

By Alan Stone 8/17/2020

If I have one actuarial memory that will last forever, it will be the early 1990s, and getting the actuarial results in the mail at my Park Slope, Brooklyn apartment (it was really Park Slope South – not the best neighborhood back then). I can still see the shelf where the mailman put the envelope... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 8/17/2020

Aug. 6, 2020 I am gearing up for vacation next week, so the introduction to the articles will be shorter than usual. Vacation in the pandemic age is a bit different. My plans went from a week in Toronto (cancelled) to a week in Kiawah Island, SC (quarantine required upon return) to a few days in... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 5/6/2020

Hello ASEA— Greetings from Queens, New York! I have been very lucky not losing any friends or family, working from home, and staying healthy. The cancelled July meeting in Toronto for the EA-2L exam committee was a gut punch, but of course it could be worse. Alas, we will still meet, but... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 3/3/2020

Hello ASEA— Welcome to the first ASEA Monthly. The ACOPA Monthly is no more. Another change is how crazily busy I have been for this March deadline. I don’t recall ever being this stressed out this early in the year. At least not in the last decade. Between that and the coronavirus, not feeling... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 11/20/2019

Hello ACOPA– Change is in the air! Except for the horribly cold day we had in New York, and my recent 48-hour encounter with bad oysters, most of the changes are good ones! The first big change is the changing of the guard within ACOPA leadership. We said goodbye to the great John Markley after... READ MORE

Catching up with Daveyne Totten

By Alan Stone 11/19/2019

Recently I caught up with longtime actuary and ACOPA member Daveyne Totten, who agreed to answer a few questions about herself. Q: Where are you from? And where do you live? A: I was born in Vermont, but grew up in Fayetteville, NY (east of Syracuse). After working in the New York City... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 10/7/2019

Hello ACOPA – It’s been 2 months since August’s ACOPA Actuarial Symposium and now the Form 5500 deadline is almost behind us. Next stop is Thanksgiving in this quick-moving year! After 4 years of writing exam questions for the EA-2L exam, I am excited to start serving as a Co-Chair of that exam... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 7/1/2019

Hola! ACOPA – Just returned from a week away in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. For the first time since email was invented, I spent a week away without responding to any work emails. Admittedly, I looked at most of them, but I didn’t answer any. Not sure why I used to get so stressed out about it in the... READ MORE

9.5 Questions with Frank Prager

By Alan Stone 5/28/2019

Where are you from/where do you live now? Dallas/Georgia. What was your first job in the field? Coopers & Lybrand in Chicago. Favorite actuarial moment? Receiving my FSPA. Volunteer activities through the years? Writing up information for 401(a)(26). Any advice you’d give... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 5/28/2019

Hello ACOPA– Somehow, paying out terminated vested benefits has become my main (and bane of my) existence recently. From preparation of an increasing number of ben apps from a larger pool of clients and participants, to keeping track of who received 30-day notices before forcing out, to the... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 4/2/2019

Hello ACOPA – It has been a tiring first three months of 2019, work-wise. January Madness did not stop with March as we dealt with March 15 deadlines. The April 15 deadline is fast approaching with a new burst of stress. Summer can’t arrive soon enough as it brings on vacation time, summer... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 1/24/2019

Dearest ACOPA Members (and you are the dearest!) – January 2018 set a record for most data requests sent in by my clients. But sure enough, January 2019 broke that record. Just keeping track of what has come in is a job itself, and enough to make my head spin. Presumably I am that much closer to... READ MORE

Lawsuit Filed Against Academy Board Members

By Alan Stone 1/22/2019

Members of the American Academy of Actuaries (AAA) have filed a class action lawsuit against the AAA’s board alleging violations of the organization’s bylaws. The complaint (2018-CH-15777) was filed on Dec. 20, 2018 in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. It alleges that the defendants, who are... READ MORE

From the Executive Editor

By Alan Stone 11/28/2018

Hello ACOPA — The weather in New York has mostly been moderate, with December golf a real possibility. While I sometimes get the winter blahs, working on PPA restatements has lifted my spirits (or at least kept me busy) these last few weeks. And with the new clients coming on board as they do at... READ MORE

Catching up with… Martella A. Turner-Joseph

By Alan Stone 5/11/2018

Recently I spoke with Martella A. Turner-Joseph, a partner at Joseph & Turner Consulting Actuaries, LLC in New York City. Martella chairs the Legislative Relations Committee (LRC), a subcommittee within the American Retirement Association’s Government Affairs Committee. I asked her about the... READ MORE

Catching Up with… Annie Brown

By Alan Stone 4/10/2018

How is Vermont? Love Vermont. Proud to be a Vermonter even though I am away now during a lot of the year. Too dang cold! I spend a good part of the year in Las Vegas, where I am now. I have not seen you too often recently on the listserv – what have you been doing? Well just back from 9 weeks in... READ MORE

View from the Top: Jeff Wadle

By Alan Stone 4/10/2018

This inaugural “View from the Top” article features Jeff Wadle, an actuary at Greenspan & Associates, Inc. in California. Jeff is arguably the biggest contributor to the ACOPA listserv. Recently he was kind enough to answer some questions regarding his vast knowledge and how he goes about... READ MORE

Are All Actuaries Nerds?

By Alan Stone 1/18/2017

I have played golf since I used to take the subway from Manhattan to Brooklyn with my clubs in the early 1990s. My handicap is that I am not athletic (I have a 28 handicap, not too good) but always a very yoga-ish, zen time while playing (so I enjoy that). I was playing two or three times a week (... READ MORE

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