Latest Critical point Podcast Episodes
Why life insurers are investing in private equity and real estate
Critical Point - May 16, 2024 16:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsLife insurers have historically invested their portfolios in the relative safety of mortgages and bonds, but economic volatility, sticky inflation, and other headwinds have spurred many insurance companies to diversify into alternatives, a trend explored in a recent Milliman paper. On this episo...
Are corporate pension plans making a comeback?
Critical Point - March 11, 2024 17:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsFor decades, companies with traditional pensions have been freezing those plans and replacing them with defined contribution options to help their employees save for retirement. But IBM made headlines when it restored its defined benefit program in early 2024. Three Milliman pension actuaries di...
Growing the actuarial profession in the developing world: Where the UNDP-GAIN initiative stands after one year
Critical Point - December 05, 2023 23:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsActuaries are vital to the insurance industry and national economies, but the profession is still emerging in many developing countries. That’s why Milliman and the United Nations Development Programme have launched a program to increase actuarial capacity around the world. In this episode, five...
Artificial intelligence and insurance, part 2: Rise of the machine-learning models
Critical Point - October 16, 2023 20:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsIn our second Critical Point episode about AI applications in insurance, we drill down into the topic of machine learning and particularly its evolving uses in healthcare. Milliman Principal and Consulting Actuary Robert Eaton leads a conversation with fellow data science leaders about the model...
Artificial intelligence and insurance, part 1: AI’s impact on the insurance value chain
Critical Point - September 25, 2023 18:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsArtificial intelligence has been the buzz term of 2023, evolving at a pace unimaginable when Milliman launched this podcast five years ago. For this 50th episode of Critical Point, we gathered a group of our AI experts to discuss how the technology is poised to reshape the insurance value chain,...
How extreme heat affects insurance—and how the industry can respond
Critical Point - August 21, 2023 16:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsInsurers are feeling the heat as another record-breaking summer finally cools off. In this episode of Critical Point, Milliman leaders Rich Moyer, Garrett Bradford, and Andi Shah—who have studied the impact of extreme heat from the Middle East to Europe to North Carolina—discussed the ramificati...
Could pensions save big this year? Experts weigh in on 2023 PBGC premiums
Critical Point - August 10, 2023 18:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsAfter 2022’s rollercoaster of soaring interest rates and plunging investment returns, sponsors of single-employer defined benefit plans face a key choice as they calculate the 2023 variable rate premium they’ll pay to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Milliman pension actuaries Ca...
Inclusivity in employee benefits: DE&I concerns in plan design and communication
Critical Point - June 16, 2023 17:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsAs companies embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts, many are realizing their benefit policies and communications can help address health inequities and be more inclusive. From modernizing the language in plan documents, to simplifying fertility care for same-sex couples, to not...
SECURE 2.0, Part 2: How the new retirement law affects single-employer defined benefit plans
Critical Point - May 23, 2023 18:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsIn this companion episode to our look at SECURE 2.0 and defined contribution (DC) plans, Milliman employee benefits expert Nina Lantz explores how the new retirement law affects single-employer pensions. She talks with Milliman Consulting Actuary William Strange about what it means for retiremen...
SECURE 2.0, Part 1: Tips for DC plans navigating contribution changes
Critical Point - May 23, 2023 18:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsWhen the SECURE 2.0 Act passed in late 2022, it introduced 92 provisions affecting retirement plans—and created a long to-do list for plan professionals. In this episode of Critical Point, Milliman employee benefits expert Nina Lantz talks with Brandy Cross, our director of defined contribution ...
The COVID-19 emergencies are ending. What does that mean for health plans?
Critical Point - April 25, 2023 20:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsMore than three years after the coronavirus shut down the world, the Biden administration announced in early 2023 the end of the U.S. National Emergency and the Public Health Emergency, two declarations that had mandated health insurance coverage of COVID-19 tests and vaccines, among other requi...
Rising sea levels, rising rents: How climate change will displace communities
Critical Point - March 15, 2023 21:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsAs climate change causes more storms and floods, residents of coastal areas are being forced to move inland—driving up rents and displacing current residents of those regions. Milliman recently studied this issue in a paper called “Climate Displacement in New York City: Making Space for Our Neig...
Milliman at 75 – An interview with the firm’s first female principal
Critical Point - March 01, 2023 15:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsHear from Milliman’s first female principal, Peggy Pearson, about her path from homemaker (and home economics major) to actuarial leader, all while breaking through the cultural barriers of the time. In honor of Milliman’s 75th anniversary, Peggy sits down with current Milliman principals Angela...
Church retirement plans: A look at the Diocese of Fort Worth
Critical Point - February 15, 2023 21:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsChurch retirement plan sponsors face unique considerations. While helping to position their clergy and other plan members for a secure future, they also must stay competitive across the wider benefits landscape to recruit and retain lay employees. For a look at how one diocese manages these pres...
From AI to astronauts’ insurance: A look at the latest insurtech trends
Critical Point - October 25, 2022 14:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsInsurtech never stops evolving. In this episode of Critical Point, Milliman actuaries Sheri Scott and Robert Eaton discuss recent trends they’ve seen and opportunities on the horizon--everything from new motion data and technology for improving the customer experience, to coverage for emerging r...
VM-20 for principle-based reserving: Tales from the front office
Critical Point - September 07, 2022 11:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsThe VM-20 requirement is no longer hypothetical—it’s here, and it’s had a big impact on principle-based reserving for the life insurance industry. In this episode of Critical Point, we hear how experts are coping. Michael McCarty from Legal & General America shares the direct carrier’s side, whi...
Surprises and obstacles SECURE 2.0 could present for plan sponsors and HR professionals
Critical Point - August 08, 2022 20:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsLearn how SECURE 2.0 could derail or reduce participant contributions, and what plan sponsors and HR professionals need to know about this potential regulation. In this episode of Critical Point, Milliman’s Jason Brantley sits down with Charles Clark and Karina Guerrero to talk about surprises i...
Regulatory reviews around principle-based valuations
Critical Point - July 18, 2022 13:00 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsHear real-life experiences and get an “inside the company” look at the regulatory examination of principles-based reserve valuations for life insurers. PBR is a new method of determining U.S. statutory reserves in life insurance that better quantifies product risks. Milliman’s Karen Rudolph sits...
Global benefits in 2022 – A conversation with Microsoft’s Vicky Nevin
Critical Point - May 10, 2022 15:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsIn this one-on-one conversation with Vicky Nevin, Microsoft’s head of international compensation and benefits, learn how a leading multinational organization is approaching its compensation and benefits strategy and overcoming global challenges. Vicky speaks with Milliman / MBWL global EB leader...
The workplace has changed, how will the supplemental benefits market change with it?
Critical Point - March 07, 2022 20:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsLearn about five trends and creative approaches heading into 2022 for supplemental health benefits. Strategy consultant Christin Kuretich fuses Milliman market intel with a broader lens on society and the shifting nature of the workplace, to make some educated predictions on what we will see cha...
The workplace has changed, how will the supplemental benefits market change with it?
Critical Point - March 07, 2022 20:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsLearn about five trends and creative approaches heading into 2022 for supplemental health benefits. Strategy consultant Christin Kuretich fuses Milliman market intel with a broader lens on society and the shifting nature of the workplace, to make some educated predictions on what we will see cha...
Pension risk hibernation – an alternative to annuity buyouts
Critical Point - October 26, 2021 21:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsFor corporate financial officers who are considering a pension annuity buyout, there’s an opportunity cost to 100% risk transfer, as Milliman’s Zorast Wadia and Bret Linton discuss on this episode of Critical Point. With the passage of the COVID-19 stimulus, many CFOs and plan sponsors likely se...
Why did the flu disappear in 2020?
Critical Point - September 27, 2021 18:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsIn fall 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the looming flu season, public health experts feared the possibility of a “twindemic”—a one-two punch of Coronavirus plus influenza. But that year, flu cases hit historic lows. The so-called twindemic never happened. Milliman health care expert Elly...
Understanding IRS guidance Notice 2021-48 under the American Rescue Plan
Critical Point - August 13, 2021 16:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsIn late July, the IRS provided additional guidance on changes to single-employer defined benefit pension plan cash contribution rules under the American Rescue Plan. In this episode of Critical Point, Milliman pension consultants Charlie Clark and Casey Baldwin break down the guidance and what i...
Understanding IRS guidance Notice 2021-48 under the American Rescue Plan
Critical Point - August 13, 2021 16:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsIn late July, the IRS provided additional guidance on changes to single-employer defined benefit pension plan cash contribution rules under the American Rescue Plan. In this episode of Critical Point, Milliman pension consultants Charlie Clark and Casey Baldwin break down the guidance and what i...
Long-term care insurance and the benefits and challenges of aging-in-place
Critical Point - July 19, 2021 21:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsWhen it comes to long-term care, what are some of the benefits and challenges of aging-in-place services, and how can these work hand-in-hand with long term care insurance? In this episode of Critical Point, Milliman’s Robert Eaton and Missy Gordon are joined by Char Hu, founder and CEO of The H...
How the American Rescue Plan Act can impact single and multiemployer pension plans
Critical Point - April 19, 2021 18:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsMilliman pension experts Charlie Clark, Vanessa Vaag, and Grant Camp discuss how the American Rescue Plan Act may impact single and multiemployer pension plans, and why pension funding has been integrated into the bill. The conversation ranges from the $86 billion special financial assistance fo...
Understanding the impact of flooding on mortgage risk
Critical Point - April 07, 2021 17:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsFlooding stands out among other natural catastrophes because of the risk it poses to the financial health of the average U.S. homeowner. In this episode, Milliman flood risk experts Dave Evans and Cody Webb are joined by Andrew Netter from Milliman’s mortgage group and Brand Katz from KatRisk to...
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected mental health in America?
Critical Point - January 12, 2021 18:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsThe COVID-19 pandemic has spurred—and aggravated—a range of mental health and substance use issues in the United States. In this episode, Milliman’s Stoddard Davenport talks with host Lesley Pink about how different populations are faring on the mental health front, how the rising demand for men...
Telehealth in the time of COVID
Critical Point - September 10, 2020 19:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsCOVID-19 has dramatically increased the use of telehealth services across the U.S. In this episode, Milliman’s Susan Philip sits down with Mei Kwong, executive director of the Center for Connected Health Policy, to discuss some of the biggest changes to telehealth in 2020, including regulatory c...
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