The Actuary as a Consultant

All actuaries have probably at one time or another been asked to explain the nature of their work. As far as the layman is concerned the easiest way of answering a question of this kind is to cite one or more specific examples of not too technical a nature. For those desiring a somewhat fuller explanation the various qualifications and requirements for membership in the societies may be used to explain the matter. It is obvious that a few specific examples are not adequate criteria and the whole syllabus of study for the examinations too broad a gauge to use. A more nearly correct answer would be somewhere in between and this too would omit many intangible factors which are involved in actuarial work and which are nowhere directly covered in the literature of the profession.