Few industries will be impacted by the compounding effects of climate change as severely as the insurance industry. Extreme climate-related disasters have increasingly dominated the media. Some recent climate data has indicated that expansive wildfires, hurricanes, extreme flooding and prolonged droughts are negatively affecting more and more people. By taking timely action, the insurance industry can help lead change to combat the growing regularity of catastrophic events.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd last year, Pinnacle decided to proactively support and advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at our company, in our profession and in our communities. Collectively, the sentiment of the firm was towards action rather than simply parroting words to make us feel good about ourselves.

In this era of “Big Data,” we have access to more records and connected data than ever before. New programming languages and applications are being developed that promise to unlock many of the world’s challenges, such as showing businesses how to market directly to the most profitable consumer groups or helping healthcare groups eradicate complex genetic diseases. However, while this increase in records and connected data can solve many challenges, it can also create difficulties when moving from the research stage to the implementation stage.

At least two things came to fruition from the 1960s science fiction TV shows many of us watched as children. First, as the title of this blog suggests, it is now acceptable to split an infinitive (that is, insert an adverb between the word “to” and the verb). Second, although we still don’t have flying cars, it is possible to conduct meetings and converse with people miles away while looking at a screen. This came in quite handy as we planned our 2021 Pinnacle University program.

Joe Herbers, managing principal of Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, has over 35 years of actuarial experience. He has seen major industry changes from asbestos and environmental claims liabilities to the emergence of claims-made policies. He has witnessed the advent of CAT models and the nascence of construction defect claims. For decades, he has seen new problems emerge and the creative solutions that have followed. I sat down with Joe to discuss his perspectives on COVID-19 and how the pandemic may affect younger, current and future actuaries and those others working in today’s insurance industry.