Reasons to be cheerful
4 January 2021
A Scotsman on Hogmanay morning should be planning the New Year party. Not this year. I’m holed up in my study soberly digesting the latest grim diet of COVID statistics, whilst escaping my children’s depression at the prospect of weeks more separation from their friends. We could all do with an injection of optimism: some reasons to be cheerful.
Cognitive miserliness – I’m too busy to think about that!
17 December 2020
In his latest blog, Erik Pickett looks at the concept of cognitive miserliness, which is the tendency to avoid (or reduce) mental effort when making decisions.
VitaMins: How different American states have experienced COVID-19 so far (data available at December 15, 2020)
16 December 2020
This is an update from our August 21, 2020 VitaMins that analyzed state-level excess mortality data at that time.
VitaMins Health: Physical activity – are you sitting comfortably?
8 December 2020
Sedentary lifestyles are on the rise. More and more people are sitting down on the commute, sitting down at work and sitting down for leisure.
VitaMins: Society of Actuaries’ MP-2020
19 November 2020
How long people are expected to live (their longevity) is a crucial assumption for actuaries calculating the future liabilities of pension plans and books of life or health insurance policies.
Top Charts US – COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths
16 November 2020
In this edition of Top Charts, Erik Pickett looks at the relationship between case numbers, hospitalization rates and deaths caused by COVID-19.
Top Charts International – COVID-19 compared to other leading causes of death
30 October 2020
In this edition of Top Charts, Erik Pickett examines how the numbers of COVID-19 deaths compare to other leading causes of death in the UK, US and Canada.
COVID-19: news bulletin #2
23 October 2020
COVID-19 is having a significant effect on mortality in 2020. It is clear that this year’s extreme events have affected different populations across the country in different ways, but how will the pandemic affect longevity in the longer-term?
VitaMins: Representativeness of data
6 October 2020
With most of the world still in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, much attention is now focused on the development of a safe and effective vaccine. Never in our memories have clinical trials received so many column inches and the subject of representativeness of sample data is top of many minds.
As-if thinking – does Batman use Zoom?
15 September 2020
In his latest blog, Erik Pickett looks how his former life as a street performer has helped him in his professional life, and asks, does the same experience still help in the age of Zoom?
COVID-19: news bulletin #1
11 September 2020
In addition to Club Vita’s webinars and written articles on COVID-19, our attention is now turning to our own research. These newsletters will give you an update on our current thinking and progress with this research.
Top Charts US – Life expectancy doesn’t tell the whole story
28 August 2020
In this edition of Top Charts, Erik Pickett explains why there's more than meets the eye when it comes to life expectancy.
VitaMins: How different American states have experienced COVID-19 so far
21 August 2020
In this article Erik Pickett and Dan Reddy explore how COVID-19 is being experienced differently across the different states of America.
The survivorship bias – who’s left?
7 July 2020
In his latest blog on cognitive biases affecting the actuarial world, Erik Pickett looks at the survivorship bias: the tendency to assume subjects that made it through a survival process are typical of the group that began the process.
VitaMins Health: Mental health – looking after body and mind
18 June 2020
It is widely accepted that the mind and body are closely interlinked. In this article we look at the link between mental and physical health patterns and how these may influence future longevity trends.
Club Vita Appoints Jennifer Haid CEO of International Team
16 June 2020
Club Vita, the international leader in longevity data analytics, today announced that Jennifer Haid has joined Club Vita’s international team as Chief Executive Officer.
Club Vita to Provide Longevity Analytics through ProVal
3 June 2020
Club Vita, the international leader in longevity analytics, today announced an integration partnership with WinTech, a leader in retirement valuation and administration software.
Top Charts US – US 2020 cumulative deaths
15 May 2020
In this edition of Top Charts, Dan Reddy discusses the effect COVID-19 is having on 2020 cumulative deaths.
Segal to offer Club Vita’s longevity service to plan sponsors
6 May 2020
Club Vita, the international leader in longevity analytics, today announced an agreement with Segal, a leading employee benefits consulting firm. The relationship will bring Club Vita’s longevity risk reporting to Segal, whose clients include multi-employer trust funds, public sector plan sponsors, and corporate and not-for-profit employers.
The myside bias –why is it so hard to change our minds?
30 April 2020
The myside bias –why is it so hard to change our minds?
Socioeconomic effects of COVID-19
6 April 2020
The number of Google searches for the word unprecedented has recently spiked to unprecedented levels. And for good reason; the COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything in living memory - and it is not affecting everybody in the same way.
Exponential growth and an appreciation for the logarithm
26 March 2020
Erik Pickett discusses exponential growth in his latest blog.
Club Vita’s business response to the COVID-19 pandemic
16 March 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most serious health emergencies of modern times. We recognize that COVID-19 is affecting the physical, mental and financial well-being of many, particularly workers in the healthcare, travel and hospitality sectors. While you will have more important issues arising from COVID-19, I write to let you know how Club Vita is adjusting its working practices to meet the challenge, particularly our implementation of “social distancing” to help protect the most vulnerable in our society.
VitaMins Health: Vitamin D: The “sunshine” vitamin
3 March 2020
Dietary sources of Vitamin D are limited, with around 90% of our usual intake coming from sunlight. Does our current lifestyle and diet through the winter months provide us with sufficient resources for a long and healthy life? In this edition of VitaMins Health we focus on Vitamin D and whether action is required to combat deficiency.
Top Charts US: US cancer improvements
24 February 2020
In this edition of Top Charts US, Erik Pickett asks whether cancer mortality has been improving in the US in recent years?
Doing the Cupid Shuffle
5 February 2020
Douglas Anderson discusses running, resolutions and the preventive benefits of healthy habits.
Top Charts International – How harsh are the winters in Canada, the UK and the US?
17 December 2019
In this edition of Top Charts International, Richard Brown, Erik Pickett and Daniel Reddy discuss whether more people die in the winter than in the summer.
The availability heuristic - forefront of your mind, forefront of your opinion
12 December 2019
Erik Pickett discusses the availability heuristic in his latest blog.
The Journey so far...
6 December 2019
The last 6 months have been a great ride as we have been starting up Club Vita in the US. As I’ve traveled more, the less difficult it is and the more fun it has become to try to fill a day meeting as many new people as possible to spread the word of our new US longevity model.
The outcome bias: the adversary of insurance
23 October 2019
In this blog, Erik Pickett discusses a cognitive bias known as the outcome bias.
VitaMins: A tale of two Springfields
18 October 2019
Springfield, Virginia and Springfield, Missouri share the same name, but they don’t share much else. In this edition of VitaMins, we explore the differences using Club Vita's US longevity map.
Top Charts US: Mortality inequality in the US
15 October 2019
In this edition of Top Charts US, Erik Pickett presents a chart exploring the mortality gap between rich and poor.
VitaMins Health: Getting clued up on flu
3 October 2019
Every year significantly more people die during the winter months than at other times of the year, and recently we have seen huge variability in ‘excess winter deaths’, potentially impacted by the severity of the flu. In this issue of VitaMins Health, we explore the subject of flu.
In praise of maps
3 October 2019
Club Vita Founder, Douglas Anderson, explains how maps are a way of exploring the connections between past sociology and longevity outcomes.
What is Club Vita?
3 October 2019
In the first video of our series Douglas Anderson, Founder of Club Vita is interviewed by Mike Kreps, Groom Law Group, to find out 'What is Club Vita?'.
Is longevity really a risk in the United States?
25 September 2019
In this video Mike Kreps, Groom Law Group, talks to Club Vita US’s CEO, Dan Reddy, to find out if longevity really is a risk in the USA?
Have we reached the limit of life expectancy?
18 September 2019
Mike Kreps, Groom Law Group, and Erik Pickett, Chief Product Officer Club Vita US, discuss whether we have reached the upper limit of lifespans in the USA.
What can we learn about the US?
11 September 2019
In this video Mike Kreps, Groom Law Group, asks Ian Edelist, CEO Club Vita Canada about what Club Vita can learn about the US from their experiences in the UK and Canada.
Is longevity just a problem for actuaries?
4 September 2019
Is longevity risk just a problem for actuaries? Dan Reddy, CEO Club Vita US explores this question with Mike Kreps, Groom Law Group.
Is life expectancy due to nature or nurture?
28 August 2019
Erik Pickett, CPO Club Vita US talks to Mike Kreps, Groom Law Group, about whether lifespan is due to nature or nurture.
Are annuities the only way to de-risk longevity?
21 August 2019
Mike Kreps, Groom Law Group, talks to Douglas Anderson, Founder of Club Vita, about a longevity insurance product popular in the UK for hedging longevity risk while retaining investment freedom, called a longevity swap.
Why longevity?
14 August 2019
Mike Kreps, Groom Law Group asks the Club Vita US team how and why they got into longevity risk.
Zooming in on ZIP codes
7 August 2019
How long retirees live is a key assumption when valuing pension promises. There is ever stronger evidence of variation in lifespan across US society. Given that differences in life expectancy are recognized to be largely driven by lifestyle rather than genetic make-up, how can plan sponsors tailor their longevity assumptions to reflect the characteristics of their participants?
Club Vita unveils new model for predicting life expectancy on ZIP+ Codes
7 August 2019
Club Vita unveils new model for predicting life expectancy based on ZIP+4 codes, modernizing longevity risk management techniques for U.S. Pension Plans
Mercer and Club Vita Collaborate to Enhance Longevity Risk Management in US Pension Industry
10 July 2019
Mercer, a global consulting leader in advancing health, wealth and career, and Club Vita, an international leader specializing in longevity analytics, today announced that Mercer is the first consulting firm to offer Club Vita’s longevity risk reporting to its clients in the United States, effective immediately.
Club Vita brings its big data longevity service to U.S., appoints Dan Reddy as U.S. CEO
25 June 2019
Club Vita, a provider of longevity risk data, today announced its plans to expand to the United States. A team of British, Canadian and American actuaries and data scientists is collaborating to deliver Club Vita’s novel longevity data analytics service to American pension plans and insurers.
VitaMins Health: Sleep - Putting a number on slumber
17 June 2019
Health behaviors and levels of morbidity are key drivers for future mortality rates and can be thought of as key components of the “longevity pipeline”. The levels of health and morbidity in a population today will be stored up and reflected in how long people live in the future. In this edition of VitaMins Health we explore the subject of sleep.
Club Vita's Top Charts: Grieving widow effect
18 April 2019
In this edition Longevity Consultant Erik Pickett presents a chart exploring the so-called “grieving widow effect”.
Vitamins Health: Genetic testing – panacea or dystopia?
15 March 2019
Health behaviours and levels of morbidity are key drivers for future mortality rates and can be thought of as key components of the “longevity pipeline”. The levels of health and morbidity in a population today will be stored up and reflected in how long people live in the future. In this edition of VitaMins Health we explore the subject of genetic testing.
Lang mae yer lums reek: Resolutions for 2019
3 January 2019
Of course, New Year is a popular time for turning over a new leaf and setting some personal goals. Have you set any 2019 resolutions?
Club Vita's Top Charts: Life Expectancy Trends Around the World
23 October 2018
In this edition Longevity Consultant, Nick Chadwick, takes a closer look at recent changes in life expectancy in different countries around the globe.
Club Vita's Top Charts: Balancing value and risk when insuring sub-groups of pensioners
14 September 2018
In this edition Longevity Modeler, Chuyi Yang, looks at the benefits of individual assumptions when assessing the value of longevity insurance for sub-groups of pension plan participants.
Club Vita's Top Charts: Key ages in longevity risk
4 June 2018
In this edition UK Head of Longevity Modeling, James Maloney, shows that when it comes to life expectancy for new pensioners, it is mortality rates in people’s late 70s and 80s that make the most difference.
The case for longevity "time zones"
16 April 2018
The evidence of diversity in life expectancy is overwhelming, and the uncertain timing of future medical breakthroughs increase demand for insurance. But, the resources required - risk capital and actuarial skills - are limited. So how do you meet demand in the most efficient way? Douglas Anderson, Founder of Club Vita discusses.
Club Vita's Top Charts: The Bee-Swarm Chart - Illustrating Diversity
5 April 2018
In this edition Club Vita's UK Membership Secretary, Steve Hood, shows a chart that illustrates why it is important to capture and use all available information when setting longevity assumptions for pension plans.
Lang may yer lums reek!
29 December 2017
Douglas Anderson takes a look at what uncertainty 2018 may hold.
VitaMins: Gaming the longevity lottery - the search for the causes of longevity variations
22 May 2017
Two recent pieces of research really move on our understanding, taking the lengthy investigation in an unexpected direction. Since the 1960s, public health research has suggested that differences in lifestyles (smoking, drinking, diet and exercise) explain much of the variation in postcode longevity. Of course, these statistics are merely saying that the habits of people living in certain areas are associated with low or high life expectancy, and don’t prove beyond reasonable doubt that the habits are necessarily causing the variation in life expectancy.
Opposites attract: the seduction of the life insurer and the pension fund
14 February 2017
Pension funds have unusually long time-horizons. Their promises can be 20, 30, 50, even 80 years or more. They’re in the until-death-us-do-part business.