Assessing Long-term Risks of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pension Plans Using Scenario Modeling
29 July 2021
Dan Reddy and Erik Pickett examine the use of scenario modeling when analyzing future longevity risk, published in the Society of Actuaries’ Retirement Section News bulletin.
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.
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.
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?
How different states have experienced COVID-19 so far (data available at June 23, 2021)
24 June 2021
This is an update of our state-by-state analysis of excess mortality based on the available data as at 23 June 2021. We show the three distinct waves of COVID-19 seen in the US and how they have been experienced in different states.
VitaMins Health COVID-19 and cancer – prevention on pause?
17 June 2021
In the latest edition of VitaMins Health we look at delays in cancer treatments and screenings due to the pandemic and the potential effects on longevity.
VitaMins Health mRNA technology – a silver spike-protein lining?
14 September 2021
In the latest release of VitaMins Health we examine breakthroughs in mRNA technologies due to COVID-19 and what this suggests for life expectancy.
VitaMins Health: Antimicrobials – don’t take them for granted!
11 November 2021
Did you know that World Antimicrobial Awareness Week takes place from Nov 18th -24th of this year? In accordance, we have our most recent release of VitaMins Health where we explore antimicrobial resistance and what it suggests for healthcare and life expectancy.
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.
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.
VitaMins Health: Long COVID – in it for the long haul?
23 March 2021
Even 12 months after the start of the pandemic, professionals are having difficulty defining and explaining what exactly Long COVID is, and what it could mean for future health for many people.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
VitaMins: How different states have experienced COVID-19 so far (data up to Dec 31, 2021)
9 March 2022
This is an update of our analysis of state-level excess mortality data up to the end of 2021 (data available as at March 7, 2022). COVID-19 continued to contribute to significant excess mortality through 2021, with the number of COVID-19 deaths in the US now over 950,000.
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.
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.
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?