Emerging Topics Community: Understanding LLMs - Tokenization

What is your brand? How did you get to be there? What was the moment? Whatever point of your career you are in, your brand is yours to define, to model, to sell. Tasso Bountouvas, FSA, CERA hosts Mitch Stephenson, FSA, MAAA to delve into the notion of one’s personal brand and its development. Building off of Mitch's recently published article: Defining Your Brand: It’s the Little Things, listen as they both share a bit of the experiences that have shaped their perspectives and advice on what it takes to succeed in branding.

Join Host Jackie Lee in a discussion of ACA hot topics in preparation for the upcoming CY 2026 filing season with Lydia Tolman.

In this episode, host Tiana Zhao, FSA, CERA explores impacts of interest rate changes on insurance market, specifically on marketing and distribution.

Listen in as host Jackie Lee talks to Suzanna-Grace Tritt about Medicare Stars again. We first began this discussion with the 2020 podcast, Health Section: Medicare Star Ratings. Is it a STAR(T) of a new era? What has happened with Stars since Covid? What happened during the summer of 2024 that was unprecedented?   Also, here are other articles from Suzanna-Grace and her Wakely team to dig deeper into Stars: -            Initial Star Ratings and the impact of a significant cut point methodology change -            Updated Star Ratings, which were changed due to SCAN and Elevance lawsuits -            CMS proposes additional temporary changes to Stars

Join us for the September edition of the YPAC podcast as host Derek Camenga, ASA, is joined by Ross Starfeldt, FSA, who discusses the various roles and challenges he has encountered throughout his career as an actuary. From his start in consulting to traditional actuarial functions to strategic leadership positions, Ross has seen a wide variety of ways in which an actuary could provide value and shares his thoughts on how these roles shaped his career for the better. Ross also shares tips on how to position yourself for different opportunities and for succeeding in any role you hold as an actuary. 

In this episode Roy Ju, FSA, CERA, MAAA, joins host Nick Kocisak, ASA, to discuss how to build credibility early in your career and accelerate your professional growth. Roy shares his experience through his exam journey and highlights some of the key actions and perspectives that have fueled his success. 

Join Anders Larson and Shea Parkes as they delve into the technical aspects of large language models (LLMs); this episode focuses specifically on the process of tokenization. They discuss how understanding the workings of these models can aid in interpreting their outputs and integrating them into actuarial work. The conversation covers the evolution of natural language processing, the significance of tokens in LLMs for bridging text to numbers, and the stochastic process of generating new tokens.

In this podcast episode, join host Tiana Zhao, FSA, CERA and guest Leyla Lesina, Head of Individual Markets Distribution at Guardian Life, to take an in-depth look at the current state of the US individual insurance market, including the key trends, challenges, and opportunities facing insurers. We'll explore the evolving consumer landscape, the impact of financial volatility, and discuss how to set visions and strategies in today’s world.

Join us for another exciting episode of YPAC podcast as host Yisi Wang, FSA, CFA sits down with Blake Hill, FSA, FCIA, a distinguished leader in the insurtech industry. Discover the transformative power of technology in insurance, and the unique challenges and opportunities within the insurtech sector. Blake also shares invaluable career advice for young professionals and highlights the benefits of volunteering within actuarial organizations. 

Host Nick Kocisak, ASA, is joined by Austin Kang, FSA, MAAA, CERA, to discuss the importance of being more than just a "number cruncher" as you fulfill your actuarial duties.  Austin shares his experience working in the health consulting industry and provides lessons learned on how to leverage your actuarial background to gain trust and confidence with your clients and coworkers.