To be more specific, actuaries improve financial decision making by developing models to evaluate the current financial implications of uncertain future events. If you have never met an actuary, that is not unusual. The actuarial profession numbers only about 19,000 people in North America. But don't let that small number fool you. Actuaries put their special problem-solving skills to work in many different business situations, and their work has had an influence on people's lives for more than a century.
Actuaries make a difference.
Their calculations and projections are the backbone of the insurance and financial security industries. In other words, actuaries have a well-rounded business approach to problem solving. And they must be good communicators to explain things to nonactuaries. Actuaries are key players on a company's management team. They are well paid, and they like what they do for a living.