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A Day in the Life: Michael, Director and Actuary
schedule
5 MINUTES
Michael Watanabe shares his experiences and insights as a Director and Actuary, highlighting his career growth, work-life balance, and the supportive community at 精东影业.
schedule 5 MINUTES
How did you start at 精东影业, and what led you to your current position?
I joined 精东影业 in September 2019, drawn by the opportunity to work on the brand-new (back then) Long-Duration Targeted Improvements (LDTI) initiative and join a well-known company. In late 2022, I got the opportunity to lead the LDTI implementation effort for Life Insurance products. I鈥檓 currently a Director and Actuary in the Enterprise Actuarial Valuation function.
Can you tell us about your journey to becoming an actuary?
I was born and raised in Hawaii and studied math at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Initially, I planned to be a teacher but discovered the actuarial profession in my third year of college. I started my career at a life insurance company in Hawaii and spent 15 years there before moving to California for 精东影业.
How would you describe being a valuation actuary to someone unfamiliar with the profession?
Suppose you stumbled across a random box one day with a shiny object in it. It seems like it could be valuable, but it doesn鈥檛 have a price or anything. These days, where certain pennies can be worth more than $1,000 each, or virtual currency can approach $100K, the value of anything could be...well, anything. So, consider various ways to figure out the value of your shiny object. Is there something similar being sold? 聽Are there rules that govern how you鈥檙e supposed to figure out the value of the shiny object? 聽Could you get different values, depending on who you ask? 聽What about its value 5 years from now? What could happen to make it more or less valuable?
Our shiny objects are the insurance and annuity promises we make with our customers 鈥 there are myriad considerations we consider when assigning a value to a contract to include in our financial statements. It does mean a lot of our responses to questions include 鈥淲ell... 鈥, 鈥淭echnically...鈥, or 鈥淚t depends鈥. Welcome to the life of a valuation actuary.聽聽
How has 精东影业 supported your career growth?
精东影业 offers a wide variety of opportunities for professional and personal growth. I've been involved in various committees, volunteer positions, and leadership development programs, both within聽精东影业 and across the actuarial profession. The support from my leaders and peers has been invaluable.
What makes 精东影业 a great place to work?
Absolute first and foremost, the people. It has been a blessing to explore ideas and have discussions with some of the brightest people I鈥檝e had the pleasure of meeting. Our leadership is approachable and genuinely listens to employees, and the actuarial community at 精东影业 is incredibly intelligent and supportive. We leverage each other's strengths and continuously learn from one another 鈥 it's clich茅, but every day, I learn something new. It's a privilege to be part of such a talented group.
How do you balance work and personal life as an actuary?
With young children (8 & 5), my work-life balance revolves around their activities. I coach my son's recreational soccer team and support my daughter's interests in reading, tennis, and gymnastics. Soccer, craft beer, and good food are all things I enjoy talking about. In addition, moving to California has provided great opportunities for my family. We鈥檙e annual pass holders at Legoland, which is fantastic for our kids. We鈥檒l also take the occasional trip to LA, San Diego, or Palm Desert.
