Meet the actuaries

Kurt Zhang

ASA
Actuarial Associate
Towers Watson

Kurt Zhang thinks about your retirement all the time – seriously. An Actuarial Analyst for Towers Watson, much of Kurt’s work deals with the valuation of pension plans.

“My role is interesting because it affects the lives of ordinary people and because it impacts businesses in a very real way,” said Kurt. “In order to do my work, I need to be able to look at pension plans and employee benefits from the perspective of the employee, the employer and the regulator.”

So, what made this math major decide to pursue a career as an actuary? “I thought about pursuing a career in pure math, but I wanted a career in a more stable profession,” Kurt says. “The actuarial profession offered me an opportunity to use math in a business context in a stable, high-paying field.”

And, as he sees it, there are plenty of opportunities on the horizon for the actuarial profession. From helping develop successful solutions for pension plans to applying actuarial know-how to further develop corporations’ comprehensive enterprise risk management processes and fine tuning healthcare systems, there are many ways that actuaries can make a difference in today’s businesses and communities.

Perhaps Kurt’s ability to see a universal role for actuaries comes from the fact that he’s always been surrounded by actuaries. The community he grew up in was down the street from Hewitt’s main office and everyone from his teachers to his math team highlighted the profession early on. Today, the roles have reversed and Kurt is enjoying spreading the word about the profession. He says he’s happy to talk with aspiring actuaries or introduce the profession to students who share a passion for math. While he uses these opportunities to share his experience in the retirement field, he also reminds aspiring actuaries that there are a variety of different areas where actuaries can get involved.

“The most important thing when choosing a career path is to choose one that you enjoy,” he says. “The transition from college to the workplace is a difficult one, and it becomes even more difficult when you’re trying to enter a profession that you don’t enjoy. Remember that once you choose a career, you will be working in it day-in and day-out. That means that even on the days you want to sleep in, you have to go to work, so it’s important to have a job that you will enjoy.”

To make the transition to the post-graduate world easier, Kurt encourages aspiring actuaries to get two to three exams under their belt before graduation. Doing so will help lay the foundational study habits needed to pass the exams later on in their path. He also recommends taking every opportunity to learn about the daily life of an actuary, from informational meetings to internships.

So, what will Kurt do when he retires? That remains unseen. But one thing can be for sure – he’ll have planned for it.