UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA ACTUARIAL CLUB March 2016 m aumanitoba.ca/actuary_club/UMAC/Newsletter/Newsletter Files/2015 … · It would be foolish to ignore the shoes when it comes to

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA ACTUARIAL CLUB March 2016

In this Issue

Recent and Upcoming Events

UMAC Elections

VEE Credits

Class Recommendation – ACT 4060

A Small Note on Shoes

μmac tuaryx

Message from your Communications Chair

Hey UMAC, we had various events in the last few

weeks, including the elections for next year’s executive

team. Events such as the UMAC Winter Event and the

annual Poker Night also occurred so definitely read more

about it below! I have a collaboration for next issue so

keep an eye out for that and good luck on all your finals!

- John Cleodoro Communications Chair

The


Recent and Upcoming Events

Recent Events

February 26- UMAC Winter Event

On a mild Friday night, a handful of UMAC members met at the forks with skates laced up and hockey sticks

ready to go. We braved the long trek and managed to complete the Red River Mutual Ice Trail. A few of the

guys even had a speed skating race at the end of the trail before heading back. I’m really surprised I made it to

the end, but I was definitely last. The night made for some poor pictures, but check out the distance we covered

below!


March 3- UMAC Town hall

On March 3, UMAC held its annual Town hall. With a lot of pizza and booster juice, the UMAC executives

talked about their own position and how the year progressed. We went through the UMAC constitution which if

you haven’t seen, I’ll post below. With one of the Co-Presidents Jordan being away in Spain, created an

amazing video detailing both his position and the city of Vic, Catalunya, Spain. We got incredibly helpful

feedback from members that came out as we went through each past event, looking to improve UMAC every

year.


March 25- UMAC Annual Poker Night

On Good Friday, UMAC held its Annual Poker Night at

Promotions Coordinator Devin Kinley’s residence. With

around 35 players, ranging from students to university

professor Steve Scoles, it was a battle for first place. Not

everyone participated in the poker tournament, as people hung

out and relaxed with other members, I even played a few

rounds of pool with other people. Big congratulations to Erik

Christianson for winning the whole thing!

Final Results:

1. Erik Christianson

2. Sean Seavers

3. Emily Ducharme

4. Michael Vo

5. Lisa Comte


March 28- The Manulife Actuarial Experience

Recap by Nolan Kennedy

What an experience indeed! On March 28, students gathered for an informative and exciting session all about

Manulife. Trivia was the highlight if the event, with team “Table 5” taking home the big win with a perfect

score.

If you'd like any additional information about the actuarial opportunities at Manulife feel free to reach out to me

at [email protected].

Good luck with exams!

Nolan Kennedy

Manulife Campus Ambassador

March 31- UMAC Elections

Read more below about the elections and the results.


UMAC Elections

The UMAC elections was interesting this year with a great voter turnout and multiple contested

positions. In case you have not seen it, the following positions are Co-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary, Third

Year Representative, Communications Chair, ASNA Representative, and Promotions Coordinator. With the

majority of the positions having more than one candidate, the elections were more exciting than Donald Trump

debates. Taking place in Drake 117 on March 31, at 5:30pm, around 32 students came and listened to

candidates and their positions. We even had a skype call from Waterloo and a video from Toronto. After the

meeting, students headed down to the hub for some drinks and celebrations for the new executive team. Huge

thanks to everyone that came out and voted in person or online. There will be a larger write up in the next issue

for next year’s new executives. In case you missed it here are the election results:

Your 2016-2017 UMAC executive team:

Third Year Representative

Sergiu Buda

Communications Chair

Gabrielle Lemire

Promotions Coordinator

Patrick Solmundson

ASNA Representative

Martin Marion

Secretary

Calvin Cheng

Treasurer

Sophie Israel

Co-Presidents

Cedric Gousseau & Devin Kinley



VEE Credits

In case you did not know, outside of the preliminary exams, there are VEE topics that you can apply for.

Short for Validation by Educational Experience, there are three main topics, Economics, Corporate Finance, and

Applied Statistical Methods. Luckily, the University of Manitoba has approved courses that you have likely taken

or going to take in the near future with all requiring a minimum grade of B. ECON 1010 and ECON 1020, Micro-

and Macro-Economics qualifies for the VEE “Economics” credit. FIN 2200, Corporate Finance, qualifies for the

VEE “Corporate Finance” credit. Finally IDM 4050, Readings in Management (Time Series and Regression

Analysis for Management), qualifies for the VEE “Applied Statistics” credit. To apply for VEE credit, you must

pass at least two actuarial exams with the SOA or CAS, and apply online with as well as submit an official original

transcript from the U of M. So take those courses and make sure to get at least a B!


Class Recommendation – ACT 4060

One ACT course you may not have heard of is ACT 4060, Actuarial Aspects of Investment Practice –

“Investment Practice”. It is a different from the regular ACT course in that it requires very minimal

calculations (basic math on the first test) and helps develop the understanding of financial markets. It covers

some history of the financial markets as well as the psychology that interacts with the market. The current

outline taught by Steve Scoles had three tests, one presentation, small reading summary assignments,

participation, and a stock market challenge. It is definitely lighter in terms of outside required hours, but the

topics cover are sure to hold your interest. The only material needed was a fairly cheap reading package with a

majority of the assignments being small four to eight bullet points summary on the readings. The required

presentation is only five minutes long, and everyone’s presentation is on a different major event in financial

market history. Steve Scoles does a fantastic job teaching the material, being fully aware that some parts may be

boring, but adds humour and anecdotes that I found interesting. I definitely looked forward to every class. I

even got a crisp $20 and a picture with a trophy of Steve when he was around 13 years old for the People’s

choice award for a presentation.


A Small Note on Shoes

It would be foolish to ignore the shoes when it comes to business formal attire. For men, it can be a lot

simpler, a good investment in leather shoes will last you years. I tried doing research for women, and the few

things I noticed were heels that are not over 3 inches, closed toes are more professional, and ballet flats. I am

completely lost on what pumps are but I did try so sorry if I’m completely wrong!

You want to spend good money on your shoes, higher priced shoes have better leather that if you take

care of, will easily last you years. Cheaper leather will look shiny, can be uncomfortable and can breakdown

fairly easily. There are a variety of options when it comes to the shoes but can be simplified. Start with black

leather for black pants and a brown leather for near everything else. The lighter the shade of brown, the more

casual it is. Ideally, you want your belt to match or at least be near the colour of your shoes. Looking at the toe

shape, it can vary from the classic round toe, a more modern chisel toe, and the square toe which you should

avoid. The design ranges from the more casual longwings to the more formal cap or round toes. The more

broguing (small holes) a shoe has, the more casual it will be. Try not to have big rugged soles too, simple, clean

leather bottoms will help a minimal look. For bad weather, consider overshoes (the rubber slip on) or wearing

boots and carrying your shoes. A rule of thumb I like to follow is that less is more, less brogue, the more formal.

Last thing, don’t wear white socks. While usually unseen, when white socks are seen, it stands out like a

sore thumb. It is a good idea to choose socks slightly darker than the pants you are wearing, and ones that have

either simple patterns or a solid colour. You can have fun with colourful socks by having it work with your tie

or have it completely contrast to make a statement, just make sure you’re not going to an important meeting

with pink socks.



Documents

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA ACTUARIAL CLUB March 2016 m aumanitoba.ca/actuary_club/UMAC/Newsletter/Newsletter Files/2015 … · It would be foolish to ignore the shoes when it comes to