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Opinion & experiences | Personal blogs

The Alzheimer's Research scandal: fraud, fallout, and the future

For nearly 20 years, a single flawed theory shaped Alzheimer’s research and billions in funding. In this blog, Mia Marcellus dives into the fraud that misled science, its lasting impact, and what's next for Alzheimer's research.

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All News and insights

All the latest information, news and research from the Club Vita team.

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Opinion & experiences | Behavioural economics blogs

As-if thinking – does Batman use Zoom?

In his latest blog, Erik Pickett looks how his former life as a street performer has helped him in his professional life, and asks, does the same experience still help in the age of Zoom?

15 September 2020

General interest | Top charts

Top Charts 20-08: Life expectancy doesn’t tell the whole story

In this edition of Top Charts, Erik Pickett explains why there's more than meets the eye when it comes to life expectancy.

28 August 2020

General interest | VitaMins

Introducing Club Vita Canada’s longevity map

In 2020, we are more conscious than ever of our health. Wearing masks, keeping our distance and washing hands non-stop have become a part of our daily lives in a way that would have been inconceivable just months ago.

13 July 2020

Opinion & experiences | Behavioural economics blogs

The survivorship bias – who’s left?

In his latest blog on cognitive biases affecting the actuarial world, Erik Pickett looks at the survivorship bias: the tendency to assume subjects that made it through a survival process are typical of the group that began the process.

7 July 2020

General interest | VitaMins

VitaMins Health: Mental health – looking after body and mind

It is widely accepted that the mind and body are closely interlinked. In this article we look at the link between mental and physical health patterns and how these may influence future longevity trends.

18 June 2020

Business updates | Press releases

Club Vita Appoints Jennifer Haid CEO of International Team

Club Vita, the international leader in longevity data analytics, today announced that Jennifer Haid has joined Club Vita’s international team as Chief Executive Officer.

16 June 2020

Business updates | Press releases

Club Vita to Provide Longevity Analytics through ProVal

Club Vita, the international leader in longevity analytics, today announced an integration partnership with WinTech, a leader in retirement valuation and administration software.

3 June 2020

General interest | Top charts

Top Charts 20-06: Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian mortality

In this issue of Top Charts, Richard Brown discusses the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian mortality.

1 June 2020

Research & technical | Research & technical notes

Public vs Private - Is there a sector effect in post-retirement mortality?

Is there a sector effect in post-retirement mortality?

22 May 2020

General interest | Pandemic updates

Has COVID-19 increased Canadian mortality?

8 May 2020

Opinion & experiences | Behavioural economics blogs

The myside bias –why is it so hard to change our minds?

30 April 2020

General interest | VitaMins

VitaMins Health: Vitamin D: The “sunshine” vitamin

Dietary sources of Vitamin D are limited, with around 90% of our usual intake coming from sunlight. Does our current lifestyle and diet through the winter months provide us with sufficient resources for a long and healthy life?

3 March 2020

General interest | Top charts

Top Charts - 20-03: Canadian health inequality

Question: Is the length of time someone is expected to live in good health different for different socio-economic groups?

1 March 2020

Explainers | External publications

Zooming in on ZIP Codes: Using Socio-Economic Factors to Tailor U.S. Pension Plan Longevity Assumption

The United States is a diverse nation made up of many people with distinctly different characteristics.

1 January 2020

General interest | Top charts

Top Charts 19-12 - International – How harsh are the winters in Canada, the UK and the US?

In this edition of Top Charts International, Richard Brown, Erik Pickett and Daniel Reddy discuss whether more people die in the winter than in the summer.

17 December 2019

Opinion & experiences | Behavioural economics blogs

The availability heuristic - forefront of your mind, forefront of your opinion

Erik Pickett discusses the availability heuristic in his latest blog.

12 December 2019

Opinion & experiences | Behavioural economics blogs

The outcome bias: the adversary of insurance

In this blog, Erik Pickett discusses a cognitive bias known as the outcome bias.

23 October 2019

General interest | VitaMins

VitaMins Health: Getting clued up on flu

Every year significantly more people die during the winter months than at other times of the year, and recently we have seen huge variability in ‘excess winter deaths’, potentially impacted by the severity of the flu.

3 October 2019

General interest | VitaMins

Are Canadians continuing to live longer?

In May 2019, Statistics Canada reported that “Life expectancy stops increasing in Canada”1, since, for the first time in more than forty years, Canadian life expectancy at birth (for both men and women) did not increase from 2016 to 2017.

26 July 2019

General interest | VitaMins

‘Til death do us part: does the 3-year rule always hold true?

For many members in defined benefit pension plans, monthly benefits are not only paid for as long as the retirees live, but also then paid to surviving spouses for as long as they live.

22 May 2019

General interest | VitaMins

Feeling the heat?

Last year, when I told my British friends and colleagues I was moving to Canada, the most common reaction (aside from “good riddance”) was “it’s cold there, isn’t it?”. They might have been shocked to learn of the very unfortunate reports that there were up to 70 deaths caused by the July heatwave in Quebec this year.

22 October 2018

General interest | VitaMins

Quality of life: impacts on future longevity?

We often look at significant medical advances that extend life as likely contributors to further improvements in longevity. But, but could additional improvements in both health and life expectancy also be gained through advances that enhance the quality of life for the elderly?

25 August 2018

Research & technical | Research & technical notes

Club Vita Canada - Key Factors for Explaining Differences in Canadian Pensioner Baseline Mortality

Research paper on the initial results on longevity predictors conducted using Club Vita Canada’s data set

1 May 2018

Explainers | External publications

Why hedging longevity risk may be right for your plan

13 December 2017

Business updates | Press releases

Think public-sector pensioners outlive those in the private sector? Think again.

New results from Club Vita Canada: There are better ways to differentiate how long pensioners live – one of the most crucial: their postal code.

22 June 2017

Explainers | VitaMins

The future of Canadian longevity risk management - Key findings from 2016 study

1 June 2017

Business updates | Press releases

Canadian pensioners not living as long as expected

Ground-breaking results from Club Vita Canada reveal some DB pension plans are overestimating their liabilities

21 February 2017

General interest | VitaMins

How would a universal cancer vaccine affect Canadian pension plans?

16 June 2016

General interest | VitaMins

Where Canadians live may have a significant impact on how long they’ll live

There’s an old actuarial joke in which someone finds himself treading water in the middle of a 10-foot-deep lake, after being told by an actuary that the lake was five feet deep on average. Averages can help you test the waters. But a proper understanding of your environment often requires a deeper dive.

8 March 2016

General interest | VitaMins

Do policies that encourage later retirement impact some workers more than others?

9 February 2016