2026 CAS Virtual Workshop: Introduction to Python for P&C Insurance

Event Details

-
Six Tuesdays (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM, ET)

Held on Microsoft Teams

About This Event

Python has emerged as an appealing option for data science work in the recent years, mainly driven by the popularity of a wide variety of packages available, as well as the computational speed and power. Python is a free and open-source programming language with a large, global community of users, including the actuarial community. It supports general-purpose programming including automation of file system operations, data I/O, and plotting. Many packages are available to carry out classical statistical analysis, as well as more recent statistical learning methods like machine learning, deep learning, and unsupervised learning. There are also packages which perform specific actuarial methods like loss reserving.

This workshop will introduce Python to a beginner actuarial developer and show how to perform data collection, data visualization, and data analysis in Python as it relates to actuarial work. It is most suitable for analysts that want to explore Python and its ecosystem. While prior programing knowledge in Python is not required, introductory knowledge of other basic programming, such as in R, SQL, or VBA, will be extremely helpful.

For those considering Python as a new skill or looking to move beyond Excel and other point-and-click actuarial software, Python is an excellent choice due to its widespread adoption within the CAS community.

There will be six 90-minute sessions led by two speakers.

Event Information

Casualty Actuarial Society's Envisioned Future 

The CAS will be recognized globally as the premier organization in advancing the practice and application of casualty actuarial science and educating professionals in general insurance, including property-casualty and similar risk exposure. 

Continuing Education Credits 

The CAS Continuing Education Policy applies to all ACAS and FCAS members who provide actuarial services. Actuarial services are defined in the CAS Code of Professional Conduct as "professional services provided to a Principal by an individual acting in the capacity of an actuary. Such services include the rendering of advice, recommendations, findings or opinions based upon actuarial considerations". Members who are or could be subject to the continuing education requirements of a national actuarial organization can meet the requirements of the CAS Continuing Education Policy by satisfying the continuing education requirements established by a national actuarial organization recognized by the Policy. 

This activity may qualify for up to 10.8 CE credits for CAS members. Participants should claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. CAS members earn 1 CE credit per 50 minutes of educational session time, not to include breaks or lunch. 

Note: The amount of CE credit that can be earned for participating in this activity must be assessed by the individual attendee. It also may be different for individuals who are subject to the requirements of organizations other than the American Academy of Actuaries.

Virtual Workshop Recordings 

Recordings of this workshop are available to attendees on the Python Community for five years.  

Technical Specifications

This event will be held on Microsoft Teams. For the best experience it is recommended that attendees download the Teams desktop app. Attendees may also use the web version of Teams through the following compatible browsers: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Teams is not supported in Internet Explorer 11 or Opera.

Accessibility

The CAS seeks to do its utmost to provide equal access to participants with disabilities in accordance with State and Federal Law. Please refer to our Accessibility page for more information.

Speaker Opinions 

The opinions expressed by speakers at this event are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the CAS. 

Contact Information

For more information on content, please contact Wendy Ponce, Professional Education Coordinator, at wponce@casact.org.

For more information on workshop logistics or attendee registration, please contact Delilah Barrow, Cross Functional Program Coordinator, at barrow@casact.org.  

For more information on other CAS opportunities or regarding administrative policies such as complaints and refunds, please contact the CAS Office at (703) 276-3100 or office@casact.org.

Registration Information

Register for the Virtual Workshop

Limit up to 40 participants

Registration closes on July 28 to allow registrants time to prepare for the workshop.

When registering for this event online, please select your reg type to see the event fees available.

Limited to individual registrations only. Group registrations are not permitted. 

  EARLY (BEFORE July 3) LATE (AFTER July 3)
Member $700 $800
Non-Member $900 $1000
Cancellations/Refunds

Registration fees will be refunded for cancellations received in writing at the CAS Office via email, refund@casact.org, by July 14, 2026, less a $200 processing fee.

Speakers

Marcus Deckert , ACAS

Marcus is an actuary and data scientist with 16 years of insurance experience, the majority as a company actuary working on pricing and internal analysis models, ratemaking, and filing. Marcus uses Python to build models and analyze data to create new products and insights. His goal is to help you learn Python so you can work efficiently and deliver greater value to your organization. Marcus enjoys golf, hiking, and yoga.

Mr. Kenneth Hsu FCAS, CSPA, MAAA, CPCU

Kenneth is the Head of Actuarial at Breach Insurance, an insurtech start-up focusing on building regulated insurance solutions for the crypto and web3 industry. He uses Python to automate routine tasks for his team, including data pipeline engineering, actuarial analytics, and financial reporting. Kenneth is an award-winning volunteer for the Casualty Actuarial Society, and is also a core contributor to the most popular open-source actuarial package: chainladder-python. Kenneth enjoys hiking and playing board games in his spare time.

Schedule

Session

Date

Contents

1

July 28

Python setup and programming basics
Python introduction/background info
Variables, Types, Basic Operations, Logic, Packages, Functions/Methods, Flow Control, Iterables, File I/O, Help

2

Aug 4

Pandas 1: Data Frame Creation and Basic Data Manipulation
DataFrame Anatomy, Accessing Columns/Rows, Filters, Summary, Merging

3

Aug 11

Pandas 2: Data I/O with External Sources: Excel, CSV, Markdown, HTML.
Advanced Data Manipulation: Querying, Merging, Indexes, Table Manipulation Stack, Unstack, Pivot-table

4

Aug 18

Visualization and Reporting
Basic plotting (e.g. line chart, bar chart, scatter plot, pie chart), advanced plotting (e.g. beautifying plots, multi plots)

5

Aug 25

Actuarial Triangles: Triangle manipulation and Loss Reserving in chainladder, Link Ratios, loss development, IBNR estimates using Deterministic and Stochastic models

6

Sep 1

Statistical Modeling: GLMs and loss distribution fitting

Schedule

Session

Date

Contents

1

July 28

Python setup and programming basics
Python introduction/background info
Variables, Types, Basic Operations, Logic, Packages, Functions/Methods, Flow Control, Iterables, File I/O, Help

2

Aug 4

Pandas 1: Data Frame Creation and Basic Data Manipulation
DataFrame Anatomy, Accessing Columns/Rows, Filters, Summary, Merging

3

Aug 11

Pandas 2: Data I/O with External Sources: Excel, CSV, Markdown, HTML.
Advanced Data Manipulation: Querying, Merging, Indexes, Table Manipulation Stack, Unstack, Pivot-table

4

Aug 18

Visualization and Reporting
Basic plotting (e.g. line chart, bar chart, scatter plot, pie chart), advanced plotting (e.g. beautifying plots, multi plots)

5

Aug 25

Actuarial Triangles: Triangle manipulation and Loss Reserving in chainladder, Link Ratios, loss development, IBNR estimates using Deterministic and Stochastic models

6

Sep 1

Statistical Modeling: GLMs and loss distribution fitting