A Pithy New Take on March Madness

Most of America just doesn't get it. They think that March Madness is comprised of the nice round number of 68 basketball teams and ends on April 4 at Reliant Stadium in Houston. They have their brackets and they lament every time one of their picks bites the dust. They say that the team that messed them up is a bracket-buster.

But, every good Enrolled Actuary knows that is not the real March Madness. OK, John, you've lost your mind, what is going on here?

March Madness starts this Sunday afternoon and including the post-event wrap-up, it runs essentially continuously through Thursday at noon. And, it doesn't change venues from year to year. There's a (program) grid, but there are no brackets. The headliners don't wear shorts. They don't do chest bumps and if they rise above the crowd, it's by walking up a few steps.

OK, I'll let you in on it. It's the 36th Annual Enrolled Actuaries Meeting jointly sponsored by the Conference of Consulting Actuaries and the American Academy of Actuaries. It's at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in the northwest corner of Washington DC. This, my friends, is the place to be. This is where you go to be seen. This is where you can have your own brush with fame.

In all seriousness, it's a great meeting. It has more government attendance than any other similar meeting. The speakers are almost all highly-rated. The Conference staff runs the meeting as perfectly as any meeting anywhere. You're not signed up yet? You can still get in. Register here.

You can't afford to miss it. The referees don't blow any calls. There are no bracket-busters. There is no home court advantage. And, what's more -- you get continuing education credit.

Be there or be square!