Almost Nowhere

What Ancient Climates Teach Us About Modern RiskIn this special minisode of Almost Nowhere, we continue the conversation with Brandon Katz, Executive Vice President at KatRisk, recorded at the 2025 CAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.Brandon, one of only a handful of insurance professionals with formal training in paleoclimatology, takes us back in time to explore how Earth’s ancient climate history can inform today’s catastrophe modeling and climate risk decisions. We discuss what long-term climate records reveal about variability, extremes, and uncertainty — and why looking millions of years into the past can help actuaries better understand the risks ahead.A thoughtful add-on to our full episode on climate data and catastrophe modeling, this minisode is perfect for listeners curious about how deep climate science connects to modern insurance practice.

What Actuaries Need to Know (and Avoid) in Cat ModelingRecorded live at the 2025 CAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, this episode of Almost Nowhere features Brandon Katz, Executive Vice President at KatRisk, in a deep dive on climate data, catastrophe modeling, and the limits of what models can tell us.Brandon brings a rare perspective to insurance, with formal training in meteorology, climate science, and paleoclimatology, to unpack what we truly know about climate risk — and where uncertainty remains. The conversation explores how climate signals are (and aren’t) incorporated into catastrophe models, which perils have higher versus lower confidence, and how actuaries can responsibly interpret model outputs amid regulatory and stakeholder pressure.

We’re back from the 2025 CAS Annual Meeting—and kicking off a slate of new episodes with a quick minisode on something big: the AI Fast Track is now available on demand.Alicia and Max break down why this shift matters, how you can fit it into your year-end CE plans (attestation season, anyone?), and what makes this course a solid way to level up before the ball drops.🎁 Use code almostnowhere before December 15, 2025 for $100 off registration.Learn more:https://thecasinstitute.org/press_release/ai-fast-track-program-now-available-on-demand/

Rob Lieberthal joins Alicia Burke and guest co-host Brian Fannin in our final episode recorded at 2025 CLRS to unpack his CAS-funded research project focused on turning messy, unstructured claims data—like medical notes and adjuster reports—into actuarial insights using large language models (LLMs). From the promise of synthetic medical records to the limits of explainability, Rob shares how he and his team are building an end-to-end framework that could change how we work with complex claims data. Plus, hear how you can get involved and provide input as the project evolves.

Alicia Burke and Max Martinelli talk with Ted Rock, owner of Rock Roofing, about everything from storm chasers and hail claims to why insurers and contractors so often talk past each other. Ted shares an unfiltered view from the other side of the claim.It’s a conversation about trust, timelines, and what happens when boots on the roof meet spreadsheets at the desk.