Gambling on death

well, that’s what life insurance is all about, from the perspective of the insurer. They make more money if you live longer than than they expected, and lose money if you die before they guessed. So, for actuaries (the odds-fixers in this game), getting the statistics is important. Enter this little 10-question lunchtime quiz from the good folks at mental floss:

As might be expected, I received 100 percent correct marks on this one. But then, the questions weren’t really very difficult.

N.B., you can gamble on death, but eventually, the house always wins. That’s why we occasionally say someone has ‘cashed in their chips,’ my friends.