A family member's hospital stay inspired me to build AI personas of Johannes Brahms and Thomas Mann as conversation companions. This post sets out the five ingredients that make a persona feel real, shows an excerpt from my actual Brahms Instructions document, and explains how anyone — including non-technical users — can produce their own with a ready-to-use prompt.

The Politics Actuary #13 — from the professional-body satire strand. Four weary volunteers sit through Meeting #14 of the Working Party on the Governance of Working Parties. Their first recommendation is to form a sub-committee.

The Politics Actuary #12 — from the Actuaries in the Wild theme. The washing machine is leaking. Beth wants to call a repair person. Patrick wants to observe the claim for a while longer before making any rash decisions.

I set out to find how many graduate actuarial positions are available in the UK for September 2026. Nobody publishes that number — not the IFoA, not recruiters, not employers. So instead, here's a verified snapshot: 20 employers confirmed, starting salaries from £28,332 to £38,000, and some surprising comparisons with Army officers and teachers.

The Politics Actuary #11 — from the Assumption Theatre theme. Patrick has budgeted £200 for annual household maintenance. The plumber behind him and the crack in the wall suggest the methodology may have some limitations.

The Politics Actuary #10 — from the Actuarial Pedantry theme. Beth says "nearly there." The sat nav says 14 minutes. Patrick needs to know which definition of "nearly" she's using.

The Politics Actuary #9 — from the AI & the Actuary theme. Introducing Preston, the non-actuary chairman who has never met a black box he didn't like.

An actuarial lens on the UK's Whole of Government Accounts 2023-24: £5 trillion of liabilities, £1.3 trillion of unfunded pensions, and a balance sheet with less margin than ever. Revenue, expenditure, the pension iceberg, PFI, migration, and what it all looks like scaled to a household earning £50,000.

The Politics Actuary #8 — from the Actuaries in the Wild theme. Some people browse TripAdvisor. Patrick builds a risk matrix.

The Politics Actuary #7 — from the AI & the Actuary theme. Management wanted AI-first. Not everyone got the memo.