Meet the Experts: Peter Dore
Learn more about Peter Dore, Actuarial Consultant at October Three, as we discuss his career, leadership role in October Three's intern program, and more.
1. What do you find most unique about working at October Three?
I find the people to be the most unique thing about working for October Three. Since my first day in the office, I felt as though my new colleagues wanted me to succeed. Not only did they take time out of their day to provide valuable knowledge, but they listened to my ideas and opinions. Now, six years later, nothing has changed. The collaborative, team first mindset has made me the actuary I am today. Not only has this helped me succeed, but the diversity of perspective and openness to feedback has fostered successful client relationships.
2. How did you get into this industry?
I have been with October Three since a summer internship back in 2019. I actually found out about the actuarial career path from my high school geometry teacher. What interested me about October Three was the innovative mindset and commitment to that innovation. While other firms may view the pension space as dying, October Three thought about solutions through pension plan design – bringing ideas like daily valued cash balance plans and the PRIME design to address the retirement savings problem in the US. Ideas are nothing without investment, and October Three has invested in technology and people to support these new plan designs.
3. What's one project or achievement you're particularly proud of?
One achievement I am proud of is the intern program in Chicago. As October Three continues to grow, we made a goal to install intern programs in both our Chicago and Dallas offices, Chicago being my responsibility. The Chicago office has not had interns since before COVID, and most employees opted to work from home since the pandemic. We were able to find three fantastic interns for the Chicago office, with whom my peers and I were able to share knowledge and experience with. Along with this came a renewed effort for Chicago actuaries to spend more time in the office and feed into our new talent. The intern program was a great success and brought renewed energy to the Chicago office.
4. What's one thing you wish others could know about your role?
Being an actuarial consultant does not only involve math and technical skills, but it also involves people skills. Almost any retirement actuary can value the liability in a pension plan, but being a good retirement consultant involves being able to explain the impact to clients who do not have our expertise. It also involves listening to clients and bringing new solutions to address any concerns. These are skills October Three fosters, to ensure we can all provide white glove service to our clients.
5. What's a book, podcast, or other resource you'd recommend to others, and why?
A book I would recommend is ‘Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind’ by Yuval Noah Harari. If you enjoy history, this book not only provides an interesting picture of the history of our species, but it also speaks to the responsibility we have as humans to forge an ethical path forward for future generations.
6. What's a skill or hobby you have outside of work? Have you applied any lessons or knowledge from your skills or hobbies in your role at October Three?
This past spring and summer I have taken up gardening as a hobby. Some lessons I learned while tending to my various herbs and vegetables are patience and consistency. With time and steadiness comes success – something I have applied to my work as well. Whether it is seeing the deep red color of a homegrown tomato after finally cutting into it, or positive feedback from employees after a thorough plan design, patience and consistency are key to meeting a goal.
