The first investigation to be made on the continuous plan adopted by the Institute and Faculty has been that into the Annuity experience for the period immediately following the close of the investigation into the Mortality of Annuitants 1900-1920 (which traced the experience of individual annuities).

There were three very good reasons for this:—

(1) The investigation could proceed while data relating to Assured lives were being collected (the Continuous Annuity Experience dates from 1921 while the Assured lives will run only from 1924).

(2) Having obtained so recent an experience as that for the period 1900-1920, there was the opportunity to watch the trend of annuitant mortality without any material break.

(3) It acted as a “pilot” run before the more important venture into the Assured lives experience.