Advisers Latest

Bring many of the industry’ leading minds together with brokers and advisers from across the country who are eager to learn and share insights on the latest market trends and best practices, and you’ve got some of the year’s most thought-provoking conversations. For those who missed out, here are the highlights from EBA’s 2015 conferences.

Commentary: The consequences of moving away from simpler, less sophisticated mortality improvement scales that change infrequently in favor of scales that depend heavily on recent data.

Commentary: Everyone expects to hear from you at open enrollment, but what about the other 11¾ months of the year?

Employees’ financial circumstances are unique, and an employer’s retirement plan must prepare to meet those different needs. Here are five questions that employers and their advisers must have strong answers to in order to help employees save for the future.

Commentary: For the employer, the need to retain employees is strong and absorbing additional cost in the benefit plan will have strong short-term consideration.

Internship and mentoring programs are popular among some of the nation’s top advisory firms, but they also know it takes more than a cursory relationship with universities to recruit and retain talented producers. See how brokerages such as Arthur J. Gallagher, Lockton, Willis and USI Insurance Services are securing the loyalty of the nation’s up-and-coming elite advisers.

Commentary: Be on the lookout for NextAgency, an enrollment and administration firm with benefit adviser interests in mind.

For many of these companies, getting through to large employers can be difficult, if not impossible. A National Business Group on Health competition is giving them an opening, and providing valuable feedback for all.

Commentary: To avoid turning employers off, focus on the “1%,” the essence of the client’s message, says John Graham.

During annual open enrollment, the focus of most people’s attention is squarely on health insurance coverage, and yet the season is an ideal time to consider other benefit elections, too.