Advisers Latest

The merger of Willis Group Holdings and Towers Watson announced this morning is indicative of the industry’s focus on offering more comprehensive services to a wider customer base, and experts agree it probably won’t be the last merger announced in the near future.

Commentary: Let’s stop celebrating the financial merger of two faceless giants, and focus instead on the real work that agents, brokers and consultants are doing every day to make a difference, says adviser David C. Smith.

The DOL’s proposed definition of fiduciary advice remains worrisomely broad, according to financial and legal experts who are calling upon the industry to flood the DOL with letters of concern about the rule’s possible implications.

Plan sponsors’ loyalty to their retirement service providers is slightly down year-over-year, presenting an opportunity for advisers to advocate for their clients.

Commentary: High on everyone’s list of questions in any potential transaction is: What is the price or value given to my business? But the more important question is: What are the terms?

Although the Supreme Court upheld subsidies on the exchanges, there remain key aspects of the ACA that broker and employer lobbyist organizations continue to seek to amend and/or repeal.

Commentary: With the Supreme Court decision behind us, there are a series of critical concerns employers and their advisers must focus on now.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in King v. Burwell that subsides on the federally-facilitated marketplace can continue may present an opportunity for struggling state-based marketplaces to switch to Healthcare.gov, as other challenges remain for exchanges nationwide.

Eliminating subsidies ‘would destabilize the individual insurance market in any state with a federal exchange,’ Chief Roberts says.

The Supreme Court’s highly anticipated decision in King v. Burwell to uphold subsidies on the federal exchange removes uncertainty and shifts the focus of advisers and their clients back to ACA compliance.