Views

Commentary: Being facilitative and consultative will help you to engage the client in a discussion — not a sales pitch — and it will enable you to make more informed recommendations that are responsive to the client’s values and needs.

Commentary: A new opportunity has emerged, and we have entered another inflection point in an era of change. What each of us does next could very well determine our long-term destiny, says Digital’s Mike Sullivan.

Commentary: Although in their infancy, private exchanges have not yet met predicted adoption rates. Wells Fargo’s Dan Gowen shares why this may be the case.

Commentary: Benefit firms hoping for agency growth must manage their producers or suffer the consequences of relinquishing control of the firm’s future, says EBA columnist Nelson Griswold.

Commentary: Our focus on each item that comes along in the employee-employer relationship blinds us to the bigger picture issues.

Commentary: Many plan sponsors believe that just by hiring an adviser they do not have a fiduciary obligation to understand the investments in their plans. This is fundamentally wrong.

Commentary: Benefit professionals should take advantage of new technology and services to protect employees and help them resolve ID theft situations, says VEBA’s Tinker Kelly.

Commentary: Being surrounded by experienced underwriters and “Excel wizards” is just enough to make one’s head spin, but it is right where Brian Murphy needs to be as he enters the world of benefit advising.

Commentary: Complacency can be a dangerous strategy when it comes to defined benefit plans, says The Principal’s Mike Clark.

Commentary: A broker whose perception of wellness is limited to seasonal flu shots and employee assistance policies is at a competitive disadvantage compared to a broker who understands the power of connecting health risk assessment and biometric data with claims data.