Practice management

Commentary: Add these talking points to your next plan review to ensure the year gets off to a good start, says adviser Michael Clark.

New business for validated employee benefit producers decreased over the past three years. Organic growth for independent brokers has also slowed. However, mergers are on a record-setting pace.

A recent federal district court from Illinois graphically demonstrates the benefits of a prompt response when an employer receives an internal harassment complaint from an employee.

It all starts with a business plan and honest answers to some tough questions about the state of your company, says columnist Jack Kwicien.

Employee education is critical to health care cost management, says United Benefit Advisors’ Les McPhearson, who addresses rising plan costs in the company’s annual health plan survey.

Implementing top-tier plans poses unique obstacles for advisers and their employer clients.

California, like a number of other states, imposes a penalty on employers who willfully fail to provide a departing employee with his final wages in timely fashion.

Commentary: Without building a better plan, continued participation will wane and the program as a whole will fall short of employer health initiatives, says adviser Tim Olson, who shares five steps that will lead employer clients to an improved plan.

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The benefits industry is awaiting several rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States expected in 2016 that could have far-reaching effects on the administration and cost of operating employee benefit plans.