Advisor strategies

Commentary: Sometimes the market changes in a way where these size businesses may be better positioned for success. Now may be that time, says tech adviser Joe Markland.

Health coverage is now part of a tax return, and individuals are seeking advice to ensure they file correctly.

Commentary: HR professionals must band together to share how we are handling our ACA reporting responsibilities and to pressure our vendor suppliers for better solutions and continued innovation, says Lockton's Matthew Kaiser.

Commentary: There’s a lot for your clients to consider when carefully managing intermittent leaves. The Standard's Lincoln Dirks goes in-depth on the paperwork that outlines the parameters for an absence — certifications and recertifications.

Increasingly diverse workforces are creating a benefit communications challenge for employers and their advisers.

Between new players entering the insurance business and a new generation poised to dominate their sales base, brokers must re-evaluate the way they do business.

Eastbridge Consulting research finds brokers are the dominant distribution channel, but they must use their position wisely to curb dropping participation rates.

Legislators urge brokers to contact Congress to help shape future policies.

Embracing private exchange solutions is, some say, imperative for brokers who want to survive in the industry, yet many remain confused about just how to do so.

More tools are needed to support brokers as they help consumers navigate the complex health care law, Healthcare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan says.

Assurant Health says it will no longer pay commissions on new business in certain markets, a move the carrier calls a sales approach, but some industry experts say is part of a trend that’s pushing agents out of business.

The plan would require brokers to act in a customer’s best interest, a change that could limit the earnings of financial advisers.

Having more choices is a priority, but most workers are confident in their employer’s selection, study finds.

Agentreview.net launches this month, aiming to give consumers one location to find and critique local insurance agents.

Five years down the road, the insurance broker’s role in health insurance may be diminished, largely due to exchanges, consultants say. The role of the broker will change greatly in the process, they say, but in the near term it is a mixed story.

Commentary: Want to grow your business? Then never ask a client for a referral, says columnist Nelson Griswold. Referral marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies, but it must be done the right way, he adds.

Commentary: Given the shifts in the industry, advisers also need to help plan sponsor clients think about retirement benefit programs from a different perspective, says T. Rowe Price’s Francisco Negron.

Benefit experts and thought leaders will discuss some of the most important and possibly industry-changing trends for the coming year at this year’s Workplace Benefits Renaissance in Atlantic City, Feb. 24-26.

Commentary: The market place has changed and your role must adapt. Columnist Jack Kwicien proves his point through an analogous set of market dynamics.

A new bipartisan bill has been introduced on the House floor to separate broker commissions from a medical loss ratio formula many in the industry say threatens agent compensation.