Advisor strategies

Commentary: If you listen to your clients — and I mean really listen to what they’re saying and not saying — you’ll know exactly what they need and what they’re willing to spend money on, says columnist Wendy Keneipp.

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

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.

Commentary: Advisers focused on life insurance and financial planning are missing an opportunity to stand out by introducing DI into the discussion.

In an exclusive interview, EBA’s 2015 Adviser of the Year Tim Olson describes “the single biggest thing” advisers should avoid if they want to grow their business. Also, Olson, managing partner at The Olson Group, shares how advisers can make money on licensing fees with little outward spend.

A new company founded by two former Munich Re Stop Loss executives is selling stop-loss insurance directly to self-insured employers, aiming to eliminate brokers from the equation altogether.

Commentary: Adviser Vinnie Daboul offers a three-step process to overcome the elements that pose the greatest threat to a broker’s business.

Commentary: Changes will attack the costs of health care and trickle down to benefit brokers. These outsiders may or may not see the broker as a valuable resource in their future world, says Joe Markland.

Commentary: Gone are the days of century-old insurance carriers’ dominance at conferences and expos. In are new products, new technology, new vendors and new partnerships. As a result, unique ideas and models are thriving, says Zenefits’ Tim Cerimele.

A new hotline for agents and brokers will not be able to answer specific questions from agents about their clients, disappointing broker organizations, which expected a hotline similar to what navigators have.

To date, adoption of private benefit exchanges by employers has been modest, but Holley Maher, partner at St. Louis-area brokerage MRCT, sees them as a highly relevant solution. And, despite issues Healthcare.gov has caused for brokers and consumers alike, the site is changing the health care landscape, says Maher, whose company operates its Smart Benefits Marketplace using bswift technology.

Commentary: There are a few major culprits behind the challenges women face, and advisers must be mindful of the best ways to address them.

Commentary: With so much uncertainty, your clients need your expert advice and counsel now more than ever before. They need a trusted adviser, and you can fulfill that role, says columnist Jack Kwicien.

Commentary: Whether we call ourselves consultants, relationship managers, advisers, producers or anything else that tends to disguise our objective, we’re salespeople.

In today’s increasingly technology-focused benefits industry, brokers need to compete on a new level in a new playing field. How can brokers reposition themselves as trusted advisers and use technology to their advantage?

A more competitive health insurance market is favorable, but not always possible. Brokers operating in a market controlled by only a few carriers need to offer a wide variety of services in order to retain clients and increase sales.

Commentary: Hundreds asked adviser Eric Silverman for the secret to his prospect-winning thank you note. Now, he shares the formula to his success.

ADP has agreed to drop its defamation lawsuit against Zenefits after a months-long dispute fought in the public eye. What does the Zenefits win mean for established industry stakeholders and the benefit startups that threaten their way of business?