Phil Albinus

Complete, ongoing coverage on the Labor Department's hearings on its proposal to impose fiduciary requirements on retirement advisors from SoureMedia's Financial Planning, On Wall Street, Employee Benefit Advisor and Employee Benefit News.

The honor recognizes extraordinary contributions such as significantly increasing a firm’s sales and/or market share, providing strategic consulting to help clients achieve their highest goals, fostering employee benefit innovations, advocating successfully for adviser causes and, in general, elevating the status of all women in the profession.

Culture week concludes with a wrap-up of tips and suggestions from leading industry experts about what it takes to build a better workplace culture and the benefits that come with doing so.

To stay abreast of private exchange trends, advisers, employers, insurers and other legal and industry experts will share their insights about private exchanges at this year’s EBA/EBN Private Healthcare Exchanges conference in downtown Chicago, July 23-24.

The public has until July 21 to submit comments on the proposal that would expand the fiduciary standard to thousands of brokers and advisers who provide retirement investment advice.

Each year, Employee Benefit Adviser magazine grants awards to recognize excellence and innovation in the field. This year, we’ve added two new categories to reflect the growing role of the employee benefit adviser in having a positive impact on all facets of a client’s business.

On Tuesday, the Department of Labor released its much-anticipated rule proposal extending a fiduciary standard to thousands of brokers and advisers providing investment advice to clients on retirement accounts. As the days follow, check back for coverage and analysis of what to expect during the 75-day notice and comment period.

Increased utilization of EAP and wellness services, the emergence of fatigue management programs and more demand for mobile health applications are a few of the predictions for this year, according to Chestnut Global Partners.

This year saw not only more implementations of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, but already some changes to it – by both the legislative and judicial arms of government. Additionally, new technologies and outlooks are changing how benefit decision-makers are strategizing wellness programs.

This year, a number of rulings and hearings relating to labor and employment issues were decided at all judicial levels, up to the Supreme Court, that many say will have significant ramifications for employers and benefit plans in the coming years.

This week, EBN dove into the current trends and future of what benefit managers need to do their jobs. Many are budgeting a boost in spending to get the latest and greatest tools to increase engagement and streamline functionality. Here you can find a detailed recap, highlighting key findings from our tech week coverage.

Earlier this week, Walmart announced it was dropping health care coverage for employees who work fewer than 30 hours a week, a move the company estimates will affect about 2% of its workforce. Here’s a wrap-up of our analysis, plus a look at the ways other large companies are handling rising health care costs.

EBA’s annual Workplace Benefits Summit, held last week in Boca Raton, Fla., included a celebration of our Advisers of the Year, strategy and marketing tips from benefit professionals, and the presentation of our inaugural Most Influential Women in Benefit Advising awards.

Narrow networks of health care providers offer new ways for employers and health plans to control the costs of care. But many of these networks are being constructed without regard to the value they deliver, says Scott Wallace, visiting professor at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine.

Her breadth and depth of experience make Theresa White a good choice to be Aflac's first female and African-American president of Aflac U.S., say industry experts.

Last week Apple unveiled its Apple Watch and Apple HealthKit app to much fanfare. But how these new technologies will fit into or transform the health care landscape remains to be seen. Catch up on EBN’s coverage and analysis of the event to see how these new technologies could impact the benefits business:

“The majority of Americans, including many small business owners, are still confused about the health reform legislation,” according to Health Partners America, a broker training and education organization. Here are 10 FAQs about the Affordable Care Act and its implications for small businesses.

From the latest in voluntary benefits to the challenges businesses face under the Affordable Care Act, speakers at the 2014 Workplace Benefits Renaissance — held Feb. 24-26 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J — will address a range of timely topics.

From emerging employee benefit technologies to the ongoing pay-or-play debate, speakers at the 2014 Workplace Benefits Renaissance — held Feb. 24-26 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J — will address a range of timely topics.

Set in Atlantic City, the 2014 Workplace Benefits Renaissance, held Feb. 24-26 at the Trump Taj Mahal, features a can’t-miss presentation from the head of the Employers Association on New Jersey breaking down the impact of the ACA on employers.