Benefits Think

There is a lot riding on the Supreme Court’s health reform decision for all stakeholders. Brokers and consultants need to be prepared to advise their clients, says EBA Advisory Board member Mark Gaunya, who highlights what you should be thinking about while we wait for the decision.

Although there are many ways for an employee wellness program to veer off course or have no impact at all, guest blogger Linda K. Riddell offers three surefire signs that your wellness program is not hitting the mark.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is that cliché describing what we typically do. We tend to react to things that are broken rather than anticipate and deal with things before they’re totally broken. Tom Peters eloquently coined the expression “the enemy of great is good” in his best seller Good to Great. How does this apply to all of us in the employee benefits business? It doesn’t matter if you are a producer, account…

The first day of summer presents a good opportunity to reflect on whether employees are taking enough vacation time and, as such, recharging their batteries to a point where they are on track for becoming healthier, happier and more productive. It’s also worth revisiting a familiar U.S. public-policy debate on the link between paid time off and worker engagement, productivity and performance relative to other nations, especially during austere times when stress is heightened.

Communication is not just important for business … it is essential for the very existence and operation of any business. A benefit adviser must transfer its knowledge to clients as well as receive information – communication consists of a mutual exchange. With the advent of technology, we have cell phones, video conferencing, and emails. However, how we use these avenues is the question we must ask ourselves. …

According to a new survey from TD Ameritrade, 52% of working adults agree with the statement, “I am looking forward to retirement;” the other 48% were either neutral or disagreed.

In its annual report on how much it cost to raise a child from birth to age 17, the USDA calculates the grand total for kids born in 2011 is $234,900 (nearly $296,000 when accounting for inflation).

In the medical community, it’s often said that physicians and other health care providers have the most difficulty with patients who come into their offices having already diagnosed themselves. After reading a new poll from Principal Financial, I now fully understand why.

On a nearly daily basis for the last two to three weeks, we’ve gotten a hot tip on when the Supreme Court will issue its ruling on the constitutionality of the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. While we’re waiting around, we figured we’d ask you when you thought the ruling would be handed down.

I know you can think like an employer for your employees, but what about the perspective of an employer, as in one of your clients? In the past I have written about centers of influence, advisors’ value proposition, and strategic alliances. All of these topics are necessary for advisers to concentrate on as we maintain and develop our clients and our business. But have you really thought about the adviser role wearing the “employer hat”? …