Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Everyone who has pursued a traditional employee weight loss program knows that results can be unpredictable. Usually, enough employees succeed in losing weight to give the program value. The problem is they often gain it back. While programs are going in the right direction, clearly there is room for improvement.

Wondering whether your plan design is still market competitive? Leading-edge 401(k) and 403(b) plans have the following plan design features in common.

Pharmacy benefits are typically the most utilized benefit by plan members and one of the fastest-growing in terms of cost. Consequently, selecting the right pharmacy benefit manager is a critical decision in managing a plan and determining member satisfaction with that plan.

Typically thought of as the employees’ responsibility, plan sponsors should actually facilitate all aspects of required minimum distributions – from alerting participants about them to activating the fund withdrawal.

Self-directed brokerage account windows in 401(k) plans have always been controversial. Recently the Department of Labor indicated it intends to provide additional guidance on the use of brokerage account windows. Experts believe it is likely to be unfavorable for proponents of brokerage windows for several reasons.

Fresh off attending SXSW Interactive, flexible workplace consultant Shani Magosky believes today’s generation of entrepreneurs may not be as willing to sacrifice every other aspect of their lives for their work as were their predecessors.

As health care costs these costs gain increasing focus from benefits managers to the C-suite (not to mention Wall St. to Capitol Hill), ROI questions remain at the forefront. The issue is particularly sharp around wellness plans.

Performance-based awards are one of the hottest trends in stock compensation today. According to a recent study by the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals, usage of these awards has surged by almost 200% in the past decade and already surpasses usage of service-based stock options for executives and senior managers.

Would the millions of employees who clearly need more life insurance as a voluntary benefit be better served by a new private insurance exchange, not unlike the new system for health care benefits?

Commentary: Your company, as a 401(k) sponsor, is an ERISA fiduciary. Here's how to take a step back and figure out what to do about it.