Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

New findings from Tiburon Strategic Advisors reveal some interesting facts about advisers’ appetite, or lack thereof, for headline grabbing products such as alternatives and exchange-traded funds.

Financial advisers are so uncomfortable speaking about life insurance that more than half (56%) simply don’t do it, according to a recent survey by consultancy Saybrus Partners Inc.

More than 75% of health care incentives are so small or poorly communicated that they go unnoticed by providers. As a result, more than $20 billion in incentives may be wasted annually, according to a study.

At least one-third of surveyed full-time workers lack long-term disability insurance, according to a new report that sheds light on an opportunity for brokers. Employees need education to protect their financial wellbeing and to better understand the risks they face and how they can choose the right coverage through the workplace.

Employers need to be aware of the significant paradigm shift in how generations of workers prefer to digest their benefits information. Young employees entering the workplace "are people who grew up playing Sims," says Sybll Romley, a Colorado-based independent consultant and HRIS professional. "They want that interactive real-life example, and they want it to be more like a game."

Are you wrestling with the need to increase revenues despite compensation compression? (Think commission reductions.) A number of benefits advisers are actively pursuing strategies to migrate a portion or all of their revenues to a fee-based consultancy model. What are you contemplating? Perhaps a strategic alliance is a solution that you can embrace and deploy in your local marketplace. Many advisers are realizing that in order to move up-market (larger size accounts), they need more staff, different skill sets, access to other product solutions and services, and different market perception about their "small" practice.

When it comes to voluntary auto and home insurance, brokers can't be afraid of the unknown, says Liberty Mutual's Mark Parabicoli.

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king condemned by the gods in the afterlife to pushing a huge boulder to the top of a steep hill, only to have it slip from his grasp each time and roll back to the bottom, a frustrating and unproductive task to be repeated over and over.

Health reform is in such a chaotic state and will continue to be so even after the Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of PPACA - and the November election. This is where scenario planning can help. At the April conference for the Institute for HealthCare Consumerism, I listened to a panel on alternative planning scenarios in regard to health reform using scenario planning. Let's see how it works.

Health care and the Supreme Court are expected to take center stage on Thursday. The announcement will telegraph the futures of many, regardless of what the high court says. Whatever choice the court makes has consequences that will change your direction and that of our industry for a long time to come, says EBA contributor Craig Davidson.