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It’s been 20 years since the National Association of Health Underwriters provided Registered Employee Benefits Consultant and Chartered Healthcare Consultant credentials — but thanks to a new deal announced earlier this month with The American College of Financial Services, it will do so again.

Commentary: As most salespeople know, moving forward is tough, but changing behavior can help knock down obstacles. Here are eight ideas to get the wheels moving in the right direction.

Guardian Life Insurance Company has announced plans to acquire Avesis Incorporated, a vision, dental and hearing benefits administrator for government and commercial benefit programs.

It was another banner year for technology in the benefits space, with the launch of several new tech companies in the benefit space and a continued look forward with innovative new products.

Large group renewals, small group renewals, ACA reporting, and much much more. A number of events in the benefit calendar year converged to make the fourth quarter of 2015 a season to remember. How can brokers better prepare for Q4 2016?

Private benefit exchanges continued to grow in popularity this year — mostly in the midmarket segment. The exchanges also saw changes to their product offerings on both the employee and supplier side.

As employers continue to outsource HR and benefit admin functions, benefit brokers should prepare to work in an increasingly complicated environment.

Recognizing companies with the best 401(k) plans with more than $1 billion in assets, BrightScope has released its year-end ranking of the top 401(k) plans, based on factors such as total plan costs, company generosity, salary deferrals and account balances. How does your plan compare?

Commentary: Many of the newer voluntary products have been strategically designed with a post-ACA lens in mind. When determining their 2016 short list of voluntary product recommendations, brokers should investigate six key areas.

Commentary: Improving the retirement plans that we run and advise will have a positive impact on our participants’ retirement readiness — and ultimately their retirement experience, says adviser John Ludwig.

Commentary: If your New Year’s wish is for the demise of the excise tax, be careful what you wish for, says Mercer’s George Lane.

A set of delays on Affordable Care Act-related taxes in the new federal spending bill will give corporate earnings a modest boost but are unlikely to undo the law or produce significant changes in the healthcare industry.

The industry groups working to scuttle the Department of Labor's fiduciary proposal hit a setback this week on Capitol Hill, but are vowing to continue to fight.

Commentary: January can be one of the most active times for new clients and increased contribution levels in the education space.

Brokers who partner with Aflac can now offer their large employer clients nationwide another comprehensive open-enrollment option through an agreement with Liazon, which operates the private benefit exchange Bright Choices.

Commentary: Since the Family and Medical Leave Act was signed into law in 1993, employee benefits administration and time-off tracking have never been the same.

Commentary: We have started telling our over­all retirement story at chapter three or four, instead of setting the foundation of the story first, says adviser Mark Singer.

Commentary: There needs to be a proactive, systematic and consistent business development and prospecting plan in place to successfully sustain your business, says columnist Jack Kwicien.

Commentary: It will be the single most critical contributor to agency success, says columnist Wendy Keneipp.

The popularity of voluntary benefit offerings continued to grow this year as employers seek solutions for employees strapped by rising healthcare costs and, especially this year, increased financial burdens.