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Coming on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dudenhoeffer decision, which eliminated a pro-fiduciary presumption with respect to company stock holdings in qualified retirement plans, the Fourth Circuit issued a decision last week that could cause even more unrest for plan fiduciaries.

Employers who fail to issue a timely COBRA notice could face huge fines, as evidenced by a recent court case in the state of Nevada.

Commentary: On July 4, 2014, the trustees of the BT Pension Scheme in the U.K. announced a record-breaking longevity risk transfer transaction that will provide long-term protection and income to the pension scheme in the event that members live longer than expected.

Although Americans remain concerned about retirement readiness, new research shows many employees have never increased their retirement plan contributions, unveiling a need for better engagement and education on the part of employers and their advisers.

The IRS has issued guidance on how the IRS and the Treasury Department will administer the definition of a “covered entity” for purposes of the health insurance fee under the Affordable Care Act.

Recent National Labor Relations Board rulings involving renowned jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. and a Verizon subsidiary point to a new challenge to employer policies meant to protect confidential and proprietary company information.

Employers say in 2015 they will continue to shift toward offering CDHPs, but many need adviser help to engage employees in better health care decisions and understand the benefits of a private exchange.

Recognizing that benefit brokers play a key role in the marketing of voluntary benefits, insurers are beginning to offer them more flexibility in the marketing process.

Corporate pension plan sponsors posted a median 4% return in the second quarter, thanks in part to their U.S. equity allocations.

Commentary: Columnist and management consultant Craig Davidson discusses what your prospect wants from you now, and in the near future, in return for an agent-of-record letter.

In an effort to raise money for Colorado’s state health insurance exchange, the board responsible for securing its financing has levied a new fee on all insurance policies issued in Colorado, including those sold off of the exchange.

Senior leaders and boards of directors are being asked more than ever before to justify the biggest line item on their budgets: executive payroll and compensation.

We all know how markets have traded most of the time since the 2008 crash. One day everything is moving up in value, the next everything is falling. But things are changing.

Commentary: Employer prospects often view a benefit broker's LinkedIn profile early in the sales process to learn more about them. Benefit advisers hoping to use LinkedIn as a powerful sales tool should optimize their profile to make themselves stand out — as opposed to looking like everyone else.

Commentary: Benefit adequacy is a recently-coined catch phrase among the retirement industry, and with good reason. Many individuals have not saved enough to pay for the costs of health in retirement, let alone broader retirement income needs.

Employers are expected to give an averaged 3% raise in base pay in the coming year, with top performers seeing as much as an 8% increase, thanks in part to a strengthening economy and growing job market.

Many consumers find health care websites tough to navigate and are not satisfied overall, indicating a need to improve the enrollment experience.

The IRS has issued its first adjustment to the ACA definition of “affordability” for the 2015 plan year. Building a solid ACA compliance plan with your employer clients means understanding the act clearly provides for such changes.

Amidst further rollout of the ACA’s provisions, researchers expect more employees to enroll in their employer-sponsored health plan for 2015 — a surge benefit advisers should be preparing employers to manage.

Benefit plan documents should be reviewed regularly with the plan’s third-party administrator. While a plan’s TPA can assist employers in meeting regulatory requirements, it is important to define the roles and responsibilities of the plan sponsor, who is ultimately responsible for implementing plan policies and procedures.