Client communications

Commentary: Brokers who can step in and learn the business of voluntary benefits and some of the newer products hitting the market will be well-suited to bring in new clients and keep them protected against financial loss with a combination of relevant and cost-efficient solutions, says AmWINS' Sam Fleet.

Commentary: There’s a lot for your clients to consider when carefully managing intermittent leaves. The Standard's Lincoln Dirks goes in-depth on the paperwork that outlines the parameters for an absence — certifications and recertifications.

Increasingly diverse workforces are creating a benefit communications challenge for employers and their advisers.

Commentary: With the use of intermittent leave, a type of Family and Medical Leave Act job protection, on the rise, The Standard's Lincoln Dirks says this type of leave potentially may become a growing burden for your clients.

Agentreview.net launches this month, aiming to give consumers one location to find and critique local insurance agents.

Commentary: Want to grow your business? Then never ask a client for a referral, says columnist Nelson Griswold. Referral marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies, but it must be done the right way, he adds.

Commentary: Collective information is the new frontier when it comes to big data in the health care realm, says Lockton’s Kayla O’Neal

Commentary: Americans must take the responsible course when it comes to health insurance coverage, says adviser David C. Smith.

Consumers cite complex language, lack of time as roadblocks to making a purchase, study finds.

Commentary: The real marketing revolution rejects the idea that marketing is something companies do. John Graham shares 3 ways to turn your clients into your sales team.

Communication — customized for your listener — is one of the most critical elements of leadership. Here are some strategies to demystify the process at your brokerage.

In a defined contribution world, cash balance plans continue to gain popularity, study says.

Commentary: There are a lot of innovative options that have been implemented by those who are being proactive and who are changing their roles as employee benefit advisers. Columnist Jack Kwicien shares their competitive advantage.

There’s little evidence that wearable fitness tracking device technology alone can change behavior and improve health for those that need it most, according to University of Pennsylvania researchers.

Commentary: While agents providing these value-added services have disrupted the market and changed the nature of the benefit sales game, they were but a precursor to the far bigger disruptor taking over huge chunks of the benefits marketplace, says columnist Mel Schlesinger.

Employers increasingly have been asking benefit advisers to provide simplified solutions to their HR challenges and meet new reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act — making 2014 the year of client-focused technology solutions.

Perhaps the hottest trend in benefits right now is the exchange distribution model. In EBA’s ongoing series of discussions with heads of the country’s top brokerages, these leaders share their approach to the exchange system and how they see private exchanges impacting the future of benefits.

Millennials are not saving enough to take full advantage of their employer’s 401(k) company match, but benefit advisers say there are many tools employers can use to turn this trend around and engage the younger generation.

Commentary: Columnist Mel Schlesinger shares the secrets of selling your knowledge rather than relying on value-add services to close the sale.

Commentary: As open enrollment season moves into full swing, columnist John Ludwig turns your focus to financial wellness, a growing concern for employers.