What kind of employee takes advantage of the chance to select from potentially thousands of investment options available through a 401(k) brokerage account?

As Towers Watson & Co. and Willis Group Holdings Plc head to the altar for an all-stock merger valued at $18 billion, their respective private exchanges could command the roles of best man and bridesmaid.

The merger of Willis and Towers Watson is likely just one of many to come in the next few years, as the Affordable Care Act and other factors continue to change the landscape of the business of health care, industry experts agree.

Plan sponsors can choose from three outside providers: Mesirow Financial, Morningstar Associates and Wilshire Associates.

Rising health care costs and concerns for employees’ financial wellness and retirement preparedness are nudging employers to re-evaluate their benefit offerings.

Standing out from the competition, maintaining healthy prospects and offering essential solutions can help attract prospective buyers.

Commentary: Having quality data is great for comparing health plan, facility and treatment performance, but it unfortunately hasn’t led to predictable costs.

Organizations don’t necessarily focus on building engagement tools for team leaders, said consultant Marcus Buckingham during this week's SHRM conference, and, as a result, these tools are being developed for the wrong audience.

Commentary: Questions plan sponsors should be asking of their insurance carrier, payroll vendor and benefits technology provider in advance of the ACA’s information reporting requirements.

The DOL’s proposed definition of fiduciary advice remains worrisomely broad, according to financial and legal experts who are calling upon the industry to flood the DOL with letters of concern about the rule’s possible implications.

Plan sponsors’ loyalty to their retirement service providers is slightly down year-over-year, presenting an opportunity for advisers to advocate for their clients.

Known as Explanation No 9, the document is to be used in conjunction with Form 8387, Worksheet 9 – Determination of Qualification and Form 8399, Deficiency Checksheet 9.

Although the Supreme Court upheld subsidies on the exchanges, there remain key aspects of the ACA that broker and employer lobbyist organizations continue to seek to amend and/or repeal.

Student loan debt and jobs that don’t offer 401(k) plans put added pressure on retirement savings for millennial workers.

Commentary: The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 allows quality measurement organizations to develop quality measures using Medicare data and share it with employers and insurers for the purposes of designing their health plans.

OneAmerica announces plans to buy BMO Financial Group’s Milwaukee-based U.S. retirement services business.

Friday’s landmark ruling on gay marriage poses both challenges and benefits to employers.

The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision being cheered as a step toward equality is also poised to carry unintended consequences, including some that could make life harder for employees, gay and straight alike.

Women more likely than men to take advantage of workplace financial wellness programs, yet still experience more financial stress than men.

Commentary: With the Supreme Court decision behind us, there are a series of critical concerns employers and their advisers must focus on now.