With 2015 fast approaching, employee benefit decision makers are scrambling to ensure that they stay ahead of the curve – particularly as the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate kicks in next month.

An eight-year-old lawsuit against aerospace giant Lockheed Martin Corp., launched by employees who claim the company's retirement plan overcharged them and critically underperformed, hit the Illinois courtroom Dec. 15.

A plan needs to be established for replacing business owners and/or C-suite executives to ensure a smooth transition and to keep the company sustainable and thriving.

The year in wellness: Wearable devices, outcomes-based incentives and social media have helped shape wellness in the workplace in 2014.

Whether it’s the increased need of tracking employee hours due to the Affordable Care Act or just the sheer ease of accessing information on the cloud, investments in HR technology have continued to grow across all employers segments and industries.

A bipartisan, yet controversial, effort to help stabilize the retirement futures for Americans through a substantial reform of the multiemployer pension plan system passed through the House this week.

With a still-recovering economy, weakened retirement plan offerings and the uncertainly of supplemental income in retirement, many workers are opting to stay put, adding unforeseen burdens to employers.

More employers are offering products like roadside assistance and telemedicine to their employees, as well as new voluntary offerings not seen before.

Delaying health plan renewals appears to be the new normal under the Affordable Care Act, especially for small businesses.

The employer mandate will be in effect for many employers in a matter of weeks. And one thing is certain; the most detrimental compliance strategy is to deny the need to comply. Here’s how to help your clients avoid some of the more common ACA compliance mistakes.

The Supreme Court is slated to hear the Tibble v. Edison case in 2015, which promises to be a landmark ruling for the corporate retirement space.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in United States v. Windsor, and subsequent guidance from the federal government, legal advisers recommend that employers sift through their benefit plans and employee policies to ensure compliance for 2015.

Take a look around the benefits discussion table at many employers these days and you’ll see a wide variety of faces. With clients increasingly tying their benefits strategy to the other departments at their businesses, it’s no surprise that top brokers in the U.S. are taking a closer look at their own company structures in the process.

Voluntary benefits have experienced significant growth in recent years, a trend that brokers and carriers are hoping continues in the coming year.

Commentary: With so much happening at year’s end and again at the beginning of the New Year, columnist John Ludwig shares what plan sponsors be working on.

Low cost, no minimum investment and daily trading are reasons for their increased use over the past 10 years.

How can employers get more out of their wellness programs without also growing their budgets?

Historically, financial planners have advised that retirees could expect to derive their retirement income from three sources: Social Security, corporate retirement plans and personal savings. That might not be the case anymore.

Employers will devote more mind share to retirement programs in the coming year, in part because of increased confidence about compliance with the Affordable Care Act.

When evaluating the merits of a private exchange, one industry insider suggests pursuing an overall financial strategy built around achieving “true savings” rather than simply shifting costs onto employees – a warning that has been sounded for years in the traditional marketplace.