Guest blogger Mark S. Gaunya talks about what advisers must do in the 'Obamacare' world where insurers are assuming more risk and consumers more cost.

Now in their 22nd year, the Benny Awards recognize excellence in the employee benefits/human resources field. Awards are granted to employee benefit or human resource practitioners directly involved in the management of employee benefit programs.

How many Doritos are in a serving? For most of us, it's whatever amount is left in the bag. Unless you're raiding your kid's lunchbox snack size stash. Then it might be two bags. While concerns about the amount of nutrition or serving size in that particular snack may be taking it to the extreme, the fact is that government mandated nutrition labels on our food have made more information clearly available about what we are eating than ever before.

WellPoint Inc. CEO Joseph R. Swedish won high marks from investors and analysts in his first public appearance since taking over for the ousted Angela Braly.

Mercer’s private exchange now has more than 20 carriers signed on to provide benefits, including dental, vision, life and disability products. Find out what carriers were added.

Reinforcing other studies, Truven finds that more than two-thirds of the 6.5 million emergency department visits during the study period for those under the age of 65 were avoidable and could have saved employers and health plans millions.

MetLife Inc., the largest U.S. life insurer, raised its dividend 49% in the first increase since 2007, after its exit from banking limited oversight from the Federal Reserve. The company gained the most since January in New York trading.

As brokers continue to search for voluntary benefits to supplement their sales in the coming years, legal plans might just be one of them.

A program airing yesterday cited excessive fees and lack of clear guidance for the failure of the 401(k) to prepare Americans for a longer and more costly retirement.

When managing money, the large majority of Americans today are not looking for shortcuts or get-rich-quick strategies, according to Northwestern Mutual’s 2013 Planning & Progress Study.

The epilepsy drug was also tied to a three-fold increase of autism spectrum disorder, which includes Asperger syndrome and other developmental disorders, according to research published Tuesday.

Recently a number of market observers have suggested banning actively managed mutual funds from retirement plans as a way of increasing participant balances. Their logic is that actively managed funds don't beat market averages or benchmarks often enough to justify their higher fees. Also, it is said that actively managed funds tend to be recommended by advisers who profit from their sale and therefore aren't objective.

A $15 billion asset increase, paired with a $14 billion liability decrease, reduces the Milliman 100 PFI pension funded status deficit to $285 billion.

Study Reveals Financial Industry Not Meeting Women’s Needs. Three-fourths feel they earn better returns teaming with financial professional.

Fewer than half of Generation X and Generation Y investors have made saving for retirement their top priority and a majority have little understanding of financial products and services, according to LIMRA research.

There may be a slightly silver lining to the murky clouds of health care reform: ancillary benefits, which often include voluntary benefits, are expected to grow substantially in the coming years. Advisers may do well to leverage these offerings with clients, says EBA Blogger and UBA CEO Thom Mangan.

Social Security savings of $1.6 billion among reductions projected for 2014 and beyond

LIMRA research reveals that the majority of Generation X and Y consumers have little understanding of financial products and services and less than half make saving for retirement their top priority. Their situation improves, however, with the help of financial adivisers.

Non-qualified deferred compensations have been around even before the passage of ERISA in 1974.

Patient safety at U.S. hospitals is hampered by inadequate teamwork and communication, as well as a negative culture, according to a study by insurer American International Group Inc.