Symetra Life Insurance Company announces the addition of four regional sales executives to support group life and disability income insurance sales. Each new hire holds the title of regional sales executive-Group Life and Disability Income. These latest hires will represent Symetra’s group life, disability and absence management products with distribution partners in the following territories:

Life combination products grew 56% in 2011, according to LIMRA’s “2011 Individual Life Combination Products Annual Review.” This was the third consecutive year of double-digit growth.

While companies see the value of and invest significantly in total rewards programs, a new survey finds that few are seeing successful results, due to a lack of execution.

Controlling employer costs for health care benefits is a top priority among finance executives, according to a new study.

Last week I had the good fortune of attending and speaking in New York at a two day conference of HR managers from the Engineering and Consulting industry. These firms convene annually to learn how other firms deal with their issues i.e. sharing best practices. The topics, for this meeting, included navigating the regulatory environment, M&A activity, integrating employees and cultures when completing an acquisition, managing benefit costs while maintaining a quality benefit portfolio, hiring the…

Nearly three in four Americans say they are concerned about their ability to support themselves should they become unable to work due to a disability.

Pharmaceutical companies, which were spared some of the more sweeping regulations in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, could come under more pressure if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down part or all of the 2010 law.

This summer, thousands of employees will be improving their financial knowledge and pitting their know-how against others in the first Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit Adviser Financial Fitness Challenge.

Here is a recent roundup of industry accomplishments. Check to see if a colleague is mentioned this week.

It’s time to nominate your outstanding colleagues — or yourself — for Employee Benefit Adviser’s 2012 Adviser of the Year awards! EBA’s Advisers of the Year are recognized for their stellar performance in sales, client service and overall impact on the profession.

New findings from Tiburon Strategic Advisors reveal some interesting facts about advisers’ appetite, or lack thereof, for headline grabbing products such as alternatives and exchange-traded funds.

Financial advisers are so uncomfortable speaking about life insurance that more than half (56%) simply don’t do it, according to a recent survey by consultancy Saybrus Partners Inc.

More than 75% of health care incentives are so small or poorly communicated that they go unnoticed by providers. As a result, more than $20 billion in incentives may be wasted annually, according to a study.

At least one-third of surveyed full-time workers lack long-term disability insurance, according to a new report that sheds light on an opportunity for brokers. Employees need education to protect their financial wellbeing and to better understand the risks they face and how they can choose the right coverage through the workplace.

Following a pair of bear markets, advisers know the days of buy-and-hold investors with 60/40 portfolio allocations are over.

One of the most difficult hires for any agency to make is to hire a new producer that will produce on par with your most successful producers. While I’m not suggesting giving up on that effort, I would encourage you to make sure you are reviewing your current production team and constantly rehiring the successful producers you already have. Huh?! - Well, not necessarily in the literal sense …

The New York Department of Financial Services has issued a mandate requiring New York life insurers to search the U.S. Social Security Administration’s Death Master File every three months in order to find beneficiaries of the recently deceased who are unaware they are eligible for benefits.

The Obama administration forged ahead with health care reforms on Wednesday, announcing a November 16 deadline for state governments to submit proposals showing how they intend to operate health insurance exchanges in 2014.

Allstate Benefits and The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America announced an agreement on Tuesday to provide a PPO dental product. Allstate Benefits expects to begin offering DentalGuard, Guardian’s group PPO dental plan, to employers starting in July.

There’s no question that driving is getting safer. Collision avoidance and other safety features in automobiles are becoming more sophisticated and ubiquitous, having worked their way down from high-end luxury vehicles to family sedans and subcompacts. Now automated traffic law enforcement and telematics could further reduce fatalities and insured losses, and the promise of Google’s self-driving car could remove driver error as the primary cause of collisions and injuries.