Although it's hard to start a conversation about death and dying, providing employees with a benefit option that will help them ensure their end-of-life affairs are in order can not only provide peace of mind, but also can keep loved ones from paying a heavy price both emotionally and financially for a funeral they were not prepared to plan.

One of our clients, a Midwest employee benefits agency, came to us with a serious problem. Revenues were down 19% over the previous year, despite an increased marketing budget. They spent their $137,000 budget on brand-building - including a $15,000 sponsorship of the 18th hole at the local pro-am celebrity golf tournament, a $10,000 sponsorship of the Heart Gala, full-page glossy ads in the local business magazine and half-page ads in the weekly business paper. While they couldn't say for certain what, if any, new business resulted from these efforts, the net result was an almost 20% drop in revenue. Not surprising, but still a terrible waste of resources.

Many businesses are incorporating social media into their marketing campaigns and into their product and service offerings. But new technology does not always disintermediate. In the case of social media, the "original" social media technology is being integrated in new and innovative ways. So what is it? The plain old telephone. Increasingly, employees and consumers are using social media on their mobile devices or smart phones. At the end of the day, however, a smart phone is still a phone.

Every brokerage sells in the small group market. The reason is simple: That's where most of the group business resides.

Agents are missing a huge sales opportunity with group term life insurance. Most of you think that you actually sell group term life insurance - but you are 100% wrong! You may take orders for group term, but when was the last time that you encouraged an employer to offer group term life where none existed before? Or you initiated a conversation with an employer about voluntary group term life insurance?

Over the past two years, fees charged by financial advisers to new mid- and large-market defined contribution/401(k) clients have been shrinking at an alarming rate. This decline is driven by a number of factors. As with many other trends, it is likely that deflationary pricing will move downmarket. More than ever, it is essential that advisers clearly define their value proposition to employers and participants who, for the first time, will be able to easily determine what they are paying as a result of the new disclosure regulations - or risk being commoditized competing on fees.

On July 1 - when fee disclosure regulations go into effect - there may be questions about advisers trying to reduce their fees. They should keep in mind that in some cases a plan sponsor's ERISA counsel may perceive that action as an admission of guilt that previous fees may have been excessive or unreasonable.

Michael Dermer, president and chief executive of IncentOne, works with health plans, health service companies and self-insured employers to boost consumer and provider engagement. The Lyndhurst, N.J.-based company launched its first incentive program in 2004 and now has more than 350 customers.

Smaller employers have historically been hesitant to self-fund their health plans because they commonly perceive it as suitable only for large companies. Done right, self-funding an employee health benefit plan can be a smart long-term strategy.

Clients that measure every task in terms of immediate ROI are not getting to the heart of the corporate wellness program - the health of their employees.

There are questions about the future of the group long-term care market, as two insurers have stopped offering the product in the past 17 months.

While the ever-rising cost of health care continues to be a top concern for employers and employees alike, there is at least one employee benefit headed in the opposite direction. "I always facetiously use the phrase 'life is cheap,' says Bob Harnett, vice president of Lutherville, Md.-based Silberstein Insurance Group. "Life insurance on an employer-paid basis has gotten to be very inexpensive."

In some ways, the perspective a number of employee benefit brokers and advisers take on social media in the workplace reminds me of views held by many employers - at least in the beginning - on the value of workplace wellness programs. Both social media and wellness have their enthusiastic, devoted supporters, as well as skeptics who question the level of time commitment required to be successful and the resulting return on investment, which can be difficult to track.

Within 30 minutes of being contacted, insurance agent Dal Watson had already added this reporter on most of his social media sites - Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter. And doing so with clients has brought him and other brokers who are on social media increased business, better reputations and stronger connections.

As the challenges mount for benefit advisers to prove their value to clients, one of the main questions I think we should consider is can we help HR? And if so, how? What are the solutions that help HR be more effective to their organizations? Is it possible that benefit advisers might be able to help HR have a more strategic seat at the table?

Among the best practices that emerged at a Novarica Insurance Technology 2012 Research Council meeting of 50-plus insurance executives were ways to manage the increased demand to support a Bring Your Own Device policy and turn it to the insurers' advantage.

Protesters packed up signs and TV talkers put away their microphones Wednesday night, the beginning of the long wait till the Supreme Court decides the fate of the Affordable Care Act.

Just as bright yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” and American flags flew high in front of the Supreme Court this week, so did the tempers of the crowds of supporters and opponents of health care reform gathered outside.

Creating an adequate amount of income for individuals to live comfortably in retirement will require a combination of several income producing strategies, as well as knowing what constitutes realistic and "safe" withdrawal rates from retirement plans, according to a new issue brief by the Institutional Retirement Income Council.

As the Supreme Court wraps up oral arguments on the core of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — the minimum coverage provision that will address the individual mandate — brokers express their concern surrounding health reform and how they are preparing clients for the future with or without it.