It's not surprising that the youngest generation of workers has saved the least toward retirement. But what is startling-and worrisome-is the fact that the savings rate for this group has fallen significantly in the past decade.

There was a notable buzz in Dallas in September as advisers at EBA's 6th Annual Employee Benefit Adviser Summit learned and discussed the latest on helping clients handle costs, how health care reform will affect their business and the new line of interest in voluntary benefits.

Employers implementing wellness programs not only will help lower health-related costs, but their employees will be more engaged and productive while on the clock.

Nationwide Better Health, part of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, closed its doors Sept. 1 after five years in the wellness and productivity business. The company announced on May 25 that Nationwide would sell its productivity services to Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. and wind down disease management and wellness programs.

Good news for advisers selling disability income insurance: Sales of traditional and voluntary DI are headed upward. But even more exciting is the undercurrent of optimism and excitement among major insurers and disability management experts about the future of disability benefit programs.

As I write this, the entire Benefits Group staff is just returning from the 6th Annual Employee Benefit Adviser Summit, co-located with our 24th Annual Benefits Forum and Expo. In Dallas this year, we had a gratifying turnout of nearly 1,000 benefit industry professionals from all parts of the industry, with Summit attendance boosted by participants staying over from the United Benefit Advisors conference - a most welcome addition to the educational sessions and to our industry networking opportunities.

EBA searched far and wide to find 10 "Rising Stars in Advising" who are making a name for themselves and will lead the next generation of advisers. We're delighted to introduce them.

Getting started in social media is a lot like getting started in investing. It pays to have a plan. If you are like most advisers, you’re probably just getting started. For you less is more.

Like a lot of companies, Veridian Credit Union wants its employees to be healthier. In January, the Waterloo, Iowa-company rolled out a wellness program and voluntary screenings.

STEVE JOBS ASKED US TO “THINK DIFFERENT” Over the last few months I have spoken to over 100 groups of brokers, consultants and employers across the country about the results of two critical pieces of recent research that MetLife has conducted with employees, employers and brokers that demonstrate the need to think differently about the future. Especially true for professionals in the “trusted advisor” business faced with distinct revenue challenges in the near future will be…

Here's a recent roundup of industry accomplishments.

The younger the customer, the more they will want a guaranteed income after retirement is the first takeaway for insurers from a Prudential survey about retirement planning.

With responsibility comes opportunity . . . when we take on more responsibility for the way we live our lives and the health care choices we make, we earn opportunities for a better life. How? Choose to live a healthy lifestyle. Eat righ, check out Dr. Gundry on Google for some good advice. Get enough sleep, always easier said than done, but so worth the effort. Workout, find a cardio routine that you enjoy and do…

The culmination of years of consolidation among health insurers is restricting competition in four out of five metropolitan areas in the United States, new analysis from the American Medical Association finds.

As the Thanksgiving holiday rapidly approaches, perhaps we could take a moment out of our day to reflect on gratitude. This means appreciating the clients that we already have. Further, we should respect those who are being appropriately serviced by another adviser enough to abstain from unethical means to obtain their business for ourselves. Perhaps it seems that these clients are there for the taking, but if we ignore the ethical considerations, we have failed not…

Budget woes are hitting public sector employers hard — and the effects are going to be felt in their employee benefits programs. That's according to a new survey conducted by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company with members of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources last month.

Mercer recently surveyed employers about their responses to health reform provisions that were effective in 2011 and their attitudes toward requirements that won’t kick in until 2014 or later. The area that provided the most intriguing results involved eligibility. A year ago, when asked what actions they were likely to take in 2014 when benefits must be made available to employees working 30 or more hours per week, employers seemed more inclined to bite the…

Massachusetts Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual) has launched a new "Why Life Insurance?" consumer awareness program on Facebook designed to get families thinking and talking about their financial futures.

As I discuss market trends with my peers around the country, PEO’s are a consistent topic of discussion. It’s one of those issues where everyone seems to have an opinion about their potential relevance and impact on the benefits adviser community. I realize that it depends on your locale and whether any PEO’s are willing to partner and distribute their services through an adviser network. Clearly some organizations are exclusionary and represent direct competition to…

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