Employee benefits

This move sends a signal to advisers that things are no longer business as usual, says Joe Markland.

Fidelity is introducing a shopping website for health insurance and other employee benefits called Fidelity Health Marketplace.

Recent announcements by Credit Suisse Bank and private equity firm KKR that they will pay the expenses of nannies to accompany parents who wish to bring their infants on business trips has upped the ante for companies enhancing parental benefits in order to attract and retain top tier employees.

There is a huge (and often missed) opportunity where brokers and consultants can step in to help and keep their value proposition at the forefront of clients’ minds.

As the diverse health needs of the U.S. population grow, so does the need for doctors who can understand and empathize with the language and cultural context of their patients.

The IRS has expanded preferential tax treatment for identity theft benefits, further incenting employers to offer this in-demand voluntary benefit.

Commentary: Voluntary benefits have transitioned in recent years from being “something extra” to becoming a mainstay in the employee benefits package. Elizabeth Halkos predicts employers will see widespread customization of voluntary benefits in 2016.

From boosting wellness program participation to closing the retirement savings gap and more, consultants at Aon Hewitt reveal eight trends benefit managers should keep an eye out for in 2016.

Commentary: Companies must abandon the constraints of how they have done business in the past and instead embrace a new consumer-driven experience from end to end.

Commentary: From implementing automatic enrollment to eliminating participant loans, here are five actions plan sponsors can take this year to improve their 401(k) plans.

Dependent eligibility verification audits are sometimes tough to communicate to employees, but as employers look for financial savings in their health plans, many are contemplating them.

Guardian Life Insurance Company has announced plans to acquire Avesis Incorporated, a vision, dental and hearing benefits administrator for government and commercial benefit programs.

Recognizing companies with the best 401(k) plans with more than $1 billion in assets, BrightScope has released its year-end ranking of the top 401(k) plans, based on factors such as total plan costs, company generosity, salary deferrals and account balances. How does your plan compare?

Commentary: The key issue with this type of sale is an adviser’s comfort level in selling the products.

Kemper Corporation has named Tracy S. Berwick as vice president, Kemper Benefits. In this role, Berwick will lead the development of Kemper’s voluntary strategy and benefit offerings.

Many employees will soon be receiving new forms that are critical to their ability to file their tax returns and to their employers’ ability to accurately fulfill their own Affordable Care Act reporting requirements.

Nora M. Everett, president of Principal’s retirement and investor services unit, discusses the firm’s retirement transition program and new pension builder product that will allow 401(k) plan participants to buy a deferred income annuity while they’re still actively participating in the plan.

The Affordable Care Act, new ways to fill the sales pipeline and Zenefits dominated EBA’s BeAdvised blog commentary this year. The top 10 most-read blogs of 2015 detail the growing number of ACA regulations and reporting requirements, explain why advisers don’t accurately understand the threat behind a tech-focused brokerage and highlight simple-yet-effective ways producers can increase existing client revenue and get prospects to open the door.

Employers have either dropped the ball when it comes to offering employees retirement transition assistance like flexible work arrangements, retirement seminars or financial counseling, or employees are just not aware of the benefits their employers offer.

Throughout the year, a number of guest bloggers have provided valuable insights to EBN readers on the complex changes and issues affecting healthcare, retirement and other benefits programs.