Employee benefits

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.

Seeking an alternative to the DOL's controversial proposed fiduciary rule, some members of Congress are drafting their own proposal that would establish rules for advisers working with savers and plans without the regulatory burdens and litigation risks that critics see in the DOL's plan.

The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to repeal the core of the Affordable Care Act, bringing Congress closer to sending legislation to President Barack Obama for the first time that would dismantle his signature domestic achievement.

Healthcare coverage is a significant piece of your employees’ overall financial package. If your plan doesn’t appropriately meet their needs, it can be a source of stress for them throughout the year.

Under new final regulations, which take effect Jan. 1, 2016, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation substantially reduced the reporting requirements for pension plan administrators, sponsors and contributing employers.

Commentary: An employer’s argument that their classification of a 1099 employee should be respected because it’s how the employee is classified will go over like a lead balloon. The risk of misclassification under the ACA could be significant, says lawyer Peter Marathas.

Commentary: There are a lot of misconceptions about retirement plans that may keep employees from enrolling. Chad Parks shares are some ways to help businesses navigate these often jargon-heavy waters.

Commentary: What we can do to support them, make them feel more welcome in our company culture and help strengthen our own company in the process.

Commentary: This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., which has vital implications for employee benefit plans — and for future attempts to impose state-specific regimes to gather health data from those plans.

Commentary: Adviser David C. Smith says he’s seen “a handful of imaginative approaches that all fail to satisfy the IRS’s prohibition” on standalone Health Reimbursement Arrangements.

Commentary: Auto-enrollment, codified in law by the Pension Protection Act of 2006, was drafted with the best of intentions — to increase Americans’ retirement savings — but it has had the unintended consequence of impairing plan effectiveness.

Commentary: The most important element in personal investing, including 401(k) investing, is an investor's understanding of his/her risk tolerance. Virtually all negative investor outcomes spring from a lack of understanding an employee has about his/her ability to bear risk.

EBA Advisers of the Year, as well as other industry insiders, share their insight on some of the major issues employee benefit brokers face. Take a look as these experts reflect on everything from the Cadillac tax to benefits technology to voluntary products.