Employee benefits

The majority of investors still believe in the American dream but many workers do not have a written financial plan to help them achieve their retirement goals.

Commentary: Billions of dollars in federal subsidies are on the line in the Supreme Court’s highly anticipated King v. Burwell decision expected any day now. What does that mean for the benefits industry?

An “engagement chasm” is adding to the low adoption and participation rates employers face when developing their health and wellness programs, with even electronic or online tools doing little to keep employees motivated in health, fitness and dietary programs.

The average mutual fund investor typically underperforms the indexes each year by a wide margin. What can 401(k) plan participants (who comprise the majority of mutual fund investors) do to keep from sabotaging their annual returns?

No longer hiding on an intranet or mentioned in a one-off meeting, voluntary benefits are making a big impact on private exchanges, especially as high deductible plans increase and employees self-select into lower coverage.

While they have become a standard option in most employer-sponsored retirement programs, how much do participants really know about glide paths and real TDF performance?

With strategic federal-level assistance for retirement still lagging, states including Illinois, California and Oregon have stepped in with their own automatic IRA plans to boost employee savings.

Cigna Corp. rejected Anthem Inc.’s $47 billion takeover bid, saying it was inadequate and not in the best interests of shareholders.

The public has until July 21 to submit comments on the proposal that would expand the fiduciary standard to thousands of brokers and advisers who provide retirement investment advice.

In the eight states that have announced their 2016 proposed rates for purchasing coverage on the public health care exchanges, the average increase for a silver plan is 5.8%.

Most of the 13 state-run public health insurance have collectively spent $4.8 billion in federal funding during their first 17 months of operations and face serious cash-flow problems.

There are a few factors holding plan sponsors back from offering many of the tools that have been shown to increase retirement plan participation and outcomes.

The Workplace Benefits Association recently announced it’s honoring Bonnie Brazzell, vice president of Eastbridge Consulting Group, who is being inducted into the Worksite Marketing Hall of Fame.

Employers expect the new rules to ‘fundamentally change’ the way they approach executive pay disclosures.

The House passed H.R. 160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act, by a vote of 280 to 140. The bill was introduced by Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.), a member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

Commentary: The filing deadline is approaching, and employers risk costly penalties for noncompliance. Here’s what employers need to know, including updates to these forms, which must be filed by July 31.

Commentary: The question about self-service benefits enrollment needs to shift from “Should we do it?” to “What do we need to do to ensure the experience is engaging, satisfying and effective?”

High deductible health plan sponsors, as well as employers considering making that switch, should review their employees’ health care purchasing patterns and their communication campaigns to encourage appropriate use of the plans.

Ending the Cadillac tax, simplifying the reporting process and eliminating the automatic enrollment requirement are a few of the legislative recommendations the American Benefits Council is urging Congress to act on.

Market timing and frequent trades within 401(k) plan mutual funds seem to be a thing of the past, according to the Government Accountability Office.