Employee benefits

We all know how markets have traded most of the time since the 2008 crash. One day everything is moving up in value, the next everything is falling. But things are changing.

Commentary: Benefit adequacy is a recently-coined catch phrase among the retirement industry, and with good reason. Many individuals have not saved enough to pay for the costs of health in retirement, let alone broader retirement income needs.

Many consumers find health care websites tough to navigate and are not satisfied overall, indicating a need to improve the enrollment experience.

Amidst further rollout of the ACA’s provisions, researchers expect more employees to enroll in their employer-sponsored health plan for 2015 — a surge benefit advisers should be preparing employers to manage.

Benefit plan documents should be reviewed regularly with the plan’s third-party administrator. While a plan’s TPA can assist employers in meeting regulatory requirements, it is important to define the roles and responsibilities of the plan sponsor, who is ultimately responsible for implementing plan policies and procedures.

The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company on Wednesday launched The Fiduciary Awareness Quiz, a first-of-its kind assessment to help plan sponsors better understand their fiduciary obligations and responsibilities.

Retiring baby boomers and health care reform law contribute to increased mergers and acquisitions activity.

Commentary: Advisers are selling more voluntary benefits than in previous years, but as the number of employers considering these benefits in 2015 increases, ask yourself, are you prepared to sell these products and meet client needs?

The costs of complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act are already large enough, but small employers must be vigilant of huge legal costs associated with inappropriate terminations.

Brokers and assisters will need to work closer together to help consumers during the 2015 ACA open enrollment, but most agree that will involve overcoming some underlying issues.

Vermont has cut ties with the vendor of their health insurance exchange, CGI, after continued complaints and errors with the online portal — a 'debacle' further exacerbated by the fact benefit brokers and advisers have mostly been left out of the loop.

From fees and features to funds and fiduciaries, there's lots to consider when reviewing your 401(k) plan.

Voluntary benefits are creeping more and more into the everyday dialogue of benefit managers and advisers, but for those just getting involved, partnering with voluntary carriers and other vendors can sometimes be a difficult field to navigate.

Commentary: Benefit advisers should help educate 403(b) plan sponsors about appropriate Form 5500 compliance before the DOL takes enforcement action, the Principal Financial Group's Aaron Friedman says.

As the country’s demographics continue to shift, employers are facing changes in the makeup of their workforce, according to a report from the Council of Economic Advisers. With those changes come new benefits needs for working families. Brokers can help their clients keep up with these evolving requirements and expectations.

It appears that slackers, not hackers, are mostly responsible for the invasion of health care records - and the overly curious (or bored) employees who are the culprits can cost employers millions in HIPPA fines.

Commentary: Pharmacy benefit managers and benefit brokers keep a watchful eye for profit-seekers looking to take advantage of loopholes in the health care delivery system.

The IRS’ new draft forms for employer reporting on health care coverage unveils a glimpse of the administrative onus in store for benefit advisers and their employer clients working to comply with the Affordable Care Act.

Benefit advisers working with small to mid-size employers to boost benefit participation can focus on cost-saving measures and enrollment and education activities that larger companies are more inclined or able to invest in.

As employers try to figure out how best to prepare their workforces for retirement, experts in the benefits and investment industries recommend that an individual retirement account – either the traditional or Roth version – can be a good complement or standalone option for an employee’s retirement path.