Employee benefits

Benefit advisers and their employer clients are in a unique position to help the newest members of the workforce overcome investment fears and prepare for retirement.

Employers say the Affordable Care Act is driving the costs of their medical plans higher, according to a new survey by accounting firm Cherry Bekaert’s benefits consulting unit.

Commentary: Blogger Cyndy Nayer discusses how to ensure the efficacy of true patient-centered care and what’s needed for value-based decisions to succeed.

The DOL says employers reacting to the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling by canceling contraceptive coverage will be required to notify their employees of the change, an important administrative note for benefit advisers working with employers electing to do so.

Employees across the country can expect to see an average increase of 3% in base salaries in the coming year, and some experts are advising employers to remember that if budgets are tight, there are other means to keep employees happy.

Commentary: Columnist Jerry Kalish discusses the ins and outs of cafeteria plans, which may be seeing a rise in interest due to the ACA.

Founded by his father on the principle of specialty servicing in 1956, Mike Lewer’s business model is set to distinguish his brokerage team with post-ACA success for years to come.

Retirees should move beyond the long-held “4% Rule” and take into account the full range of financial opportunities and risks they could face going into the golden years.

With health care costs continuing to rise, it’s no surprise to benefit advisers that their employer clients continue to seek benefit solutions that shift some of the cost burden to their employees — and new data reveals that trend shows no signs of stopping.

Early adopters to the private exchanges say they've experienced major issues with helping workers better understand the complexities - and do-it-yourself aspects - of the new world of health care.

While employers are continuing to feel the impact from a multitude of changing laws and regulations, worries about the Affordable Care Act have begun to subside, to some degree. But the jury is out on the long-term implications of the ACA, and the ways benefits managers will live up to its stipulations in coming years.

A boom in private exchanges and a changing distribution system for health care will create a new landscape for benefits managers and advisers, with more emphasis on consumer-directed health care.

A proposal up for vote in the most populous state would give the insurance commissioner veto power over health insurance rates, among other things, and has brokers fearful of the trend spreading to other states.

The Senate Wednesday failed to get enough support for its reversal plan of the recent Supreme Court Hobby Lobby ruling that will allow some employers to decline providing insurance coverage for some forms of birth control based on religious grounds.

Commentary: Too often wellness programs are started as just another way to reduce heath care costs. Certainly, this is a terrific outcome that good wellness programs will help deliver. However, this focus not only sells the wellness program short, but it also misses the “soul” of the program.

Commentary: Learn about why you may be failing at cross-selling voluntary from columnist Nelson Griswold, and how to fix it.

Few small business employees say they are satisfied with their company’s benefit offerings — revealing a need for benefit advisers to work with employers to create more comprehensive benefit packages with employee needs in mind.

Millions of Americans sought help from navigators and assisters during the ACA's first open-enrollment period, but many were more satisfied with help from a benefit adviser.

Learn about how technology can demonstrate the link between volatility and risk in retirement planning — a distinguishing factor from other advisers, according to columnist Craig Davidson.

Employment education sessions are a critical way to get plan participants more involved in the personal choices they need to make to maximize their retirement account returns.