Employee benefits

For the second consecutive year, U.S. bonuses will not be fully funded, but pay increases are predicted for 2013, according to a pair of Towers Watson surveys.

Retirement plan participants who hand pick their own mix of investment options are generally exposed to greater risk, due to reduced diversification and a tendency to not automatically adjust their portfolios over time, according to research from The Principal Financial Group.

The surprise vote by Chief Justice John Roberts to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the end of June really was a bold decision that redefined the Commerce Clause. In an era when ego, power and politics rule, Roberts made the brave decision not to use judicial power to overrule the democratic process. He actually gave us an early Independence Day gift by not letting the Supreme Court define the future of…

New retirement toolbox seeks to balance 401(k) plan funding with participants’ life needs.

New Medicare and Medicaid funding uncertainties and potential for a political stalemate on health care reform could worsen revenue growth in U.S. not-for-profit health care sector.

Recent research indicates that more people are being affected by major legal events in their lives – and so is their productivity.

Analysis shows that retirement savings plans are seeing an uptick – even among the younger generation of workers.

Two in five adults in the U.S. are getting general health care from specialist doctors, according to a new study showing that figure held steady for nearly a decade.

Pursuit of higher efficiency pushes shift in human resources to shared services and outsourcing, according to Towers Watson.

Americans express greater concern over the loss of employer-sponsored benefits than about being laid off in a new Gallup poll.

Defined contribution plan sponsors need to do a better job communicating key information to participants, according to a recent survey of plan participants conducted by State Street Global Advisors.

Two new studies amplify the benefits—especially for women—of working with financial advisers, and provide insight into a changing demographic for life insurers.

The Labor Department has sued to restore more than $34 million in assets to two retirement funds of Michigan-based vehicle parts manufacturer Metavation LLC that allegedly were used in violation of ERISA.

Many U.S. employers would like to retain selected Baby Boomers who choose to work beyond age 65, a new survey suggests.

A new white paper suggests that wellness programs can lower health care and benefits costs if a strong communication strategy is in place.

Private retiree Medicare exchanges provide a glimpse of what public and private health insurance exchanges could look like.

A new Harris Interactive poll of more than 2,000 working Americans suggests that bad behaviors occur on business trips, including excessive drinking and extramarital affairs.

State lawmakers in cash-strapped Illinois have run into fierce opposition from unions and concern about a voter backlash in the November elections over plans to fix the state’s woefully underfunded public retirement system.

Assurant Employee Benefits has introduced its WellCard Savings Program that will provide an average savings of up to 30% on medical visits, up to 65% on brand name and generic prescriptions as well as discounts on hearing and diabetes care, diagnostic and lab tests, daily living products and more.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan acknowledged late last week that his proposed health care reforms rely on many of the same spending reductions for which he has criticized President Barack Obama, something that could undercut a central message of the Republican campaign.