Employee benefits

With an emphasis on pounds lost, rather than healthy, sustainable behavior change, traditional programs can leave employees feeling discouraged and disengaged.

Intended to hedge pension liabilities, seemingly safe bond investments have turned risky.

Some group programs are being dropped and workers being moved to individual private exchanges.

Employers are already swamped enough dealing with a litany of benefit issues. That’s why, a panel of plan sponsors explained at the NAPA 401(k) Summit in Nashville, they are looking for benefits help from their advisers.

California’s paid family leave benefits will increase to 60% or 70% of weekly normal earnings beginning in 2018, but as a result of a city ordinance, San Francisco employers will have to top up these benefits to 100% of salary for some workers.

With another tax season come and gone, companies should weigh their options when expanding the workforce in Q2.

Worker uptake of the benefit has been slow, yet research shows utilization rates soar when there is no employee co-pay, according to Dr. Allan Khoury of Willis Towers Watson.

Boomerang employees — workers who left for another opportunity, only to return to their former employer later — are on the rise, as companies are becoming more enthusiastic about welcoming them back.

Outstanding student loans are affecting baby boomers who may be helping their kids pay down balances owing instead of saving enough money to fund their own retirement.

Purchasing critical illness insurance for employees and offering them the option to buy more encourages them to become better educated about their benefits plan, according to Sun Life’s Bryan Burke.

Some employer clients may ignore perks that require specialized knowledge, but they shouldn’t, according to Captain401’s Roger Lee.

Intended to hedge pension liabilities, seemingly safe bond investments have turned risky.

Bill Kite and D&S Agency are coming up with creative ways employers can meet health care reform requirements.

Nearly half of large employers offer some type of program, yet only about a third of workers say they have access to one, highlighting a key disconnect about well-being efforts.

Getting employees to understand and participate in their financial future is all about the language, say industry experts at this week’s 401(k) Summit.

In a more volatile market, DC plan sponsors should be thinking about where they are going to find alpha, says Anne Ackerley, managing director of BlackRock.

EBRI CEO Harry Conaway, speaking this week at the NAPA 401(k) Summit in Nashville, says employers need to embrace the growing benefit trend to help keep and attract employees.

The 3% deferral rate in nearly half of auto-enrolled plans is simply too low, says State Street Global Advisors’ Melissa Kahn.

The DOL’s rule is good news for plan sponsors, but many are still confused, says registered investment adviser Robert Lawton.

As fiduciary awareness grows, CITs, which often have lower fees than mutual funds, are poised for growth.