Benefits Think The case for high performance health care
Can business leaders be coaxed into focusing on the serious economic threat posed by unbridled health care excesses?
Brian Klepper
Worksite Health Advisors
Financial planning
Retirement confidence: How does the U.S. stack up?
Retirement confidence around the world is up, yet only a third of employees report receiving retirement information from their employer.
PwC, Starbucks take different approaches to helping workers pay for college
Tuition assistance programs can be a valuable benefit in a competitive job market.
Benefits Think Dont get the Medicare equation wrong: What employers should know
Commentary: As more baby boomers work past the traditional retirement age of 65, understanding how Medicare interacts with workplace health benefits becomes crucial for economic well-being.
Cindy Lapoff
Manning & Napier
Plan sponsors focused on investment costs
Martha G. King, managing director of Vanguards institutional group, addresses the evolution of retirement plan education and the challenges of guaranteed annuity products within 401(k) plans.
Community agency launches group credit program as employee benefit
SMILE Community Action Agency has made a concerted effort in the past year and a half to offer a more in-depth benefits package to employees so that it can become an employer of choice.
DC plan sponsors hyper-focused on fees
Actively managed funds still represent the largest chunk of most 401(k) investment lineups, but passively managed investments have risen in recent years because of fee disclosure regulations, target-date funds and the notion that managed accounts have been unable to beat the returns of index funds.
Benefits Think 5 myths about U.S. health care: Implications for reform
Is the U.S. health care system overrated and overpriced?
Jan Peter Ozga
Medical Business Exchange
Benefits Think 3 minimum requirements for robust ID theft protection coverage
Commentary: Benefit professionals should take advantage of new technology and services to protect employees and help them resolve ID theft situations, says VEBAs Tinker Kelly.
Tinker Kelly
Voluntary Employee Benefits Advisors
DOLs ambitious time frame for fiduciary rule raises questions
With the final comment period for the DOLs proposed fiduciary rule closing later this month, experts say the pressure is on regulators to issue a final rule before President Obama leaves office.
GAO expresses concerns with unclear QDIA regulations
Retirement plan sponsors need more clarity with QDIA regulations, says the Government Accountability Office.
Benefits Think 401(k) plan money market fund changes are coming
Non-government money market funds in 401(k) plans are likely to be institutional prime money market funds that will be affected by reform rules announced by the SEC.
Robert C. Lawton
Lawton Retirement Plan Consultants
401(k) plan access seen to promote financial confidence
Employees are gaining confidence in their short-term finances but the majority is still not saving enough for retirement.
3 ideas that could reshape the U.S. retirement system
The retirement system continues to change, with close to half of all corporate DB plans now closed to new entrants.
401(k) participants move from equities to fixed income
Stock market swings reiterate need for ongoing retirement plan communication.
Benefits Think What to look for in a roll-in service provider
Reducing cash-outs and stranded 401(k) accounts increases average account balances, a key industry metric for measuring retirement plan success.
Spencer Williams
Portability Services Network and Retirement Clearinghouse
Paychexs Ron Shaw wins Benny Award for Leadership in Retirement Planning
Ron Shaw, retirement program manager for Paychex, focuses on the retirement readiness of the companys young workforce.
Managed account adoption rates low
The adoption rate of managed accounts remains low, yet retirement plan participants who use them report higher projected retirement wealth and better portfolio diversification.
Retirement confidence drops
Americans express lower overall retirement confidence than in years past, but rank saving for retirement a top priority.
Benefit offerings impacted by millennials
Generation Y employees want more customization and education about their benefits and employers need to provide a broad range of offerings while taking a holistic view to contain rising health care costs.
