Practice and client management

Consumers, facing worries over being able to afford adequate health care, want their employers to do more to help them improve their health and get the most from their employer-provided health and wellness plans, according to a new survey.

As another open enrollment season comes to a close, millions of consumers are finalizing their benefits packages for 2012. Unfortunately, more than half of insured adults are confused with several important aspects related to choosing a health insurance plan, reveals a survey released Monday.

With serious concerns about medical commission cuts and maintaining top-line revenues, 58% of brokers and consultants are embracing two specific initiatives EBA contributor Nelson Griswold explains in the December issue.

So I have to tell you, the November EBA really got me fired up. In a good way.

I would like to discuss with you the building blocks of a successful sales culture. Let us start with values and morals. Then we will move on to thoughts which lead to behavior. Behaviors establish a culture, the backbone of your organization.

I want you to imagine that you are sitting at your desk and you get the following call:

Long-term care is a "problem every-body will face and no one wants to talk about." But with the shelving of the CLASS Act by Congress, planning for long-term care is becoming part of the national conversation - and that presents an opportunity for brokers.

Following the Eastbridge Consulting Group report earlier this year that showed a decrease in voluntary benefits sales during 2010, it has been refreshing to see that, according to recent insurance carriers' annual surveys, employees' interest remains strong.

While 88% of small business owners do not think it is right for the government to force a state resident to buy health insurance, more than 90% of them do not intend on purchasing health coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

With new cost-basis reporting requirements in effect for the 2011 tax year, Charles Schwab is warning investment advisers to brace for a hectic tax season and prepare for a flood of questions from clients who for the first time will receive a revised 1099-B form packed with new transaction information.

Consumers who receive a financial needs analysis are more likely to buy life insurance, and purchase larger face amounts, than those who don’t receive an analysis, according to LIMRA’s 2011 U.S. Buyer-Nonbuyer study.

I know of an employer — which shall remain nameless — that began communicating its benefits enrollment period the day enrollment began. No, I’m not kidding. Yes, it’s a real company.

Bereaved spouses who have a relationship with a financial adviser can find the support invaluable in recovering their family’s financial bearings, according to a new survey. The poll, conducted by the New York Life Foundation and the National Alliance for Grieving Children, surveyed 548 parents who lost a spouse or partner and who still had children under the age of 19 at home. …

The Employee Benefit Adviser App is a must-have resource for benefit brokers, advisers and consultants who help employers build and manage their group benefits programs, be they health, retirement, voluntary or non-insurance. Choose from our helpful apps and download them today!

Why would employers choose to continue to pay, on average, close to $10,000 per employee for benefits when they could get away with a $2,000 penalty for not offering benefits at all? George Lane gives insight to this question in today’s BeAdvised.

Many of the nearly 1.6 million nonprofits and charities in the country are in need of advisory services. With assets growing at 8.5%, this group represents a healthy market for advisers looking to grow their client base, according to Gary Price, managing principal at Fund Evaluation Group.

Online expectations of insurers’ Web presences are higher than ever, according to a new report from Forrester Research, for a confluence of reasons; the economic instability has increased demand in certain sectors, insurance advertising is a billion-dollar venture, with most of it directing consumers to Web presences, etc. As a result, whether quote-seekers or self-serving policyholders, consumers expect sites to be available, easy to use and fast. And if a site doesn’t live up to these expectations, a competitor is only a click away.

Employee Benefit Adviser is ramping up its social media presence, bringing you the latest news in the benefits industry and fostering intense discussions on everything from new PPACA information to voluntary policies. Come join the conversation on our sites!

Financial advisers are constantly on the lookout for new and more engaging and effective ways to market their services to prospective clients.

Email and websites are becoming outdated when communicating with health plan participants as social media moves to the forefront, says one industry expert at the annual International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Employee Benefits Conference.