Practice management

Young benefit advisers are spearheading many of the efforts that promise to keep the benefits profession relevant in the 21st century. EBA’s 2015 Rising Stars in Advising are not just navigating the benefits industry, they’re paving its new frontier.

Commentary: Proactive case management is the first step to creating a process for disability leave management that clients can count on, says The Standard’s Sandy Johnson.

Voluntary business is a well-known tool for brokers to increase their revenue while offering new products. But many employers are hesitant to add these products because of additional administrative burdens they can require. Enter the private health care exchange, says Carlos Ferrera, COO of Solstice Benefits and the Solstice Marketplace. With an exchange, the burden is gone, he says.

The decrease in compensation is negligible since the medical loss ratio took effect, study finds, but other industry organizations disagree.

Commentary: Three reasons Individual contracts are incompatible with ERISA plans and how to handle it, according to The Principal’s Aaron Friedman.

There’s room to grow in the investment-only variable annuity space, and educated advisers are the key.

After two enrollment seasons under the Affordable Care Act's exchanges, the easily accessible and amenable are signed up for health care. With year three starting this fall, the task will be tougher to target the remaining uninsured, who are harder to reach. Who better to drive the message home, Washington state thinks, than brokers?

NAPA’s Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor credential gives advisers a formal means to show they have the expertise needed to serve as a plan fiduciary, or help plan fiduciaries with their responsibilities.

Employers and benefit professionals are urging Congress to pass legislation that would allow employers to offer financial incentives for wellness program participation, despite recent opposition from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Commentary: In response to confusion over the IRS’s role in verifying employers are meeting minimum essential coverage and employer shared responsibility requirements, dozens of ACA reporting have entered the market in the last two years. EmployeeTech’s Michael Weiskirch shares how to find the right tracking solution for your clients.

The “profoundly evil” impression the fastest growing small-group employee benefit brokerage in the country has made on some firms is wrong, says Zenefits’ Parker Conrad. The outspoken CEO shares where Zenefits is headed — and why he wants you to work for him.

Commentary: The loyalty and bonds of the fire department can translate well into a successful insurance culture, says retired fire fighter, Colonial's Brian Summers.

Commentary: From mournful reflection to birthday celebration, the bottom line is your attitude about health reform affects your clients, says David C. Smith

As American workers are increasingly looking to a new range of employer-sponsored retirement products to help guarantee some securely funded golden years, they may be missing out on the advantages of a system they’ve paid into their entire working lives.

Many exchange budgets are being cut at the same time states are struggling to reach their remaining uninsured, and some are looking to brokers to provide assistance in filling that gap.

Commentary: A new series from industry veteran Kyle Hodges highlights products designed to improve your bottom line.

Commentary: Critical considerations that make a stop-loss plan successful for clients of all sizes, according to Sun Life’s Brad Nieland.

Although most employers who move to private exchanges are seeing some cost savings below trend in their initial years, that is not sustainable over time, says Rob Harkins, practice leader, private exchanges at Willis Group. For Willis, the exchange is not designed to be a long-term money-saving product on its own, but rather part of a larger program for its clients to manage health and wellbeing.

Earning less money and a lack of financial knowledge make saving more difficult for women, who are turning to advisers for help, research shows.

Commentary: CMS has issued a special enrollment period for certain individuals to sign up for health care coverage on the exchanges. Blogger Craig Hasday wonders if the administration's leniency is also hurting its credibility.