Practice management

Plan sponsors continue to invest 401(k) assets in stocks, but employees and other individuals are increasingly seeking investment diversification.

Commentary: If you work with businesses that have high-income earners, you have an opportunity to sell IDI policies on a guarantee issue basis, which creates many advantages for the insureds, the employer and you.

Commentary: Benefit professionals still struggle to have a seat at the table with a company’s big decision makers. Workplace expert Brad Karsh shares five tips on how to get the C-suite to take notice.

Hectic work schedules and lack of communication are hurting workplace wellness programs. How can benefit advisers help?

Employee engagement is a term often tossed around employer HR and management circles as being fundamental to productive workforces. But Assurance, a large independent insurance brokerage company, has figured out a way to both increase participation and revenue per employee.

Commentary: Why employers need benefit advisers more than ever to fight rising generic drug prices.

Welcome to the 5th annual edition of the ABC’s of Employee Benefits. Given the tremendous amount of activity and volatility in the employee benefits space, this version can be summed up in one sentence: Surround yourself with quality, interested, and engaged help or else 2015 will be a very long and painful year.

Employers who tap into the specific generational needs of their employees and address certain desires could provide an upswing in benefit enrollment.

Employers increasingly have been asking benefit advisers to provide simplified solutions to their HR challenges and meet new reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act — making 2014 the year of client-focused technology solutions.

How one brokerage’s dedication to community service strengthens its business and ties to its clients, changes lives, and honors the legacy of its people-focused founder

It’s been a year of massive growth for private exchanges, with estimates of more than three million people receiving employer health benefits through them by mid-2014, according to business management consultancy Accenture. Yet, 2015 is expected to see even more growth and acquisitions.

Industry hopes for a streamlined broker licensing process took a major hit Tuesday when the Senate adjourned without passing legislation that aimed to ease the ability of brokers to sell insurance in states across the U.S.

Without a well-conceived distribution strategy and enough methods of distribution, your carriers will find themselves with a dwindling customer base and shrinking revenues. So where does that leave you and your business? This is something brokers seriously need to consider, says columnist Jack Kwicien.

Employers that suffer from surprise employee absenteeism are seeing more than just a direct reduction in revenue; there are hidden costs that include loss in productivity and stress among workforces.

Commentary: More than 90% of today's professional workforce are finding trouble balancing home and work, resulting in the need to complete personal tasks on the employers’ dime. ACI Specialty Benefits' Erin Krehbiel shares her firsthand tips on how to get it all done without impacting company time.

From the first open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act to the unveiling of Apple’s HealthWatch, the health care industry has seen some big advancements and major changes in 2014, making it a year of constant adjustment for benefit advisers.

With 2015 fast approaching, employee benefit decision makers are scrambling to ensure that they stay ahead of the curve – particularly as the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate kicks in next month.

If you want to significantly increase your business in 2015 you will have to make some decisions, says columnist Mel Schlesinger, who shares five steps to new sales.

Commentary: Are you ready to move from opaque, largely hidden commission compensation to fully transparent fee compensation? The time is now, says columnist Nelson Griswold.

Delaying health plan renewals appears to be the new normal under the Affordable Care Act, especially for small businesses.