Practice management

The American Institute of CPAs has sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee supporting a bill aimed at narrowing the definition of “municipal advisor,” without weakening investor protections.

Americans are becoming more optimistic about the direction of the country, giving a boost to President Barack Obama in the final stretch of the race for the White House, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Wednesday.

It often seems to me that many brokers are on auto-pilot these days. The dynamic of many firms is to acquire a client, review their benefits, offer alternatives, collect their commission, and offer some predictable services. I don’t believe this cookie-cutter modus operandi will be a successful approach in our ever-changing world of unknowns. My company, Selden Beattie, has never conducted its business on auto-pilot and remains successful as a result. That’s the magic of…

When asked who plans to be doing the same job, in the same way, three years from now, not one broker raised a hand Tuesday during a session on growth and profitability at the 7th Annual Employee Benefit Adviser Summit.

The employee benefit and health care industry is going through a transformation. Brokers who don’t believe it, Rob Lieblein, partner and executive vice president at MarshBerry, are going to struggle down the road.

There are seismic shifts happening in the benefits industry today, creating tremendous opportunity that will not be seen again in this lifetime, said a speaker at the Employee Benefit Adviser Summit in Phoenix Monday.

Having spent my entire career in the insurance industry, I’m not sure how much of an understanding I can claim for other industries. However, it’s hard for me to imagine an industry where the purchasing decision has historically been tied to the “relationship” as much as it is in ours. …

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has called for scrapping President Barack Obama's 2010 U.S. health care law, said in remarks aired on Sunday that he likes key parts of "Obamacare" despite his party's loathing of it and wants to retain them.

From providing excellence in customer service to creating groundbreaking technology, the 2012 Health, Retirement and overall Employee Benefit Advisers of the Year are forward-thinking innovators who rose above an outstanding field of applicants to claim EBA’s top honors.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company has entered into a definitive agreement with The Hartford to purchase its Retirement Plans business for $400 million, subject to adjustment at closing.

More than a quarter (26.3%) of Texans do not own health insurance, giving Texas the lowest rate of health insureds in the nation, according to 2010 data released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau; Massachusetts, Hawaii and the District of Columbia represented the states with the highest rates of health insureds, respectively.

The Democratic Party late on Monday unveiled its election platform, a non-binding political document that party delegates will vote to adopt at the national convention in Charlotte on Tuesday evening.

In the immortal words of Albert Einstein, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.” Are you trapped in this pattern? If so, embrace the guiding principle of evolve or perish to take your career to the next level. As I travel the country, speaking with my colleagues at state and local health underwriter association meetings about surviving and thriving in a post-health care reform world —…

There are four words that sum up the tremendous growth experienced by San Mateo, Calif. brokerage Sequoia Benefits and Insurance Services in 2012: "Coming through for people." To Greg Golub, CEO and founder, it is that simple, and it all comes back to impeccable customer service. In a year when other firms struggled to remain solvent, Sequoia brought in 135 new clients and 50 new 401(k) plans, developed an innovative smartphone application and overhauled its online customer service portal.A client-first attitude yields tremendous growth and employee admiration for Sequoia's Greg Golub, EBA's 2012 Employee Benefit Adviser of the Year.

Employee benefits clients demand greater technological fluency, advisers adjust.

The recent ruling on health reform has created an even greater need for accurate benchmarking data. Proving the age old adage that if you can't measure it, then you can't manage it. Advisers armed with information that drills down through national, regional, state, industry and company size will be better prepared to assist larger employers with employee acquisition and retention, and smaller employers make intelligent decisions on whether or not to "pay or play."

Social media tools provide endless opportunities for individuals and businesses to network locally, nationally and internationally. Effective use of social media by benefit advisers will help promote an adviser's services, locate business partners and service providers, and even secure new business. Here are two tips to begin social media networking on the right track:

Benefits Advisors Network members rally to tackle market uncertainty says executive director of 45-member BAN.

With health reform summary of benefits and coverage advisers must help employers change communication

Insurance broker John Battey shares a day in his life.