Practice management

Eric Cantor pulls no punches about what Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will do to "Obamacare" if the Supreme Court leaves any of President Barack Obama's health care reform law intact.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is that cliché describing what we typically do. We tend to react to things that are broken rather than anticipate and deal with things before they’re totally broken. Tom Peters eloquently coined the expression “the enemy of great is good” in his best seller Good to Great. How does this apply to all of us in the employee benefits business? It doesn’t matter if you are a producer, account…

In its annual review of employer attitudes toward health plans, J.D. Power and Associates finds that although fewer than 15% will drop health coverage altogether, close to half of companies are likely to shift health benefits to a private exchange model.

Communication is not just important for business … it is essential for the very existence and operation of any business. A benefit adviser must transfer its knowledge to clients as well as receive information – communication consists of a mutual exchange. With the advent of technology, we have cell phones, video conferencing, and emails. However, how we use these avenues is the question we must ask ourselves. …

Industry groups are being proactive in preparing their membership for the Supreme Court’s ruling on health care reform — which is expected at any time — as they know no matter the ruling, the business has changed forever.

Ever wonder what makes successful advisers successful? Independence and technology are the leading factors, according to four advisers at TD Ameritrade Institutional’s Elite Summit, but some of the other factors were even more surprising.

Despite taking proactive steps to keep their finances in check, only a third of American workers (34%) believe they are saving enough money in order to live comfortably in retirement, according to new research from the Principal Financial Well-Being Index.

A technological revolution is transforming the financial services industry by empowering consumers to connect with each other and institutions, which is creating new opportunities for lower income consumers, asserts a report from The CSC Leading Edge Forum.

Women – whether they’re a working or stay-at-home mom, single or married – are most at risk both financially and physically when it comes to disability, according to a new study conducted by The State Farm Center for Women and Financial Services at The American College.

In a business environment marked by increased customer demands, insurers have been forced to continuously monitor and revise their distribution strategies. One of those strategies is to provide excellent service to the producer as a way to retain and grow business. According to a new report issued this morning by Celent, from January 2010 to March 2012, more than 50 insurers across the life, annuities, health, or property/casualty industries licensed new systems that contained commission and producer management functionality.

UnitedHealth Group Inc, the largest U.S. health insurer by market value, said it would maintain the health coverage protections included in President Barack Obama's health care law regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on the legislation.

I know you can think like an employer for your employees, but what about the perspective of an employer, as in one of your clients? In the past I have written about centers of influence, advisors’ value proposition, and strategic alliances. All of these topics are necessary for advisers to concentrate on as we maintain and develop our clients and our business. But have you really thought about the adviser role wearing the “employer hat”? …

Almost half (49%) of U.S. workers are at least somewhat likely to look for a job this year, but there is undeniable evidence linking benefits offerings and employee loyalty, according to the 2012 Aflac WorkForces report.

As attention to the importance of creating retirement income grows, a new MetLife study finds that plan sponsors of the largest workplace retirement plans and their recordkeepers have taken the first steps to help participants secure retirement income — but a lot more work needs to be done to pave the way for participants to begin to take action.

Several insurers were recognized with awards for their use of 'plain language’ by the Center for Plain Language, a nonprofit organization that wants government and business documents to be clear and understandable.

Benefits are typically structured to reward and motivate employees who stay at the company for the long haul. For example, retirement rewards and paid time off usually get sweeter as time goes on. Dangling a long-term benefits carrot makes sense for driving retention right? — Perhaps not when it comes to Gen Y workers. As companies focus on attracting and keeping a pipeline of Gen Y employees, I maintain that, when it comes to benefits,…

Employers need to be aware of the significant paradigm shift in how generations of workers prefer to digest their benefits information. Young employees entering the workplace "are people who grew up playing Sims," says Sybll Romley, a Colorado-based independent consultant and HRIS professional. "They want that interactive real-life example, and they want it to be more like a game."

Are you wrestling with the need to increase revenues despite compensation compression? (Think commission reductions.) A number of benefits advisers are actively pursuing strategies to migrate a portion or all of their revenues to a fee-based consultancy model. What are you contemplating? Perhaps a strategic alliance is a solution that you can embrace and deploy in your local marketplace. Many advisers are realizing that in order to move up-market (larger size accounts), they need more staff, different skill sets, access to other product solutions and services, and different market perception about their "small" practice.

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king condemned by the gods in the afterlife to pushing a huge boulder to the top of a steep hill, only to have it slip from his grasp each time and roll back to the bottom, a frustrating and unproductive task to be repeated over and over.

Health care and the Supreme Court are expected to take center stage on Thursday. The announcement will telegraph the futures of many, regardless of what the high court says. Whatever choice the court makes has consequences that will change your direction and that of our industry for a long time to come, says EBA contributor Craig Davidson.