Practice management

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.

From the agent's point of view, critical illness insurance can help open the door to new clients as well as to differentiate from other agents. Most important of all, it can significantly increase the agent's revenue.

With health care reform's medical loss ratio rebate reporting starting this month, there is still much uncertainty among employers about how the rebates will work, leading to an opportunity for brokers to fill that all-important trusted adviser role.

As health care consulting and cost analysis become more and more complicated, brokers can help clients reduce costs by using data mining - a field that is constantly evolving with new technology and tools.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I met with a financial planner for the first time. Setting up the appointment was my idea - I suppose three and a half years of constant exposure to press releases entailing Americans' alarming lack of retirement preparedness will do that to a person.

April 3, 2012 5:30 a.m. As I stagger to the Keurig, I notice the flashing words, "NOT READY." I emphatically agree with the machine and tell us both to suck it up. As I savor the first cup of coffee, I grab my iPhone and read those ever-so-important emails that happen between 10:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. I truly believe a lot of people suffer from insomnia. I also believe that people think about insurance as a last-ditch effort to combat it.

When thinking about their retirement and savings needs, women investors want to know they are working with someone who understands and listens to them - they want to talk to a woman.

By now everyone knows about Facebook’s IPO, and you’ve heard tales of its 900 million registered users.

While companies see the value of and invest significantly in total rewards programs, a new survey finds that few are seeing successful results, due to a lack of execution.

Controlling employer costs for health care benefits is a top priority among finance executives, according to a new study.

Last week I had the good fortune of attending and speaking in New York at a two day conference of HR managers from the Engineering and Consulting industry. These firms convene annually to learn how other firms deal with their issues i.e. sharing best practices. The topics, for this meeting, included navigating the regulatory environment, M&A activity, integrating employees and cultures when completing an acquisition, managing benefit costs while maintaining a quality benefit portfolio, hiring the…

This summer, thousands of employees will be improving their financial knowledge and pitting their know-how against others in the first Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit Adviser Financial Fitness Challenge.