Practice management

Question: Amid all the changes the health insurance industry is undergoing, are there any trends in 2012 that brokers and agents can embrace to counter shrinking commissions and evaporating accounts? It’s been almost two years since the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and employers are still looking for solutions to their health benefits concerns. As a result, I see two major trends defining both the economic environment and the business opportunities that…

Broker-dealers are up in arms over a little-known provision of the Department of Labor's 401(k) plan fee disclosure rules. Ready why some industry observers say the brokerage industry only has itself to blame.

The majority (56%) of employers say they are likely to continue to offer employer-sponsored health insurance after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act largely goes into effect in 2014, according to a new survey conducted by GfK Custom Research North America.

In this election year some of your clients are liable to get caught up in the frenzy. Read in today's BeAdvised as Mercer's George Lane explains why you need to be the voice of reason amid the noise and serve as your clients’ fact checker.

Do you remember when you started out in sales? What was your first week or month like? I remember like it was yesterday. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen or what I was really suppose to do. When the stock market opened at 9 a.m. I thought the phone was going to start ringing with people wanting to buy stocks. How wrong I was. I remember being really nervous, scared, unsure, and…

The U.S. insurance industry saw a 3.3% increase over November’s jobs figures, adding 3,300 jobs in December, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Planners have been hearing about and preparing for the baby boom ever since the first 1946er became a client. Yet their single-minded focus on boomers may mean they've missed another demographic trend: the singles surge.

In this rough economy consumers look to credit cards, an IRA or 401(k), even under the couch cushions for emergency cash. Many may be overlooking life insurance as a potential source of immediate funds, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Chief Justice John Roberts expressed confidence on Saturday in the decisions by his Supreme Court colleagues on when to recuse themselves, an issue that has emerged in the legal battle over President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law.

Okay, so it’s no secret that the individual mandate included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act isn’t going to win any popularity contests — nor is most of the law, for that matter. However, Americans aren’t blowing raspberries on PPACA in its entirety, according to a recent poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. In its monthly tracking poll, the foundation asked people to reveal their most liked and disliked PPACA provisions. …

As employees take on more responsibility for paying for health care, voluntary benefits can provide much-needed additional coverage. EBN spoke to a number of voluntary benefits providers to get their thoughts on the major trends they see coming in 2012. Not surprisingly, all the trends and influences in the HR world at large - health care reform, employer cost-shifting, technology and communications - affect the voluntary benefits industry as well. Here, we provide a summary of key trends, along with charts and data to help employers plan their voluntary benefits strategy going forward.

As we enter a new year, it's a great time to reflect upon what we can do differently to improve results and to make adjustments in operations to respond to the changes in a very dynamic and recently tumultuous marketplace. Clearly that job is considerably easier if you have a written business plan for your business. Since we know that the majority of you do not have written business plans, perhaps now is a great time to consider the creation of a written document for your business.

What will the successful post-reform 21st century agency look like? EBA contributor Nelson Griswold predicts what will set you apart from the herd.

In last month's column I introduced you to the concept of expert positioning. This is when you utilize tools such as article writing, public speaking and video marketing to establish your credentials as the expert in your industry.

The focus of discussions in the defined contribution/401(k) world seems to have shifted overnight from process to outcomes.

The failure of businesses, including brokerages and advisory firms, to plan for succession is an often known - but little talked about in public - topic that research shows can have a drastic effect on a company, especially in the current economy.

My father has owned his own company for as long as I can remember. The name and central product have changed a few times over the years as he's sold one business or another and developed new products, but its always been in the IT field.

Over the course of 15 years of working on all sides of the benefits table - from HR specialist to administrator to carrier account manager - Sher Sparano observed the health care process enough to see the lack of resources that HR departments had in handling their employees' benefits.

In the current broker/client business model local relationships are clearly preferred. However, that does not take into account the new health care landscape.

It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the importance of Twitter in the social media world. With the news that Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia has taken a $300 million stake in the social media site, it’s just about impossible.