Voluntary benefits

MetLife poll reveals employees view voluntary legal plans as easy to handle.

Nelson Griswold on using voluntary sales as back-door strategy.

PricewaterhouseCoopers released results of an employee financial wellness study this week and found that 36% of employees in the generation born in the early ’60s through early ’80s say they’re likely to tap into their retirement savings.

California is the only U.S. state where the cost of auto insurance decreased over two decades through 2010, according to a consumer group that attributes the decline to a law that gave regulators more control over rates.

New service from Pinnacle offers decision and treatment support to employees at the time of a serious illness diagnosis.

In 2012, nearly half (45%) of voluntary benefit premium came from rollover business, Transamerica Employee Benefits' Jeff Caldwell pointed out at a recent broker conference. The exploding growth of this market is due to many factors, such as an increase in the number of supplemental products available, the growing number of carriers offering voluntary benefits, and producers wanting to sell them, newer plan designs and revenue generation efforts, Caldwell, Transamerica's marketing director, explained.

As more companies embrace consumer-driven health care models and prepare for the full implementation of health care reform, employees need voluntary benefits more than ever. This chart pack includes the latest data on voluntary benefits from the Aflac WorkForces Report and UBA’s Ancillary Products Survey.

Auto/home insurance suffers from a lack of awareness in the workplace.

Now is the time to explore starting an off-cycle voluntary benefit sales initiative.

Private disability insurance gets employees back to work more consistently than public programs yet the industry still struggles to get employees enrolled in the benefit.

As more companies embrace consumer-driven health care models and prepare for the full implementation of health care reform, employees need voluntary benefits more than ever. This chart pack includes the latest data on voluntary benefits from the Aflac WorkForces Report and UBA’s Ancillary Products Survey.

FSA usage should be encouraged throughout the year. Budgeting is easy when using an FSA calculator before opting into the plan to help participants estimate their yearly expenses. And a broker's role when communicating to clients about better FSA budgeting should entail having multiple communications throughout the year.

MetLife Inc. said it would combine an offshore reinsurer with three U.S. life units after regulators began an investigation into the use of intra-company liability transfers, saying such arrangements could mask risk.

The California Bankers Association recently announced a long-term care benefit for employees of member banks throughout the state. The initiative is one of the first of its kind for any large U.S. association, and could be a bellwether for the financial field and beyond.

When helping employees with end-of-life decisions for their loved ones, brokers say offering choices and information is key.

Private disability insurance DI is more successful than public at getting people back to work, but millions remain uninsured so what lies ahead.

This formerly discounted, underinsured and underpenetrated generation now presents a larger sales opportunity than boomers.

As brokers continue to search for voluntary benefits to supplement their sales in the coming years, legal plans might just be one of them.

There may be a slightly silver lining to the murky clouds of health care reform: ancillary benefits, which often include voluntary benefits, are expected to grow substantially in the coming years. Advisers may do well to leverage these offerings with clients, says EBA Blogger and UBA CEO Thom Mangan.

A cap that President Barack Obama has proposed on the size of tax-advantaged retirement accounts is seen as potentially pushing savers to another product that limits payments to the government: life insurance.