Aside from national politics and economics, Beil has several other topics on his radar heading into 2021.

Holistic financial approach. "While retirement savings is always the major topic that is discussed, we as an industry need to shift some of our focus to a more comprehensive mindset to help individuals in areas that are just as important to them. More people are coming into the workforce with large amounts of student loan debt and virtually no emergency savings. They may know it's important to start saving for retirement early, but they often don't see it as their top priority when they have minimal, immediate financial security."
Wellness programs. "We will continue to focus heavily on financial wellness and education as part of our process, along with our continued and regular market and economic updates and insights. We could see further benefits focused on health and wellness as we come out of the pandemic, but with some expectation of what we had before the pandemic when it comes to ways to retain and prospect talent."
HSAs. "I've talked to plenty of clients that don't have access to one or don't know anything about them. If there's one benefit option that needs to continue to gain traction, it's definitely one that will fight medical costs in retirement and provide major tax-advantages." Brokers also expect significant changes to the way they do business as the economy transitions back to a new normal.

"Our firm has done a tremendous job in transitioning remotely," Martinez says. "I believe that we will have to continue to keep our heads on a swivel and be able to be flexible throughout the next 12 to 24 months. More than ever, people want a true evaluation of their benefit opportunities, both traditional and non-traditional. And if you cannot speak on both, someone else will plant a seed and eventually this will turn into an ex-client.

Instant Insights /

Employee benefits in 2021: Keep your seatbelts fastened

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