Broker Innovation Lab

Retirement

Ameriprise settles with SEC for glitches in fraud oversight controls

Nick Thornton | August 17, 2018

5 reps were caught by the firm, despite issues with surveillance tools that delayed earlier detection of criminal activity.

Employee Participation

5 conversations to have about retirement before leaving work for good

Marlene Satter | August 17, 2018

You know what they say about assuming things -- it can also make a mess of your retirement. Communication is key.

Direct primary care helps employers get more while paying less

James Blachek | August 17, 2018

Many businesses neglect not only the importance of primary care benefits, but also the creative solutions that can give their workers a better experience while saving the company money.

Retirement Trends

Social Security and caregiver credits: An idea whose time has come?

Marlene Satter | August 17, 2018

Some say Social Security should add wage credits to increase a caregiver’s earnings record -- and retirement money.

Core and Group Health

Trump floats idea of federal opioid lawsuit

Justin Sink and Anna Edney | August 17, 2018

"I’d like a lawsuit to be brought against these companies that are really sending opioids at a level -- it shouldn’t be happening," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting.

Voluntary Benefits

How to design financial wellness benefits that are relevant to employees

Chris Whitlow | August 17, 2018

By offering employees benefits more relevant to their needs, employers can make a bigger impact in both adoption rates and employee engagement.

Employee Participation

Blurring of work/life boundaries causes stress in remote workers

Katie Kuehner-Hebert | August 17, 2018

The perception of being perpetually “on-call” can place a great strain on both employees who work from home and their families.

C-Suite

U.S. CEO-to-employee pay ratio hit 312:1 in 2017

Marlene Satter | August 17, 2018

What's more, CEOs saw average pay increases of 17.5 percent, compared to employee wage increases that averaged a paltry 0.3 percent.

Voluntary Benefits

Unique benefits to recruit and retain female employees

Matthew A. Michela | August 17, 2018

The unemployment rate for women is lower than men, making the competition for top-level female candidates even more fierce.

Core and Group Health

My wife's story: Anatomy of an insane health care billing system

Carl C. Schuessler | August 17, 2018

The purchase of medical goods and services by employer health plans resembles no other business transaction in American commerce.

Retirement Trends

Could life estates be key to saving retirement?

Marlene Satter | August 16, 2018

Under this system, investors can buy a house from the retiree but grant them a life estate, allowing them to live in the house until their death.

Core and Group Health

How are brokers responding to ACA turmoil?

Katie Kuehner-Hebert | August 16, 2018

As consumers buying ACA plans become frustrated with increasing costs and limited options, brokers are seeing interest in alternative solutions.

Voluntary Benefits

Infographic: Employees’ open-enrollment struggles

Emily Payne | August 16, 2018

What are the top trends benefits educators see when it comes to health care enrollment?

Core and Group Health

Oscar Health gets buy-in from Google for Medicare Advantage launch

Marlene Satter | August 16, 2018

The New York-based insurer intends to enter the Medicare Advantage space in 2020, as well as to expand its presence in the individual and small business markets.

C-Suite

Salary disclosures can motivate employees--if the price is right

Katie Kuehner-Hebert | August 16, 2018

Employees work harder when they think their manager is earning the big bucks, but not when they think their peers are making more than they do.

Employee Participation

5 fastest growing and declining jobs in 2017

Katie Kuehner-Hebert | August 16, 2018

As the economy revs up, some jobs are growing at a fast clip, while other positions are falling by the wayside.

Voluntary Benefits

Bridging the mental health gap with telebehavioral services

Jessica Taylor | August 16, 2018

While benefits managers understand the importance of behavioral health care, there are very real barriers that prevent employees from getting the treatment they need.

Voluntary Benefits

Educating before enrolling

Marty Traynor | August 16, 2018

A key part of the open enrollment education and communication process is often overlooked until just before open enrollment, when it’s often too late.

Defined Contribution

Mercer adds $845 billion in advised assets with acquisition of two investment consultancies

Nick Thornton | August 15, 2018

Mercer’s Nuzum cites consultant capabilities, firms’ strong client bases as motivating the move.

Retirement

The 'Fiduciary Rule' versus the 'Rule of Fiduciary' – Carosa

Christopher Carosa | August 15, 2018

While many get distracted by the debate about the various “Fiduciary Rules,” a few quietly practice rather than preach.

C-Suite

Rich professionals using pension plans as a tax dodge

Ben Steverman | August 15, 2018

Due to the new tax law and how it handles pass-through businesses, cash balance plans are becoming popular for tax reasons.

Is consolidation in health care good for employers?

Suzanne Delbanco | August 15, 2018

If the past is at all telling, further consolidation in the health care industry may portend serious issues regarding health care costs and the quality of health care in the future.

Consumer Driven Health Care

Tech giants pledge to reform health care data

Jack Craver | August 15, 2018

“We are jointly committed to removing barriers for the adoption of technologies for health care interoperability," the companies said in a joint statement.

Core and Group Health

10 highest-paying jobs in 2018

Riley Griffin | August 15, 2018

While tech jobs pay well across the board, the health-care industry offers the largest paychecks at the very top of the spectrum.

Health Care Reform

Feds push states to offer cheaper off-exchange plans

Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News | August 15, 2018

Some analysts say they’re unsure if a new federal policy will make a difference since states have already implemented similar strategies.

Voluntary Benefits

Half of employees spend 30 minutes or less reviewing benefits

Katie Kuehner-Hebert | August 15, 2018

A fair amount of workers say they feel stressed, confused or anxious when enrolling in their benefits.

Core and Group Health

Do immigrants drive down health care costs?

Jack Craver | August 15, 2018

The 12 percent of the U.S. population that is foreign-born only accounts for 8.6 percent of health care spending, according to a recent study.

Retirement

Upgrading individual annuity contract plans for today's changing needs

Chris Schaefer | August 15, 2018

Most schools and non-profits still offer outdated IAC legacy retirement plans. Here's how to change that.

Retirement

Why the 'Father of 401(k)s' says plan advisors are overpaid

Jane Wollman Rusoff | August 15, 2018

Ted Benna would like to see some changes made to the retirement plans he invented.

Retirement

Growing debt will expedite Social Security’s insolvency, Wharton economists say

Nick Thornton | August 14, 2018

Dynamic modeling moves Social Security trust fund’s depletion up to 2032.

Retirement

Moms talk more with kids about financial topics than dads

Marlene Satter | August 14, 2018

Approximately a third of parents wish they’d talked to their kids earlier about saving and budgeting.

C-Suite

Slightly larger pay boosts, bonuses in employers’ 2019 budgets

Marlene Satter | August 14, 2018

As employers struggle to retain talent, top-performing employees saw the biggest raises this year.

Benefits Sales Strategies

Helping employers manage the cost of chronic disease — with Sterling Smith

David Saltzman | August 14, 2018

As our population ages and medicine gets better, we are dealing with more chronic disease than ever before — and it is a huge cost driver in overall medical spend.

Core and Group Health

Icahn drops opposition to Cigna-Express Scripts deal

Eric J Weiner | August 14, 2018

Shareholder Carl Icahn had previously opposed the deal, saying it would be a “travesty” if it were to proceed.

Voluntary Benefits

Hot voluntary products and platforms

Bonnie Brazzell and Nick Rockwell | August 14, 2018

When looking at voluntary sales by product platform, group product sales continued to dominate individual products.

Employee Participation

The importance of a holistic approach to employee management

Katie Kuehner-Hebert | August 14, 2018

The winning strategy for building highly engaged, effective organizations is centered around providing front-line leaders with the right training and tools.

Core and Group Health

‘Skinny plan’ alternatives are disrupting employer health care

Dan Cook | August 14, 2018

Association health plans aren't the only option for small employers looking to offer health care benefits.

Voluntary Benefits

Most popular employee perk? Time off.

Allison Bell | August 14, 2018

Even for millennials, paid family leave beats help with repaying student loans.

Broker Regulation

New tax deduction might favor life agents over retirement advisors

Allison Bell | August 14, 2018

IRC Section 199A could lead to a financial professional stampede to tax advisor offices.

Benefits Sales Strategies

5 ways sales teams can get more out of their CRM

Xavier Musy | August 14, 2018

While sales reps have long been using CRMs, most aren’t getting as much out of them as they could be.

Employer-Paid

With fiduciary rule's demise, plan sponsors shift focus

Nick Thornton | August 13, 2018

Fidelity plan sponsor survey shows retirement plan fees taking back seat to employee retirement preparation results.

Compliance

Open enrollment tips for benefits managers: Getting ready

Caroline Marwitz | August 13, 2018

BenefitsPRO's top 7 all-time, must-read, getting-ready-for-open-enrollment articles.

C-Suite

Nike sued for alleged sexual discrimination

Chris Dolmetsch | August 13, 2018

Former female employees say they were passed over for promotions, paid less than their male counterparts and ignored when they complained.

Consumer Driven Health Care

How to maximize retirement savings: 'Financial comedian' Jeff Kreisler

Katie Rass | August 13, 2018

Why 401(k)s are irrational and HR offices should have "No. 1 Grandma" mugs.

Wellness participation: How data drives engagement

Dinesh Sheth | August 13, 2018

To be successful, an employer must implement wellness programs by first developing a concrete strategy to drive and track employee engagement.

Core and Group Health

Out-of-network providers vex large employer plans

Marlene Satter | August 13, 2018

Nearly 20 percent of inpatient hospital admissions come with bills from providers not in the health plan’s networks.

Core and Group Health

Association health plans: Hurry up and wait

Danielle Capilla | August 13, 2018

Associations wishing to offer a health plan to its members should be working now to understand what the carriers in their state are planning on doing going forward.

Employee-Paid

What does it take to make millennials happy with their careers?

Marlene Satter | August 13, 2018

A new study from TD Ameritrade has some surprising things to say about millennials' financial attitudes.

Consumer Driven Health Care

A tech takeover comes for the health care industry

Emily Payne | August 13, 2018

The health care industry is a wealth of data. Unfortunately, the holders of that wealth are reticent to share it. But that's changing.

Core and Group Health

Unmet expectations spark overhaul of Medicare ACOs

Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News | August 13, 2018

ACOs were expected to save the government nearly $5 billion by 2019 but haven't come anywhere close to meeting that goal.