Employee Benefit Adviser articles

Recent articles from Employee Benefit Adviser

Having it both ways.(Editorial)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Robert Whiddon, Editor -In-Chief There is a certain amount of schizophrenia in the market surrounding the possibility of a public plan. On the one hand, many critics of the move say it'll put everyone else out of business. On the other hand, some of those very same critics add...

Bolster employee retirement benefits by making statements comprehensible; Employees won't get the most out of their 401(k) plans if they can't understand them.(Retirement)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Kathleen Koster When it comes to their retirement benefits and saving for their golden years, employees are discouraged and desperately need help, many experts agree. Research from I-Pension shows that 27% of workers admit they do not even open their 401(k) statements. The...

Market pressures spur more advisers to examine discount card programs; It's not just vision and dental. It's golf, it's auto assist, it's just about everything - and that's got some enterprising advisers excited about new opportunities for adding value as employers continue to shift costs and shrink benefits.(Voluntary)(Column)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Robert L. Whiddon Charlie McLamb is just like you. "I'm running into the same thing everybody else is with the bad economy," says the owner of Charlotte, N.C.'s Southern Benefit Plans. "People are saying, 'Well I can't continue to provide these benefits for my employees.' Or,...

Carriers, advisers seek to tailor disability plans to help fit the times; While it is true that grocery bills trump insurance premiums for many American workers, some benefit advisers say the economic downturn is driving a voluntary surge.(Voluntary)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Elizabeth Galentine Last summer, Jim Posey polled a client with 600 employees on their voluntary disability participation. Thirty percent were signed up. After the economic turmoil of the fall, that same group plummeted to 4% participation. "They just couldn't afford it,"...

LTC carriers giveth, and they also taketh away.(Voluntary)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Robert L. Whiddon Experts say that the long-term care insurance market will remain terra infirma for benefit brokers and other policy purveyors as carriers introduce new products and modify existing programs. "We don't have any other option there," David Hillelsohn, brokerage...