Employee Benefit Adviser articles from January 2006

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from January 2006

E-newsletter.
January 1, 2006... Employers seek pandemicprognosis A strong majority of employers provide employees with access to shots for standard influenza, but fret over a potential outbreak of the more virulent avian strain, according to a survey by the Disability...

From The Editor: Time to re-define CDHP.(Editorial)
January 1, 2006... When people think of consumer-driven health plans, they think of high deductibles. Spending accounts. HSAs. HRAs. FSAs. Account-driven plans are described as great ways to engage the consumer and make them think about just how much care...

Retiree health concerns present opportunities for advisers.
January 1, 2006... It's not too late to dive into retiree health. Experts say Medicare Part D and new accounting standards make 2006 the perfect time for advisers to start a conversation with their clients about what to do with costly retiree medical benefits....

Commission scrutiny makes RIA status an option to consider.(Registered Investment Advisor)
January 1, 2006... With broker commissions and insinuations of conflicts of interest under scrutiny, retirement plan sponsors are now aware that adviser services are not actually "free" and are seeking out fee-based consultants. In response, some retirement plan...

Regulators, lawsuits prompt some to consider a radical New Year's resolution on compensation.
January 1, 2006... Here's a New Year's resolution: Work harder and make less money. That, at least, is what some industry watchers recommend, given the tumultuous turns of 2005. Disclosure is the agent many say can cleanse the industry of the collusive...

No pot of gold:Industry experts predict HSA riches, but few have found them.
January 1, 2006... As we enter the third year of the health savings account's existence, employers' interest in the HSA and the consumer-driven health care concept it embodies has not waned. But interest does not always translate into action, and the big...

Benefits touchdown: NFL great Dick Butkus engineers a winning drive down the benefits field.
January 1, 2006... Most football fans expect to find their heroes in certain industries upon retirement. Some stay with the game as coaches. Others offer on-air analysis of the sport. Still more open restaurants, sell cars or start charities. But benefits?...

More mergers does not necessarily mean less competition.
January 1, 2006... Many advisers have strong opinions about the ongoing consolidation of the health insurance industry. The steady decrease in the number of insurance companies means less competition, they say. Higher prices. Increased premiums. Worse service....

Moving the Needle.(merger forecasts)(Editorial)
January 1, 2006... In this issue, we asked two mergers and acquisitions experts to predict next year's big deals and major moves. Gerald C. Vigneron is managing director of North Bridge Advisors, which helps banks find candidates for acquisition and then oversees...

Dealmakers.
January 1, 2006... * Brown & Brown acquired Stoney Creek, N.C.-based Axiom Intermediaries, a reinsurance intermediary and consulting firm with approximately $14 million in annualized revenues. * Emerson, Reid & Co. acquired H&P Associates, a Lancaster,...

Selling benefits instead of price.
January 1, 2006... An interesting study was conducted recently by Prudential Financial that showed 77% of employee benefit professionals prefer superior service at a competitive price over the lowest possible premium. This study begs the question: Are you selling...

Katrina sharpens disaster recovery tech pitch.
January 1, 2006... One of the lasting effects of Hurricane Katrina is the sharp awareness of a need for businesses, including benefit advisory firms, to develop some sort of technological disaster recovery plan that can help safeguard themselves from the next...

Remembering clients on special occasions.
January 1, 2006... You know the benefits ropes. You can quote the IRS guidance on health savings accounts chapter and verse, outline in minute detail the differences between term, whole, universal and split-dollar life insurance and explain the nuances of the...

Crossroads gives brokers a chance to step up.
January 1, 2006... Today, we are at an industry crossroads, as the cost of benefits has transformed from the minor pain of "fringe benefits" to, for some businesses, a life-threatening syndrome. It is our responsibility to make the benefits process as painless as...