Employee Benefit Adviser articles from January 2009

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from January 2009

What a year.(From The Editor)(employees health care reforms)(Editorial)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Robert Whiddon , Editor-In-Chief It's hard to see through the meteorological elements of the economic tsunami to take a hard look at the year that was. As I recall, things we're going pretty well up until the end of the summer. ...

Horses get better care.(Movers & Shakers)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Robert L. Whiddon The usual health care suspects - employers, carriers, drug companies, and others - descended on Washington earlier this winter for the National Business Coalition on Health's annual conference. One of the...

Selling benefits in a down economy.(SalesCall)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Mel Schlesinger Over the last decade selling employee benefits has gotten progressively more difficult. In most markets there are fewer carriers, resulting in a world where the price is the price and every benefit professional is...

Resolve to communicate better, a lot better.(SalesCall)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Jennifer Benz I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. From a personal perspective, they've always seemed corny, trite and ineffective. But, since starting my own business, they have taken on a whole new meaning. The holidays are...

Mapping 401(k) reform.(Be Advised)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Steff Chalk Just two years ago, with the passage of PPA, retirement plan professionals were elated that legislators crafted a seemingly bi-partisan solution to some of the 401(k) industry's more perplexing conundrums. It was...

Alone no more.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2009... Byline: McLean Robbins photo by Tim Evans At one time isolated by his zealous advocacy for automatic inflation protection, Brad Winnekins may end up A part of the mainstream as more and more brokers and employers learn about and understand...

Digital dividing lines; While everyone in benefits advising doesn't agree that agency management systems are essential, those that have been at it for awhile say eventually many brokers wish they had not just one, but the right one all along.(Feature)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Robert L. Whiddon, illustration by Kyle T. Webster You might think that in today's digital age, a good technology foundation would be job one for someone starting out in employee benefits. That's not necessarily the case, according...

Get a life; Will the recession and continued economic woe simply contribute to the decades-long erosion of life coverage? Or will a return to basics, remind employers and employees alike of the need for traditional financial planning - in which the coverage will always plays a central role?(Feature)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Robert L. Whiddon Experts everywhere are gazing into their crystal balls trying to divine exactly when and how severely the economic malaise will impact their business. If you or someone you rely on hasn't lost a job and you...

Benefit advisers can help bridge class divide.(Sound Off)(Column)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Michelle McMullen It must be the holiday spirit, or the fact that as I write this I've just had a wonderful holiday with my family, thinking about what I have to be thankful for this year. Either way, I've had some time to reflect....

Consumer-driven plans inch slowly towards broader acceptance.(Health)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Leah Carlson Shepherd Employer interest in consumer-driven health plans isn't waning, but much employee education is needed before the plans can speed up the sluggish acceptance rates by employees, according to speakers at the...

Tools aim to help plan advisers navigate sea of target-date funds.(Retirement)
January 1, 2009... Byline: John Morgan Target-date funds, also known as lifecycle funds, are rapidly rising in 401(k) plans as the favorite qualified default investment alternative because they're much more appropriate than the traditional money market fund...

Concierge benefits give employers an edge in recruitment and retention.(Voluntary)
January 1, 2009... Byline: McLean Robbins In today's economy, the catered meals, dry cleaning and babysitting services traditionally associated with the Googles of the world are peeling off faster than last year's political bumper stickers. But a...

Unconventional wisdom Mini-meds highlight disconnect between brokers, clients and workers; The goal is to go product by product over the next few months, taking a look at the general thinking on different offerings and then see if we can't challenge it a bit.(Voluntary)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Robert L. Whiddon It is a common assumption that employers know what their workers want and need when it comes to employee benefits. It's also roundly assumed that advisers know the very same about their clients. Well, as is all...

'Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more'.(Your Business)(sales managers and client relations)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Jack Kwicien It's January, 2009 and we have the entire year before us to achieve great results. Sure these are challenging times, but for many of us, we have seen difficult economic circumstances and market conditions before. ...

The pipeline Recognize the power of small accounts.(Your Business)(Alltrust Insurance)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Joe Part Let's jump right into the issue of sustainable revenue growth, year in and year out. Our firm, Alltrust Insurance, is an employee benefits only firm, excluding retirement plans. We've had and continue to enjoy pretty...

On the road Adviser myths that need busting.(Your Business)
January 1, 2009... Byline: Rob Nielsen As we look forward to the beginning of a new sales year, I would like to share my observations working with advisers in every corner of the country over the past 12 months. From advisers who sold hundreds of thousands...

Ringing in the New Year.(Movers & Shakers)
January 1, 2009... Byline: McLean Robbins People that stick to their New Year's resolutions are about as few and far between as those that believe in Santa Claus. Given the fragile (read: tanking) economy and incoming president, it's only natural to assume...