Employee Benefit Adviser articles from May 2007

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from May 2007

Ready, aim, nominate!
May 1, 2007... It's awards season hear at EBA HQ. And this year in addition to the 2007 Bennys, which are sponsored by Employee Benefit News, we're launching the Employee Benefit Adviser of the Year award. The EBAY is designed to recognize excellence in...

Target practice: Keeping investors on track with target-date funds takes more work than advisers realize.
May 1, 2007... Too many Americans are facing empty nest eggs: A 2005 study of nearly 2,000 employers showed a median balance for participants 65 and over of only about $55,000. Of course some of these individuals also have rollover IRAs, regular IRAs and...

Does mail service really make a better, cheaper pharmacy benefit?
May 1, 2007... In a word, maybe. Mail service pharmacy is heavily promoted by some PBMs as a cost savings measure. There is no dispute that large mail order facilities offer greater discounts than retail pharmacy. However, no unbiased study has proven that...

Does mail service really make a better, cheaper pharmacy benefit?
May 1, 2007... For more than a decade, employers and health plans have been looking for effective ways to help control prescription drug costs. Aiding them in their effort to control costs have been mail service pharmacies owned and operated by pharmacy...

The urge to merge: Take care when deciding who leads and who follows.
May 1, 2007... In our prior articles in this series regarding insurance business mergers, we have commented on some of the strategic reasons to consider a merger and who might be an ideal merger candidate. We discussed potential synergies to be gained by...

Going global: Helping clients take stock of global benefit offerings may unearth new client geographies.
May 1, 2007... Economic patterns across the globe are rapidly changing as more and more American companies look to expand their business outside of the states. As advisers' clients begin to think globally about their business, brokers should be preparing to...

Global retirement lowdown.
May 1, 2007... A recent defined benefit plan survey of global pension experts in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and Europe finds international DB plans hamper corporate competitiveness and must be restructured in order to survive. ...

If legislators were to enact an individual-based health care system, does your role within the industry change?
May 1, 2007... "There's certainly a role. It might turn more into a communicative role to help them understand and navigate what they are going to get taxed on. I think for TPAs that don't sell products their focus would change. But I think their role would...

Loss of exemption may force advisers to tweak business models.
May 1, 2007... Retirement plan brokers may have to restructure their businesses in light of a Federal Court of Appeals decision. On March 30 the court struck down an SEC rule which exempted broker-dealers from Investment Advisers Act of 1940 requirements. The...

Reaching for Revenue: Brokers look to financial planning strategies to boost revenue.
May 1, 2007... Brokers are transitioning from just selling HSA and 401(k) plans to also reining in some of the money in managing the HSAs and 401(k)s. More and more brokers are scrambling to get their Series 6, Series 7 and Registered Investment Advisor...

On the LTC fence: You're not alone, but you soon could be.
May 1, 2007... If you are currently on the fence about whether or not to start working long-term care insurance you are not alone. Group health brokers on the fence at this point might even earn some progressive points given the sales stats. Group premium...

Accelerating success: Rob NIElsen stresses leadership and accountability to help his.
May 1, 2007... You might think Rob Nielsen would march into the offices of Mesirow Financial and let his new platoon of producers know just how it is going to be done under his command. But that's not his way. Sure he's a West Point grad, a former brigade...

Opportunities exist at the low end of the market, but who wants to go there?
May 1, 2007... New research from LIMRA International shows that there is more than $200 billion in employee benefits opportunity for the taking. The group estimates that the core group insurance market stands at about $624 billion annually, which includes...

Quigley has his fans, too.
May 1, 2007... Readers reacted to a multitude of coverage emanating from EBA HQ recently. First off, we have another perspective on Tom Quigley's column from February. Last month we shared a letter from a Quigley critic, this month we receive a missive from a...

A deal the dealmaker could not refuse.
May 1, 2007... Earlier this year the perennial insurance firm acquirer acquiesced to a deal of its own. Hub International took Apax Partners and Morgan Stanley Principal Investments up on their late February offer of $40 a share. Since that time the price has...

Dealmakers.
May 1, 2007... * AEGON ready to acquire Clark. AUSA Holding Co., an AEGON company, says its got 90% of the shares of Clark Inc., a North Barrington, Ill.-based employee benefits firm. The price tag is expected to be north of $300 million. * AIG's former...

Presidential hopeful receives CEO award.
May 1, 2007... For the first time, a politician, not a chief executive officer, received the CEO Award for Leadership in Advancing Health and Productivity at the Institute for Health and Productivity Management's annual health management conference. Former...

Just Rewards.
May 1, 2007... * Blue Cross supports local charities. Blue Cross of California announced that they gave $2.68 million to 1,526 non-profit community organizations in 2006 through it's annual Associate Giving Campaign. * Hetrick & Associates recognized for...

Cross sell your way to increased customer satisfaction.
May 1, 2007... This month I am going to depart from the "Ask the Coach" format and talk about a subject that is near and dear to my heart - cross selling. This article was prompted by my experience two weeks ago with Joe - a salesman at Men's Warehouse in...

There's not a doctor in the house: Issues at point of care must be addressed.(Column)
May 1, 2007... As brokers, consultants and TPAs we're right in the middle of the action but also on the perimeter. The health care system is a care model between the member, the group and the primary care physician - a model intermediaries are not a direct...