6 voluntary benefits your employees want

In this age of the multigenerational workforce and a tight labor market, a one-size-fits-all group benefits model with medical, prescription, dental, vision and a retirement plan just doesn’t cut it. A workforce with Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers, Millennials and Generation Z means that employees are going to find the run-of-the-mill benefits plan inadequate. Ditto for […]

Health insurance surpass $20,000 per year, hitting a record

The cost of family health coverage in the U.S. now tops $20,000, an annual survey of employers found, a record high that has pushed an increasing number of American workers into plans that cover less or cost more, or force them out of the insurance market entirely. “It’s as much as buying a basic economy […]

A look at the DOL’s final rule: White collar exemption and overtime

Reporting that 1.3 million workers will now become eligible for overtime pay, the DOL has released its final rule to update the exemption requirements of the Executive, Administrative and Professional employee (EAP) as well as highly compensation executive (HCE) classifications. After overcoming many hurdles, injunction enjoined and invalidation, the DOL released its final rule Tuesday with an […]

Health agency reverses course on prescription drug coupon regulations

As a parent, I encourage my kids to resist the melodic siren call of procrastination. I share historical examples of how procrastination led to undesirable and often catastrophic events. It’s an easy argument to make. It’s especially easy because my kids haven’t been exposed to the shifting sands of employee benefit regulations. Given the growing […]

Best strategies for implementing a student debt benefits program

Employers have begun making greater investments in their employees’ overall well-being and placing a bigger emphasis on student loan debt as a source of financial stress. Managing student loan debt is an issue that impacts more than 44 million Americans and has exploded to a national total of more than $1.5 trillion. Employers are in […]

DOL issues finalized overtime regulation

The DOL on Tuesday released its highly anticipated finalized overtime rule, raising the minimum salary level to $35,568 per year for a full-year worker to earn overtime wages. “Today’s rule is a thoughtful product informed by public comment, listening sessions and long-standing calculations,” Wage and Hour Division Administrator Cheryl Stanton says in a statement. “The […]

The derailment of California’s payroll advance law

It seemed uncontroversial at first. A bill in California to create the country’s first regulatory framework for companies that offer early access to employees’ earned wages passed the state Senate 35-0 in May. The measure, which would establish the legal parameters for a lower-cost alternative to payday loans, then got the unanimous approval of three […]

IRS regulation aims to undo the ‘one bad apple’ rule

A pair of recent regulations may create new opportunities for smaller employers to provide cost-effective retirement benefits for their employees. The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have joint authority to govern and regulate the operation and administration of employer-sponsored retirement plans. Following a policy trend established by the Trump administration […]