Time to Invest in You: Ways to Make Your Retirement a Reality

By Rachel Barrow, AVP Marketing, Individual Markets, Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America® Dreaming about retirement may bring to mind relaxation, travel, and leisure time. Many people find, though, that planning for it can be stressful – but it doesn’t have to be that way. If open enrollment time has you thinking about how you’ll fund your retirement,…

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“I’ll take a 50% cut in pay, and I’m cool with downsizing my retirement” – Said No Employee, Ever

By Tom Charla, Director and Tara Reynolds, Corporate Vice President, MassMutual Most employees have figured out that the safety nets previous generations enjoyed — job security, pensions, even Social Security – can’t be relied on the way they have been in the past. They know that when it comes to reaching their financial goals, especially…

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SSDI lacks rehabilitation resources

By Ted Norwood, General Counsel & Director of Representation, Integrated Benefits Inc. SSDI has poor resources for vocational rehabilitation or job placement, and no resources at all for claimants during the wait for a decision. This makes it harder for people to recover and get back to work. Because of the long wait, many claimants…

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Why relying on SSDI is better than nothing, but far from optimal

By Ted Norwood, General Counsel and Director of Representation, Integrated Benefits, Inc. According to the Council for Disability Awareness, half of those who don’t work for the government have some form of employer-paid disability insurance (short-term disability only, long-term disability only, or both STD and LTD). These benefits are important because 25 percent of today’s 20-year-olds…

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When you hear the term ‘underinsurance,’ do you understand what it means?

By Bob Herum, Second Vice President, DI & GSI Sales, Ameritas I picture the millions of working Americans who are employed, receive benefits through their employers, and yet, go about their daily activities without realizing the potential financial risk to their way of life. Specifically, I’m thinking of their income and what insurance they may have…

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Do your benefit priorities match your employers’?

By Diane Russell, Lincoln Financial Your company’s benefit package is sending you a message about their priorities — and whether they are the same as yours. When companies get it right, it pays off in terms of your job satisfaction and desire to continue to work there. That’s because your employer is making it clear…

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Looking for top employees? These three benefits are a must

By Diane Russell, SVP Marketing, Lincoln Financial Your company’s benefit package sends a message to your employees about what you feel is important and if you’re listening to their concerns and priorities. Get it right, and your benefits dollars will be well spent and will pay off in terms of employee satisfaction and retention. Your…

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What happens when a health event causes your income stream to run dry?

By Fred Schott, Director of Operations, Council for Disability Awareness If you’re one of the millions of working Americans currently making decisions about your employee benefits choices for the coming year, you’ve probably put most of your focus on the health-plan options, including what is or isn’t covered, which providers are or aren’t in-network, and…

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How disability insurance can be part of your paid leave and absence management strategy

By Marjory Robertson, AVP & Senior Counsel and Abigail O’Connell, Senior Counsel, Sun Life Financial When employees need to step away from work — whether to welcome a new child, care for a family member, or another life event — protecting their jobs and benefits, understanding their rights, knowing whether their employers will pay part…

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Selecting benefits and insurance products that make sense for you

By Carol Harnett, President, Council for Disability Awareness Note: An earlier version of this post appeared in Carol Harnett’s employee benefits column for Human Resource Executive. You don’t know me, but I’m someone people have come to trust when they want to have a conversation about employee benefits. I stand to neither gain nor lose anything…

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Beyond medical: How supplemental benefits help attract and retain talent

By Phil Bruen, Vice President, Group Life and Disability Products, MetLife As the annual enrollment period takes place in workplaces around the United States, human resources teams and employees have benefits on their minds. During this time, it’s important for employers to educate their workforces on how the benefits they provide can help workers achieve…

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The basics of the Social Security Disability Income Program

By Ted Norwood, General Counsel and Director of Representation, Integrated Benefits, Inc. The United States Social Security Administration offers two programs—confusingly named Social Security Disability Income and Supplemental Security Income—aimed at providing or supplementing the income of people who are unable to work. SSDI (also called Title II benefits) provides disability coverage for individuals who…

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