Open enrollment is here, and HR teams are staring down a tough reality: Rising drug costs are creating new challenges for HR, especially around GLP-1 medications. These once niche treatments have exploded into a top budget breaker, leaving HR to…
Benefits
Forget the idea of turning every health savings account (HSA) into a retirement nest egg. Many employees use their HSAs for everyday medical expenses – roughly 75% of HSA funds go toward prescriptions, urgent care, and immediate needs rather than…
In the U.S., compliance often sets the baseline for employer-sponsored health benefits. But if compliance is the floor, it shouldn’t be the ceiling. Compliance is just the starting line. If your health benefits strategy stops there, you’re already behind. Too…
About one in three Americans has no emergency savings at all, according to a recent survey by Empower. That means an employee on every team is just one unexpected medical bill away from financial strain that spills into the workplace…
In our interactive instructor-led 60-minute event, discover how to navigate the growing challenges of compensation management amid rising financial stress and shifting employee expectations. As workers demand fairness, transparency, and real value from their compensation, HR leaders must rethink outdated…
Recent grads carrying student loan debt may not think retirement plan participation is doable for them. But if you offer a student loan payment matching program, that's good news for their wallets and your plan participation rate. Thanks to the…
Physical and mental health have been a priority for years. Now, a growing priority for many employees is this: Financial wellness benefits. After all, 57% of employees say finances are the top stressors in their lives. And among those who…
Most of the buzz around the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has focused on overtime pay and tax relief. For HR teams, though, another big impact comes from how the law changes the employee benefits landscape. Open enrollment is…
As employers finalize their 2026 budgets, rising healthcare costs are forcing tougher decisions in financial planning and employee benefits. Medical and prescription drug expenses are projected to increase by 8.4% next year, with pharmaceutical costs climbing even higher, according to…
Back-to-school spending is expected to reach a record high this fall, with parents planning to spend an average of $628 per child for supplies, clothing and technology, according to the 2025 Back-to-School Spending Report. That’s a 4% jump over last…
More women are speaking up about menopause challenges at work – and Rhode Island has become the first state to make menopause accommodation a legal requirement. The Ocean State’s latest workplace law took effect on June 24, 2025, requiring employers…
We’ve all heard the phrase, “money talks,” and as long as goods and services cost money, it always will. But, it’s not the only thing motivating modern employees. There's a new, yet overlooked, concept: emotional salary. For years, a bigger…
The IRS has explained how to handle taxes if a retirement plan participant doesn’t cash a distribution check and another check is issued. When a company’s retirement plan administrator issues a distribution check to a participant, federal income tax must…
Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, making it a good time to look at your PTO policy. Are employees really taking the time they need? Do managers model healthy behavior, or do they send mixed signals by working…
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that ADA retirement benefits do not extend to retirees challenging post-employment changes – a decision that limits legal exposure for employers and signals a key compliance shift HR should factor into benefits planning. The…
The Department of Labor (DOL) is once again taking a neutral stance on offering a certain investment option to retirement plan participants: crypto. During the Biden administration, the DOL issued Compliance Assistance Release 2022-01, warning 401(k) plan fiduciaries against cryptocurrencies.…
