This is the time of year when in many parts of the country, the weather — and weather forecasters — dominate the nightly news coverage, certainly when the predictions are dire. Having lived in several different parts of the country, I can assure you that the bigger the projected snowfall, the more... READ MORE

Ask any benefits manager why their organization offers benefits to their workers — or why they offer a 401(k) — and my experience suggests that the reliably consistent answer is “to attract and retain the best workers.” Indeed, as the 2013 Health and Voluntary Workplace Benefits Survey (WBS)[1.... READ MORE

In recent days, we have commemorated both the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy and the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Occasions such as these are natural opportunities for us to look back and reflect on the past — to consider what has happened since —... READ MORE

Retirement plan advisors generally focus on, well, retirement plans. But even retirement plan advisors know that at certain times of the year, all that plan sponsors want to think about is health care. For both plan sponsors and workers, health care is a growing planning concern for their... READ MORE

At some point in just about every police drama, potential suspects are vetted against the following criteria: Did they have the motive to commit the crime, and did they have the opportunity? Those who lack either are generally quickly dismissed as suspects because it is assumed that, lacking those... READ MORE

In this era of reality TV, where the antics (and worse) of the formerly rich and infamous are on display in ways that could not even have been imagined a decade ago, I seem to find myself increasingly shaking my head and muttering, “What were they thinking?” The answer, as often as not, seems to be... READ MORE

Growing up, I remember late night TV programs being punctuated by commercials touting a series of interesting products — everything from a rod-and-reel contraption that would fit in your pocket to a special set of knives that would, apparently, slice through any substance in the known universe... READ MORE

A recent long-distance move by a family member required that I rent a vehicle larger than the passenger cars that we generally rely on for transportation at my house. There were a number of considerations: cost, availability, the opportunity to drop off the vehicle at the other end, and the actual... READ MORE

In about a month my eldest will be setting up a new home in a different state. It won’t be her first time living in another state, and it won’t be her first apartment. It will, however, be her first apartment as an entrant into the full-time career workforce, and so the criteria — and budget — are... READ MORE