VARIETY IS THE "SPICE" OF THE BENEFITS WORLD    Ohio agency challenges the status quo One size rarely fits all in the world of employee benefits. Employers come in all sizes and styles, and their employee benefit strategies vary by industry, region and human resources needs. Employers also vary in their ability to implement progressive employee benefit management strategies. Are they willing to accept some financial risk? Can their executives and employees commit to wellness and health management programs? Are they willing to team up with other employers? Oswald Companies, an employee-owned independent agency based in Cleveland, Ohio, with nine offices in six states, provides a wide range of employee benefit management options to its clients, from homogeneous associations for small businesses struggling to get control of rising costs, to captive insurance companies for large employers that want to make best use of their financial assets. Founded in 1893, Oswald has always had a powerful presence in Ohio and Kentucky where small manufacturers have been the backbone of the local economy. In 1991 the agency began expanding its employee benefits practice, bringing a new level of sophistication to employers of all sizes in its region. As a result, employee benefits sales and service has become a booming component of agency business. According to President Bob Klonk, about 45% of Oswald's revenue is derived from employee benefits. Click here for the complete article …

THE NET-HOW DO YOU PRESENT YOURSELF?    Do prospects really learn what you want them to learn about your agency? Google says your agency sells insurance. Facebook says you have a great softball team. LinkedIn says you went to a state university. Is this the way you want present and prospective customers to know and understand your agency? Do these sources communicate what you really offer your clients? Wendy Keneipp, market strategy consultant and coach at the Benefits Growth Network, says that agents and brokers may be missing valuable opportunities to take control of their image and distinctive business brand if they ignore the power of the Internet and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. "What does any consumer do before meeting with a new vendor or contractor? Google it to see what the Internet reveals! What comes up in a Google search-your presence or absence online is your first impression." Agents and brokers who do not manage that first impression run the risk of letting random online information or misinformation control what prospective clients learn about them before they have a chance to meet directly and present their business value, she notes. The result could be a negative message that runs counter to what every progressive agent and broker tries to project. "You have to manage that first impression-and every other online opportunity to present your business message," Keneipp says. Click here for the complete article …

BENEFITS 101: COMMUNICATING WITH EMPLOYEES    ING Employee Benefits leads the way in explaining choices and value With its distinctive lion logo and deep roots in Europe, the ING Group has become a respected name in global insurance and financial services. Based in Amsterdam, ING serves more than 85 million private, corporate, and institutional clients in more than 40 countries. ING is one of the 20 largest financial institutions worldwide and was ranked eighth on the Fortune magazine 2009 Global 500 list. In the United States, ING serves more than 20 million clients and is a top-three retirement plan provider, as well as the second largest term life insurance provider. A key business unit, ING Employee Benefits, offers both traditional and voluntary products and services for mid-sized to large businesses. With headquarters in Minneapolis, ING Employee Benefits has a nationwide network of sales and service professionals who work with brokers and their clients to design and implement customized benefits plans that meet employer and employee needs. "Our history as a provider of employee benefits goes back over 80 years," says Heather Lavallee, president of ING Employee Benefits Distribution. "The original insurer was Northwestern National Life, which was a mutual company based here in Minneapolis. In 1995, the policyholders decided to take it public and renamed it ReliaStar Life. ING acquired ReliaStar in 2000, and it and its sister company, ReliaStar Life of New York, underwrite our employee benefits coverages." Before acquiring ReliaStar in 2000, ING had purchased and renamed several smaller U.S.-based insurers: ING Equitable of Iowa, ING Life of Georgia, and ING Security Life of Denver. ING also acquired Aetna Financial Services and Aetna International, which had a large volume of retirement plan business. All of those businesses were combined under the ING name in 2001. Click here for the complete article … A MEASURE OF CERTAINTY    Prudential carries the standard for an in-plan annuity with a guarantee What will defined contribution (DC) retirement plan participants and sponsors be looking for in their plans over the next few years? What products and features will address their long-term security needs in a meaningful way? Quite possibly the answers are not the same as they would have been prior to the financial crisis. Prudential Retirement believes that the decline in value of so many retirement plans in 2008 and 2009 provides further validation for its in-plan variable annuity product with a Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) feature. Prudential introduced the product, called IncomeFlex, about five years ago. It provides downside protection in falling markets, upside potential and, of course, the guaranteed minimum lifetime income. Thus, notes a Prudential research report, the product addresses the "bear market risk," which slammed so many people cashing in their 401(k)s during the last couple of years; the "zero balance risk"-retirees running out of money in their lifetimes; as well as the "purchasing power risk" of eroding values linked to fixed income instruments. The product is based on the idea that a retirement plan should provide a worker with more than the opportunity to get to retirement with a healthy DC plan balance-because at that point the individual confronts a new multitude of financial risks. The in-plan annuity with a guarantee is designed to get the individual through retirement. Click here for the complete article …  Click here to unsubscribe This message was sent by The Rough Notes Company, Inc., 11690 Technology Drive, Carmel, Indiana, 46032 1-800-428-4384