Relying on pension funds and Social Security is no longer sufficient when planning for retirement. To help, the IRS has published the following tips to help you take charge of saving for retirement:

• Set a goal: Even if you can only save a small amount, setting aside money each month will get you in the habit of saving.
• Open an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA): Most Americans can open and make tax-deferred contributions to an IRA.
• Learn about your employer’s retirement plan: If you’re covered under your employer’s retirement plan, be sure to ask for your copy of the summary plan description to learn about your rights under the plan.
• Review your benefits statement: Your plan administrator can provide you with a benefits statement, which details your total plan benefits and the amount vested.
• Sign up for 401(k) contributions: If your employer offers a 401(k), you can select how much money you want taken out of each paycheck to be put into this account. Read More

Did you know that poor oral health can lead to many seemingly unrelated medical conditions? In fact, oral bacteria and oral disease have been linked to a variety of serious illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke and pregnancy complications.

Importance of Oral Health

The following examples illustrate the relationship between your oral health and general health.

• Tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs affect both your overall and oral health.
• Dry mouth, or a lack of saliva, increases your risk of tooth decay.
• Oral pain resulting in an inability to eat properly can prevent you from getting the nutrition your body needs to stay healthy. Read More

Health savings accounts (HSAs) offer many valuable benefits to participants. However, many employees do not fully understand how HSAs work and may be missing out. In fact, it is estimated by the Flexible Benefit Service Corporation that 40-50 percent of HSA-eligible individuals do not have an HSA.

One reason for the underutilization of HSAs may be that employees do not understand the value that HSAs offer. In addition, some may assume that HSAs are the same as flexible spending arrangements (FSAs), except that they are tied to a plan with a higher deductible. Read More

On July 21, 2016, federal regulators published a proposed rule that aims to improve the Form 5500 annual report filed by employee benefit plans.

Under the proposal, all ERISA-covered plans that provide group health benefits, regardless of size, would be required to file a Form 5500, including the new Schedule J (Group Health Plan Information) and any other applicable schedules. The proposed changes would eliminate the current filing exemption for small group health plans, and instead, small, fully insured plans would be required to answer a limited number of questions on the Form 5500 and Schedule J. Read More