Under a Blood Red Sky
   Chicken Little is famous for running about crying, "The sky is falling!" without any evidence to support the claim. Our current economic mess has produced a new crop of chickens crying about this and that. The truth is that our debts have grown so unwieldy we are like the sailers under a blood red sky...the storm is coming and we can only prepare for, not prevent, the changes.
   What can you do to make adjustments? Financial services and insurance products are changing and keeping track is dizzying. Make sure you find a trusted benefits advisor to help you discover choices that provide your employees with great options. Your benefits advisor is a consultant and educator. According to the May 2011 issue of Employee Benefit Adisor, 39% of American adults cannot read and understand the language used in insurance and financial services products. That is an astonishing number of people who are purchasing products they don't understand. People need help in finding the right products for their families.
   Your advisor can consult with your employees and recommend specific solutions to their problems. By bringing information to your employees, confusion and misunderstanding can be lessened or avoided. Voluntary benefits work in ways that are significantly different from major medical benefits and your employees need a good working knowledge of the difference. Few people have enough disposable income that they can afford to squander their dollars on inadequate or unnecessary products.
   Establishing a good working relationship with your advisor is essential. People trust you and your employees to do an excellent job on what you sell; you and your staff should be able to trust your advisor in the same way. That trust is doubly important now when enormous changes are taking place in major medical, voluntary, and elected benefits. As we encounter changes in tax laws, withholding, death taxes, and pre and post tax deductions, we need clear definitions and suggestions in our businesses and personal lives.
   Change is constant; chaos is the natural order of the universe. Being prepared for the road ahead is wise. Schedule an appointment with your advisor to discuss how you can prepare yourself, your business and your staff for the changes.
Have a terrific day!