July 2021
by admin
WASHINGTON —TheInternal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department announced today that millions of American families have started receiving monthly Child Tax Credit payments as direct deposits begin posting in bank accounts and checks arrive in mailboxes. This first batch of advance monthly payments worth roughly $15 billion reached about 35 million families today across the country. About 86% were sent by direct deposit. The payments will...
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28
Jul
2021
by admin
Summer is here and so many of us work hard to lose a few pounds before summer vacation but then get to our vacations and ‘’want to live it up!’’ The problem is that then we end up bloated and unhappy with those decisions. Vacation is supposed to be a time to relax and unwind and shouldn’t make you worrisome or apprehensive about your fitness...
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15
Jul
2021
by admin
Heartbreaks are painful, but did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with more than 655,000 people dying from the condition each year. This equates to one in four deaths attributed to this awful disease. The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which is what can cause heart attacks. CAD is caused...
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12
Jul
2021
by admin
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today provided guidance on tax breaks under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for continuation health coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). Notice 2021-31 PDF provides guidance for employers, plan administrators, and health insurers regarding the new credit available to them for providing continuation health coverage to certain individuals under COBRA. The American Rescue Plan...
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7
Jul
2021
June 2021
by admin
There are certain issues that have taken center stage in the collective conscious when talking about the workplace, the future of work and how the current workforce is faring under the current conditions. Naturally, as those things enter the collective conscious, researchers find themselves asking what exactly holds true and what can we learn from it? As usual, my inbox is full of the latest...
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30
Jun
2021
by admin
There have been important changes to the Child Tax Credit that will help many families receive advance payments starting this summer. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 expands the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for tax year 2021 only. The expanded credit means: The credit amounts will increase for many taxpayers. The credit for qualifying children is fully refundable, which means that taxpayers can...
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21
Jun
2021
by admin
You have surely heard the terms “in-network” and “out-of-network” when referring to doctors or care facilities and your insurance plan. It can be confusing and make you wonder why it matters to you, as the consumer. Let’s explore these terms and find out more! What are Health Insurance Plan Networks? Health insurance plans create networks of doctors and facilities with which they have contracted to...
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16
Jun
2021
by admin
On May 10, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Revenue Procedure 2021-25 announcing the annual inflation-adjusted limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) for calendar year 2022. An HSA is a tax-exempt savings account that employees can use to pay for qualified health expenses. To be eligible for an HSA, an employee: Must be covered by a qualified high deductible health plan (HDHP); Must not have any...
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9
Jun
2021
by admin
We have certainly been focused on improving our health this year. June is Men’s Health Month and provides a great opportunity to focus on some simple tips that men can follow to shore up their health. These five guidelines will not only assist with a man’s physical health, but also their mental health. Make Annual Appointments Men are notoriously the punchline for jokes about not...
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2
Jun
2021
May 2021
by admin
April 07, 2021 Set out below are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding implementation of certain provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), as it applies to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, commonly called COBRA. These FAQs have been prepared by the Department of Labor (DOL). Like previously issued FAQs (available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/faqs), these FAQs answer questions from stakeholders to...
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26
May
2021
by admin
As a business, you are constantly managing your sales funnel–from the first point of contact with a prospect to their purchase of your service. But it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) stop there. Perhaps the most important part of your sales funnel is the follow-up post-sale. It’s in this time of follow-up that you build the ongoing relationship that will lead to customer loyalty and, hopefully, customer...
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19
May
2021
by admin
The overall well-being of an employee has never been more of a priority for employers as it is right now. From health care to vision care to mental health care, the entirety of the employee’s health is important to the health of the organization. Importance of Mental Health Benefits Mental health and the cost of not treating its issues has far-reaching effects from the individual...
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10
May
2021
by admin
The right performance management process for your organization depends in large part on what you want to accomplish with it and what you’re willing to invest in it. Here are some principles to keep in mind when deciding on your policy and performing assessments: Performance reviews are often stressful and difficult because the employees don’t know how they’ll be evaluated and they’re worried they’ll be...
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5
May
2021
April 2021
by admin
COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions—like wearing a mask,...
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28
Apr
2021
by admin
According to WebMD, the eyes are the most highly developed sensory organs in your body. They report that more of your brain is dedicated to the sense of sight than to all of the other senses combined. So, it makes sense that you would do all that you can to protect and care for these important organs. Vision insurance can be a great asset as...
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19
Apr
2021
by admin
Remote Onboarding Success Plan Remote workplaces have become very commonplace in our world today. In fact, a PwC survey of 669 CEOs, 78% agree that remote work is here for the long-term. As a result, remote onboarding has become part of the normal Human Resources operation in companies. Let’s dive into what remote onboarding looks like and some benefits and challenges of this new way...
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14
Apr
2021
by admin
Think for a minute about all you have done today. Now, from that list of tasks, how many would you say you have done well? Again, from the list of tasks you feel you’ve done a good job on, how many were you praised for by your manager or even a co-worker? We all crave approval and praise from others in our life. The workplace...
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5
Apr
2021
March 2021
by admin
Do these promises sound familiar? “When I have kids, I’ll never let them eat XYZ.” “My kids will always eat whatever I put in front of them.” “Our family will never eat out all the time.” We’ve all said them at some point in our lives and, whether we’ve started a family or are still in the process of building one, we’ve probably all broken...
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31
Mar
2021
by admin
Just as with any good, healthy relationship, communication with employees is key. Only communicating with employees regarding their benefits package during open enrollment will most definitely result in them not taking full advantage of all it has to offer. In an effort to assist employees in understanding and maximizing their benefits, companies should use a year-round benefits engagement strategy. Let’s explore some simple ways to...
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22
Mar
2021
by admin
In an ideal world, communication would be easy. We’d immediately know exactly what to say or write. Emails, Slack messages, and reply threads would practically write themselves. And there’d be no confusion about what anyone meant, ever. Of course, communication never works that way. We stare at the computer screen trying to decide how to begin an email. We misspeak or garble our words. We...
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15
Mar
2021
by admin
There has been so much written on leadership in the last year, it’s hard to keep track of it all. Leaders should be storytellers, communicators, holistic, strategic, encouraging, creative, conservative, risk taking, ethical, competitive, inspiring and a whole host of other attributes. There are countless books currently available on the subject, and it would not surprise me if there were close to over half a...
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8
Mar
2021
by admin
About half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Along with exercising more and eating better, many people aim to get a better handle on their finances. If you’re in that camp, we’re here to help. Here are some surefire steps to create a more financially secure future for you and your loved ones. Create a budget. The first step toward getting financially fit is...
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3
Mar
2021
February 2021
by admin
With COVID-19 vaccinations underway and widespread availability in sight, many employers want to know whether they can require their employees to get the vaccine. While recent EEOC guidance implies that they expect many employers to require a vaccine, there are already several states where bills are being introduced to prevent employment discrimination against those who refuse a vaccine (MN, NJ, SC), and it’s likely bills...
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24
Feb
2021
by admin
Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are company-sponsored programs that provide assistance to employees for a variety of personal issues that may be hindering or adversely affecting their work performance. Typically offered through third-party administrators, EAPs can provide their services online or via telephone and can sometimes be a part of the employee’s healthcare plan, however it is not a replacement to the healthcare plan. Examples of...
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16
Feb
2021
by admin
Phishing emails are a type of scam designed to obtain information or prompt certain behavior from their targets. To that end, they typically appear to come from a person or entity we trust. In most cases, careful inspection will reveal cracks in the façade, little signs that the message is not what it purports to be. But, of course, most of us don’t thoroughly analyze...
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9
Feb
2021
February 2021
