EBA’s 10 top rankings of 2017

EBA’s top 10 slideshows of 2017 cover two main areas: What other brokerages and brokers are doing in their careers and where the best and worst places to work and retire are.

In this list, we present the list in numerical order based on 2017 pageviews, a lot of the material came from EBA’s exclusive partnership with business analytics provider miEdge.

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10) Top 5 carriers in each state – part 2

EBA’s ranking of the top five large-group employee benefit insurance carriers by state, in partnership with business intelligence data analytics firm miEdge, was the tenth most visited slideshow of 2017. This list looked at states from Mississippi to Wyoming. Among the top were Health Care Service Corp. in Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.

9) 30 benefit thought-leaders to know

As President Trump took office, EBA took a look at 30 trendsetters who were set to lead the way by making significant contributions to the field of advising, through focusing on transparency in insurance and healthcare, utilizing technology to improve care, education or bending the cost curve, they are people to watch in the coming year.

Among those making the list was Michael Lujan, chief strategy officer at Limelight Health, who is committed to disrupting and re-imagining employee benefits. A former broker and California state-run exchange official, Lujan helps advisers navigate the constantly changing technology landscape. Also on the list was Troy Underwood, who left benefitsCONNECT with no plans to slow down.

8) 20 young leaders in benefits

EBA’s class of 2017 Rising Stars in Advising was among the best ever with their entire career in benefits having been marked by market uncertainty. Selected by EBA’s editors from dozens of online applicants, the 20 advisers age 35 and younger embrace the upheaval in employee benefits.

Among those on the list was 28-year-old Corey Friedman, vice president, benefits consulting at GCG Financial Inc., who helped take his firm’s practice nationwide. Also on the list was 24-year-old Ben Gehrki, client manager at UnifyHR, a proven thought leader in account management, utilizing skills and resources to provide excellent client satisfaction in an ever-changing industry.

7) 20 companies with the best benefits

Healthcare benefits and two weeks of vacation are some of the more common benefits employers provide to workers. While shifts toward unlimited PTO plans and fully stocked kitchens are becoming a welcomed benefit trend, employers should keep in mind that 57% of job seekers consider employer-provided benefits among their top considerations before taking a new job, says employer review site Glassdoor. The list included Genentech, which offers unique onsite amenities like car washes and Timberland, which offers employees up to 40 hours of paid time off per year to volunteer.

6) Top 5 brokerages in each state

Another list in cooperation with miEdge, this ranking was of the top five large-group employee benefit brokerages by state. Among the top were Mercer Health and Benefits in California with $41.3 million and Aon Consulting in Illinois with $42.3 million.

5) 10 best cities for retirement

Always dreaming of the future, WalletHub compared the retiree-friendliness of the 150 largest U.S. cities across 40 key metrics — including life expectancy, recreational opportunities and the availability of physicians and home healthcare facilities — in an effort to help American workers plan an affordable retirement while maintaining the best quality of life. Topping the list was Orlando, Fla.

4) 25 best-paying jobs in the U.S.

As salary continues to be a major driver in attraction and retention efforts for employers, keeping up to date with current market values is essential. Glassdoor shared it third annual list of the best-paying jobs in the U.S., offering employers insight into present market values. Tech jobs made up 11 of the professions on the list, more than any other industry, followed by the healthcare sector at six.

3) EBA’s 2017 Most Influential Women in Benefit Advising

In a largely male-dominated profession, EBA’s 2017 Most Influential Women in Benefit Advising stood out for both personal and professional reasons. The list, selected by EBA’s editors after an online nomination process, was brimming with thought leaders who belong to various industry organizations.

Among those named was Kiera Hanselman, national vice president of sales at FBMC Benefits Management Inc., who exceeded 1,000% above last year’s total in the first half of 2017. Also on the list was Tanya Boyd, president and CEO of Tanya Boyd & Associates Inc. Boyd’s company has doubled every year, adding more than 50 new groups and 100 individual clients in 2016.

2) Top 10 large company 401(k) plans

EBA’s partnership with miEdge found that the top 401(k) plans by asset size for companies with more than 1,000 actively enrolled employees hail from IBM Corp. with $48 billion in end-year net assets, Boeing Co. with $47 billion and Wells Fargo with $35 billion.

1) 10 worst cities for retirement

The most popular slideshow of the year was where not to retire. WalletHub compared the retiree-friendliness of the 150 largest U.S. cities across 40 key metrics — including life expectancy, recreational opportunities and the availability of physicians and home healthcare facilities. Rounding out the bottom three was San Bernadino, Calif.; Providence, R.I.; and Newark, N.J.

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Practice management Advisor strategies Insurance Employee benefits Retirement readiness Retirement benefits Retirement planning Top Women in Benefit Advising Rising Stars in Advising
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