Why the Average Retirement Age is Rising

Denise GillinHuman Resources, Medicare, News

Social Security, pension type, and education are factors that have contributed to the rise in the retirement age since the mid-1980s, writes Alicia H. Munnell, director of Boston College Center for Retirement Research, in this article on MarketWatch. Other factors that have also spurred an increase in retirement age are improved health and longevity, jobs becoming less physically demanding, writes Munnell. “While all these factors help explain the gains since the mid-1980s, I was concerned that they had played themselves out. At least for men, though, the increase in the average retirement age from 63.9 in 2013 to 64.6 in 2015 is encouraging.” Tell me more >>>

Employee Engagement Tops the List of 2017 HR Trends

Denise GillinHuman Resources, News

Written and compiled by Catherine Conlan, Senior Writer at Reputation Capital Media Services and shared here by Sherri Hebda, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP After a big hiring year in 2016, many HR managers say they are turning their attention to employee retention. The reason: all that recruiting work is wasted if the employees don’t stick around. “Employee engagement will play a big role in the HR realm in 2017,” says Brad Stultz, human resources director at Totally Promotional, which custom prints promotional products in Coldwater, Ohio. “With record low unemployment rates continuing across the country, employees find themselves in a position to change career paths on a whim.” To that end, here are the 2017 HR trends that HR managers envision: …

Mind the Insurance Gap

Mary LyonsBusiness Insurance, Health Benefits, Insurance, Voluntary Benefits

Is your business unprotected? “Of course not,” you probably say. But how sure are you? Almost 40% of small companies would likely go out of business if the business owner unexpectedly died, according to a new report, the New York Life Small Business Insurance Gap. Tell me more >>> If you would like more information about protecting your business, contact Mary Lyons, GBA, Insurance and Benefits Sales Consultant, Health Benefit Solutions.

Project Manager Can Offer Knowledge To Novice Owner, Be Contractor Ally

Denise GillinBonds, Construction, News

As the construction industry has moved toward more collaborative forms of project delivery, many owners have begun engaging outside professionals who are known as owners project managers (OPMs). They assist with overall project planning, coordination and project oversight beyond what is typically performed by the owners’ design professionals. They also serve as a liaison between the owner and project team. Read the full article >>>

Cover Crops Success is Encouraging To Farmers Nationwide

Courtney MeyerAgribusiness

Farmers have been successfully incorporating cover crops into their rotations and their enthusiasm for the practice remains high according to a 2016-2017 Cover Crop Survey Annual Report conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC). This survey is also supported by Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and has been conducted since 2012. Covering a wide breadth of topics associated with cover crop use, the complete survey is available on the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education website. Tell me more >>>

Medicare Cards Without Social Security Numbers Coming In 2018

Tom KennedyMedicare, News

Coming Soon: A new Medicare card that will not display a cardholder’s Social Security number (SSN). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced it is preparing to issue Medicare cards that will use new unique numbers in place of cardholder SSNs. CMS said it would begin mailing new cards to beneficiaries in April 2018. Read the full article >>>

Four Companies Contracted For Border Wall Prototypes

Joshua EtemadiBonds, Construction, News

The Department of Homeland Security awarded four contracts for border wall prototypes, another crucial step in President Donald Trump’s plan to secure the border. Officials of Customs and Border Protection gave contracts to Texas Sterling Construction of Houston, Caddell Construction of Montgomery, Alabama, Fisher Industries of Tempe, Arizona, and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction of Philadelphia. Read the full article >>>

Data Breach Preparedness: Critical Risk Management Priority for Small and Mid-sized Businesses

Amy MitchellBusiness Insurance, Insurance, News, Risk Management

After hearing a lot lately about big companies suffering data breaches, it is important to remember that, according to inc.com, half of all cyberattacks target small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Based on a 2016 State of SMB Cybersecurity Report, CNBC reported that in the prior 12 months half of all SMBs in the U.S. had been hacked. Read the full article >>>