Straight From The Source Blog by Higginbotham Insurance

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s company party time and a great opportunity to celebrate with your team. As you plan this year’s event, be cognizant of what you hope to achieve and what you hope to avoid. We’ve all heard the stories about those who drink too much, say too much or do too much at company parties. Today, in the age of social media, employees can instantly share their colleagues’ bad judgement through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, placing your company’s reputation at risk. And then there are more serious exposures such as sexual harassment, food poisoning and driving under the influence. These risks can quickly turn your festive event into a costly regret. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. Some careful planning can ensure that your company party goes off without a hitch – and without a hit to your bottom line. 

Want to avoid throwing money down the drain? Then pay attention to your drains. Sewer backups can cause serious – and seriously expensive – problems, including flooded basements, severe property damage, unpleasant odors and even dangerous health hazards. Fortunately, a little precaution can help you mitigate the risk.

How and When to Pay Plan Expenses With Plan Assets

Tom Bastin, JD, LLM, AIF, CEBS, Managing Director, Southeast Region

The cost of health insurance keeps rising. As employers look for ways to cut costs, many businesses are turning to alternative methods of risk transfer. Self-insurance, as well as partial self-insurance and captive insurance, can give companies increased control over their health care costs. It can also help businesses take control of other major insurance expenditures such as your workers’ compensation or business liability insurance.

DOL Introduces Six New Opinion Letters on FLSA and FMLA Compliance

On Aug. 28, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) introduced six new opinion letters addressing compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). These letters address issues such as:

One of the joys of the trucking business is the ability to travel across the country and experience the beauty of different roads from coast to coast. However, this also means you must prepare for various types of driving conditions. Whether you're driving through a busy metropolis or sparsely populated country roads, there are heightened risks to be aware of in winter. Here are some good practices to keep you and your cargo safe in the winter months.

Not so long ago, the term “financial wellness” didn’t even exist. But years of volatile markets, a rollercoaster economy and an increasingly informed public have all helped to make financial wellness offerings a staple in employee benefits packages. Financial wellness programs and advice have traditionally been built on four pillars: budgeting, saving for emergencies, eliminating debt and planning for retirement.

But in our world of e-commerce, online banking, digital wallets and multiple social media platforms, our automated lifestyle has made us all increasingly vulnerable to fraud and cybercrimes.

Identify theft is one of the fastest growing of them all, and the statistics are shocking. According to a study by Javelin Strategy & Research, more than 16 million people became victims of identity fraud in 2017. According to renowned money expert Clark Howard, there’s a new victim of identity theft every two seconds!

That’s why identify theft protection has become the fifth pillar of financial wellness.

In this day and age, employees have a host of financial stresses like budgeting, paying the rent, investing, paying for college and figuring out how best to use benefits such as 401(k)s and health savings accounts (HSAs). And for most, the threat of identity theft is getting higher and higher on the list of financial stresses.

Employers see it too. They see how distracted and unproductive employees can be when their minds are on personal money problems instead of work. And they know identity theft is on everyone’s mind.

With today’s threats, identity theft protection should play a crucial role in any financial wellness package.

New data breaches pop up constantly, and identity thieves are getting more sophisticated. If you want to help your employees protect their finances, reputation and identity, your financial wellness benefits should include identity theft protection. In fact, here are five reasons it should be an integral part of your voluntary benefits offerings:

How do you monitor a Dash? Evaluating Cash Equivalent Funds

Ryan Hamilton, Investment Analyst

Halloween is just around the corner, and that means another season of ghosts, ghouls, goblins and other scary creatures. If you own property that’s currently vacant, the last thing you want from that property is a haunted house of insurance nightmares.

There’s something special about autumn. It’s a favorite time of year for millions with its cool, crisp air and the kaleidoscope of rich colors. It’s a time for wrapping up the yard work, digging out that favorite old sweater and sending the kids back to school.

But like any other season, autumn has its own unique driving hazards.

Here are 10 of the most common fall driving hazards that safe drivers watch out for: