Benefits

Fleet Leasing

November 20, 2012 by Urbanosaurus

Fleet Leasing

provides the option of giving employees a company car that he or she can use in order to work better and with more efficiency.

If your company is thinking of getting multiple cars, there are a lot of options for you to choose from. Obviously, the trick is to find the options that will provide the best overall effect on your budget. If you have quite a few cars, you may want to look into a vehicle fleet management system. Often, it is better to divide the cost and pay it on a monthly basis and be able to simply write off the expense on your taxes rather than having to amortize the price of the fleet over several years . Many leasing companies offer fleet leasing and they provide you with plenty of options so that you can tailor the terms so that they best suit your budget needs.

Just Over Half of All Company Fleets are Leased

Approximately 51% of all commercial vehicles in the United States are leased. Fleet leasing is similar to a long term rental or regular car lease but has some differences. As with a personal lease, under a fleet leasing contract, the company is not the owner of the car, the car is owned by the leasing company that is providing the leasing service. In other words, the leasing company (Lessor) rents the cars to the lessee for the term of the lease. However, the process of leasing a commercial vehicle is slightly different from leasing a personal car.

With a personal car lease, at the end of the lease term, the lessee has the option of buying the car or paying any mileage overage and returning the car to the lease company.

[Read more…] about Fleet Leasing

Keeping Worker’s Compensation Insurance Affordable

September 30, 2012 by Jorgen Rex Olson

How Business Owners Can Keep Worker’s Compensation Insurance Affordable –

With the recent hits to the economy, changes in law, and other sorts of changes in the workplace, costs of maintaining workers compensation insurance for companies, and in particular for small businesses, are rising unpredictably. Some of this can be caused by your state’s assigned risk pool, some by the increase of high-risk situations, and some by other factors. However, there are things that you as a business owner can do to help reduce the rates of workers compensation insurance for your company.

1. Preventative Measures

First, there are some preventative measures you can take in the area of safety that may help to reduce workers comp insurance rates in the future. Whether you’ve had problems with worker safety in the past or not, being safe certainly doesn’t hurt. Depending on your line of work, you may want to look into safety precautions at workstations, or even establish a group to keep an eye on workplace safety within your organization. The more you can reduce the risk of accidents, the better you’ll make out in the long run.

2. Experience Rating

You’ll also want to check out your experience rating or experience modifier. This compares your claims history to that of other organizations in your industry. You can check out your rating by looking at worksheets from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI). Make sure that your rating is accurate, as your rating could save you as much as 45% on your Compensation Insurance.

3. Relationship

Establish a good relationship with a healthcare provider. Sometimes you can use managed medical care to treat your workers. The more quickly you can get injured workers back to work, the better it is for your organization, and the better [Read more…] about Keeping Worker’s Compensation Insurance Affordable

How to Choose a Small Business Retirement Plan

August 31, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Small Business Retirement Plans-

As a small business owner, you may decide to offer the benefit of a retirement plan to your employees as one of several strategies to obtain and retain the best workers. There are a number of options available, including Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plans, Savings Incentive Match Plans for Employees (SIMPLE) Individual Retirement Account (IRA) plans, and 401(k) Plans. The plan you ultimately choose depends largely on the particular circumstances of your business – there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

SEP Plans

SEP plans are entirely employer-funded. As an employer, you may determine how much to contribute. The maximum contributions to SEP plans vary annually; for 2012 the limit is 25 percent of an employee’s salary or $50,000 US, whichever is less. SEP plans do not allow catch-up contributions for older employees.

Setup for SEP plans is simple, and any employer with one or more employees is eligible to set up SEP plans. Once the plan is established, employers must offer SEP plans to all employees over age 21 who have been employed with the company for three of the past five years and met a minimum salary threshold, which was $550 for 2010 and 2011.

SIMPLE IRAs

If you have 100 or fewer employees and you wish to establish a retirement plan that allows both employer and employee contributions, a SIMPLE IRA plan may be a good option. For 2012, each employee’s plan may be funded up to 100 percent of his or her compensation or $11,500 US, whichever is less. Plans for employees over 50 may be funded up to $14,000 US for 2012. You must make matching contributions of up to three percent of the salaries for all employees who make contributions to their SIMPLE IRA funds, or two percent of compensation for each eligible employee.

If you elect to establish a SIMPLE IRA, you must do so before October 1 of each year; other retirement plans generally have a deadline of December 1 of each year. You must establish a SIMPLE IRA for each of your eligible employees. Employees are eligible if they have earned at least $5,000 US any two prior years, and expect to earn the same amount during the present year. [Read more…] about How to Choose a Small Business Retirement Plan

Life Insurance Benefits

July 30, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Company Life Insurance

One of the most essential parts of financial planning is buying the right types of insurance policies. Some companies provide employees with life insurance as a benefit. Usually, it is Term Life insurance and it is based on a multiple of your annual salary. For example, it could be as much as five times your annual salary. Theoretically, this would allow your family to survive for 5 years without you… giving them time to get prepared financially.

So, if you have a spouse or children to worry about, life insurance is a must. But there are disadvantages to employer-provided life insurance. Why would you choose to pay for something you can get for free?

What’s the Difference Between Term and Whole Life Insurance?

The biggest difference between term and whole life insurance is what you get for the premiums you pay. With term life insurance, you or your employer, is paying specifically for a death benefit and nothing more. The insurance company gets a certain amount of money for premiums, and then they give your loved ones a death benefit if you die while the policy is in effect. This usually means while you are employed there. So if you become disabled and can’t work you could end up losing your life insurance just when you need it most. At that point, you may not be eligible for coverage from a new policy.

With a whole life insurance policy, that you own, you get permanent life insurance coverage. This type of policy is going to pay out a death benefit as long as you keep paying your premiums. With a whole life insurance policy, you will be able to provide your family with some kind of financial benefits when you die as long as you keep paying the premiums, even if you aren’t employed. [Read more…] about Life Insurance Benefits

Making a Decision: Individual or Group Life Insurance Policies?

June 28, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Individual or Group Life Insurance Policies?

These days it seems everyone is planning for their future. From choosing the right career, to when is the right time to have a family, there will be choices that will ultimately reflect things to come. One of these choices is choosing the right life insurance option for you and your family. Many choose to enroll in their employer-sponsored group life insurance, while others feel they need more. Here are the pros and cons of choosing your employer-sponsored life insurance and finding your own coverage.

Employer-Sponsored Coverage

There are many benefits to choosing life insurance offered by your employer, there are also a few cons that cause people to strike out on their own and find their own coverage.

Pros of Group Life Insurance Policies:

• Cost: This is often the number one reason to choose a group life insurance policy. As your employer is given a group rate, the savings are passed on and you pay less (or even nothing)
• Acceptance: With a group policy, the risks are spread over everyone who has opted into the policy. This means you are guaranteed coverage in most cases. If you choose to raise your coverage, you may be asked to undergo a questionnaire or doctor’s exam to determine your ability to be covered, but in many cases this is rare.
• No Increased Rates: One of the benefits of group life insurance is that it is not individually underwritten. This means you can have the worst health at work but still pay the same rate as the healthiest employee in the company.

Even though guaranteed coverage and low rates are good reasons to choose group life insurance, there are also cons that may make you think twice.

The Top 5 Health Insurance Companies

June 16, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Finding The Right Health Insurance Company

With fewer jobs in the country due to a poorly performing economy and many large companies moving jobs offshore to reduce costs, many US residents have taken it upon themselves to open up their own small businesses. Naturally, these entrepreneurs are looking to find the best health coverage for themselves as well as for their families. Researching the right health insurance plan that will not only satisfy your individual needs, but also the needs of your family is no easy task, as health insurance coverage needs vary from person to person.

When conducting your research on what coverage you need for your health needs, the insurance company will consider the following factors:

Your age
Your Income
Whether or not you smoke/drink
Your Geographic location (not all providers are available in every state)

You on the other hand will be concerned with these factors:

What is the deductible?
How much is the co-pay for each doctor visit?
How much is the co-insurance? (The percentage you have to pay before you reach the out-of-pocket limit)
Out of Pocket Maximum Per Year
Maximum per Person / Per Family
Exclusions (for Preexisting conditions etc)
Limitations on which Doctors you can use
Acceptance at local hospitals
Out of Network Acceptance (if you are traveling)

An excellent way to reduce your health insurance costs is by using a Group Health Insurance Policy. If you can get insurance as one of the Benefits through your place of employment or even by join a group or organization, you may be able to reduce your costs by getting in on a group policy.

See: What is Co-Insurance?

Group Health Insurance Policies

How to Find the Right Health Insurance Policy?

Tim McMahon~editor

The Top 5 Health Insurance Companies

According to online sources, there are a total of 25 noted health insurance companies that rank well in the services they provide and the fees they charge. The Top 5 Health Insurance Companies are as follows:

How to Finance an MBA

May 27, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Financing an MBA

If you’ve decided an MBA is the best option to further your career, it’s time to get smart about paying for it. A two-year MBA program at the most prestigious schools can cost $100,000 or more for tuition, books, and living expenses. This doesn’t even include the cost of lost wages. Even schools with less name recognition are going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars.

Fortunately, there is plenty of financing help available for MBA candidates. Knowing your options is the first step to researching in-depth solutions for financing your MBA ambitions.

How to Finance an MBA- Using Student Loans

No one enjoys the prospect of going into debt, but there are few better reasons to do so than enhancing your earning power with education credentials. Federal loans are typically managed by B-schools and only require you to fill out a FAFSA. These loans carry a fixed interest rate, and repayment is made as painless as possible. Paying interest while still in school is generally a good way to keep costs down and federal loans also extend a grace period and the opportunity for income-based repayment should you hit a bad patch.

Private loans take more effort to manage, but they can be better in the long run. Your credit history will be most important here. Repayment is not as flexible, and interest rates can be variable. Variable interest is definitely a bonus in a bad economy.

What is Co-Insurance?

May 23, 2012 by Tim McMahon

CoInsurance: Definition

Coinsurance is a tricky term to define because it can mean different things depending on which type of insurance you are talking about. It is most commonly used in health insurance and commonly means the percentage of the total health care bill that you as the insured will have to pay. In other words you are responsible for a portion and the insurance company is responsible for a portion. You are both co-insuring against the cost of health care.

Of course it is not a straight percentage. If you have an 80/20% coinsurance clause in your health insurance policy that means that after your deductible has been met you owe 20% of the bill while the insurer will cover 80%. But then there is an Out-of-Pocket Maximum that limits your liability.

So in a way, [Read more…] about What is Co-Insurance?

Using Healthcare Savings Accounts to Get Tax Breaks

May 11, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Healthcare Savings Accounts

Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA’s) are created for individuals who want to save for medical expenses that high-deductible health plans do not cover. While the primary objective of HSA’s is to ensure that people save to meet future healthcare-related expenses, but the big attraction is the savings on Federal taxes that come with these accounts.

Are you Eligible for a Healthcare Savings Account?

You can open an HSA if:

1) You have a high deductible health plan from a health insurance provider i.e. a minimum deductible of $ 1,200 per year if you are single or $2,400 for family coverage.

2) You are not covered under Medicare and are not a dependent on someone else’s return.

Once You are Eligible for a Healthcare Savings Account

Once you determine that you are eligible, you can set this account up in many ways.