As a business owner, you naturally want to be able to justify every dollar that goes out the door. It’s a competitive market out there for your product or service, and every little advantage helps.

Most successful entrepreneurs, however, are keenly aware that the market for talented employees is also keenly competitive – and there’s a big difference in productivity between experienced, knowledgeable employees who have been with your company for years on one hand, and the new hire off the street, on the other hand.

If you want to keep your best talent, you need to be competitive with the market, of course. But you also want to protect your own best interests at the same time. In today’s market, providing quality protection against the threat of disability makes good sense not just for your employees, but for any business that cares to retain the best, most talented, and most productive workers.

Workers View Benefits as Important

Many surveys have demonstrated that employees place significant value on benefits. For example, according to the Glassdoor Employment Confidence Survey, 76 percent of employees rate their overall health insurance coverage as the most important employee benefit, beating even retirement plans in importance.

Furthermore, according to the Society for Human Resource Managements’ 2013 Employee Benefits report, in addition to the schemes offered by an ndis provider or other similar organizations in a country, more and more employers also seem to be offering long and short-term disability plans as part of their employment package. As of last year, 77 percent of employers provided long-term disability protection, while 68 percent provided full-time workers with short-term disability protection.

Outlook

The momentum is clear: Group disability protection is rapidly becoming a standard offering for full-time employees. Meanwhile, as the Affordable Care Act takes hold, health insurance is going to become less and less of a marketplace differentiator for employers. Workers with pre-existing conditions don’t rely on their group plans to be able to get any kind of coverage at all, thanks to the prohibition on underwriting based on pre-existing conditions. And as the employer mandate kicks in, all employers except the very smallest will be forced to provide major medical, or pay big fines.

That leaves other insurance benefits, such as disability, at the top of the list of non-wage differentiators that keep applicants coming, and keep talent from walking away.

Benefits of Group Disability to the Employer

The opening paragraphs, above, make the case for a robust benefits package in general. Why is disability vital? For several reasons:

First, almost every worker who’s been around a few years knows someone who has been affected by an injury or illness that prevents them or a loved one from earning a living. In some cases, you can make the case with people in your firm – former employees who have had their lives disrupted by accidents or illnesses, and who have had to leave their jobs.

It’s therefore easy to “sell” the value of these benefits to your workforce, because workers can very easily see themselves in need of important income protection.

Second, providing a disability plan can help ensure your employees are at their most productive when working on your dime. Workers with access to a good short-term disability plan are less likely to show up to work already hurt, or to try to work through injuries because they need the money. Employees who work sick or hurt run the risk of further injuring themselves and in some cases endanger other employees.

For example: If a worker has no disability insurance, they may feel they have no choice but to show up to work – even if they are taking powerful medications such as codeine or oxycontin, both strong prescription painkillers – for an injury or illness they sustained off the job, and therefore not covered by workers compensation.

If they have an accident at work, however, they endanger you, your other employees, and themselves, and they certainly risk forcing your insurance premiums up.

If you provide a good short-term disability plan, that worker taking narcotic pain medication has the option to stay home and recover, without endangering anyone else.

Additional Supports

Most people think of disability insurance as just a policy that replaces part of a workers income if he or she is injured or sick and can’t work. And that’s true, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Disability insurance companies routinely provide case managers and assistance to get an injured worker back on the job as quickly as possible. By coordinating therapies and advising both the worker and employer on adaptive technologies and reasonable accommodations, a disability insurance provider can be a valuable partner with a business in getting a productive, invaluable employee back on the job as quickly as possible.

In some cases, your case manager can help you design a solution so that an injured employee can work at home – minimizing time lost. This can also be important to protect a worker whose immune system has been compromised by chemotherapy, for example.

Disability vs. Workers Compensation

Remember, disability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance are different things. Workers’ compensation covers injuries incurred on the job, or as a direct result of work. Anything else is not protected by workers’ compensation. Your employees are vulnerable to all manner of illnesses and injuries on their own time – and small businesses frequently suffer when these workers do get hurt.

Best Practices

Buy Quality. The most successful disability insurance programs have been robust. Invest in quality benefits to build and maintain employee morale. Once one employee benefits, the others in the workplace will hear about it. Get the best benefits you can afford.

Educate Workers. Employees can’t value what they don’t know they have. Make a disability presentation part of your company orientation. And go over their benefits in regular training sessions and reviews.

Model Healthy Living. You can’t control what employees do in their off time. But you can point them in the right direction. Get good, healthy options in vending machines. Make healthy lunch options available. Have leadership model good eating habits. Provide access to one or more wellness programs, such as a gym membership.

At Cleary, we know how important a comprehensivee benefits package can be to your continued success. Give us a call today at 617-723-0700 and we will work with you to create a plan that meets your business objectives, takes into account state and federal laws, and capitalizes on incentives and innovative solutions now being offered.

Presented by John B. Steiger

With the beginning of 2014 upon us, you may be setting goals and resolutions for the New Year. Starting fresh is always a great feeling, but the scale of what we set out to accomplish sometimes becomes overwhelming as the year progresses. The question is, how can you stay motivated to meet your financial goals in 2014?

Financial tips for every month

For many people, checking off items on a long list of to-dos brings a great sense of satisfaction. To help you keep moving toward your goals, we’ve created a month-by-month checklist of some key financial tasks to consider throughout the year. You might even find that you’ve completed some of these items already!

January

Establish a will or trust with an estate attorney. Although many people avoid thinking about estate planning, getting your affairs in order is one of the greatest gifts you can give your loved ones. If you’ve already established a will or a trust, sit down and review the documents with your attorney, making any necessary changes.
Create a budget. Establishing a monthly plan for spending and saving is an excellent way to help keep your finances in check, whether you’re reevaluating your financial life or just trying to maintain good habits.
Get ahead on your mortgage. If you can swing it, consider making a full extra payment toward your mortgage principal, which may help shorten the length of your loan.

February

Review life, home, and auto insurance. It’s a good idea to check your coverage regularly. Have you experienced a major life event in the past year, such as a marriage or birth? Any significant changes in your personal life may require you to reevaluate your coverage.
Revisit beneficiary designations for life insurance/retirement accounts. Do you need to add a new beneficiary or change a designation? Review your accounts to ensure that the correct people are listed.

March

Check your investment portfolio allocations and current holdings. As your financial advisor, we monitor your investment portfolio and holdings regularly. Nonetheless, you should be aware of where and how your assets are invested.
Explore loans, grants, and other sources of financial aid. There are many ways to finance college and postgraduate education expenses. If you have a college-bound child, it’s wise to get an early start researching the options available to you. The government-sponsored website http://studentaid.ed.gov is a great place to begin.

April

Review your online social security statement. Check your benefits information and earning record, and update any outdated personal information, such as your address or phone number.

May

Review 401(k), IRA, and SEP plans. No matter your retirement goals, keeping an eye on your balances and making regular contributions is essential. Depending on your circumstances, consider increasing the amount you contribute. (Retirement planning is equally important for self-employed individuals, who can take advantage of many of the same savings vehicles.) We encourage you to meet with us to discuss the investment allocations in your 401(k) or other plan.

June

Check your credit report. Request your free credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com and review it carefully for mistakes or suspicious charges, which could be a sign of identity theft.
Shred old documents. Any financial documents that you no longer need, such as bank and investment statements, should be destroyed to ensure that they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

July

Research 529 savings plans. Withdrawals from 529 plans are tax-free when used for qualified higher education expenses, making them an excellent way to save for a child or grandchild’s schooling.

August

Review online accounts. Take a look at the usernames and passwords you currently use for your online accounts. If the passwords are too basic or if you’ve held onto them for too long, consider changing them as a security precaution.

September

Assess your overall investment goals and strategy. It’s wise to reevaluate your financial goals every year, especially if you’ve had any major changes or unexpected events in your life. We can discuss your situation and help you adjust your financial plan accordingly.
Revisit your budget. Look back at the plan you made in January and decide whether to adjust your budget or stick to your current strategy.

October

Contact your CPA for year-end tax planning. Before tax season hits, it’s a good idea to speak with a certified accountant about changes in your personal circumstances, expiring tax breaks, and so on.
Consider charitable giving. Donating to charity at year-end is a popular way to do good while reaping potential tax deductions. Charitable giving may be another item you wish to discuss with your CPA.

November

Review the balance in your flexible spending account (FSA). FSAs require special attention so that you don’t lose unused funds at year-end. Under a new law, employers may allow employees to roll over $500 in FSA funds to the next year. Be sure to check the rules of your FSA plan and review your available balance.

December

Consider refinancing high-interest debt. Consolidating your mortgage, credit card, or car loan payments can make your financial life more efficient (and possibly lower your overall interest rate).
Pay off credit card balances every month. For the New Year, make a resolution to pay off your credit card balances every month, if you’re not doing so already.

Milestone events
In addition to the monthly tasks outlined here, keep these significant planning milestones in mind as you near retirement age:

Age 50: Consider making catch-up contributions to IRAs and qualified retirement plans.
Age 55: You can take distributions from 401(k) plans without penalty if retired.
Age 59½: You can take distributions from IRAs without penalty.
Ages 62–70: You can apply for social security benefits.
Age 65: You become eligible for Medicare.
Age 70½: You must begin taking required minimum distributions from IRAs, 401(k)s, and 403(b)s.

Although this may seem like a lot of information to take in at once, glancing at the checklist each month and being ready for important retirement-related dates can greatly improve your sense of financial security, granting you peace of mind in 2014—and beyond.

This material has been provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute either tax or legal advice. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a tax preparer, professional tax advisor, or lawyer.

IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE:
To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

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John B. Steiger is a financial consultant located at 460 Totten Pond Road Suite 600 Waltham, MA 02451. John offers securities as a Registered Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC. John can be reached at 781.547.5621 or at john@financialconnector.com.

© 2013 Commonwealth Financial Network®

At Cleary, we are committed to a holistic approach of protecting and preserving our clients’ financial assets. Give us a call today at 617-723-0700 and let us know how we can help you.