UBA Articles

Balancing Food and Fitness this Holiday Season

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Balancing Food and Fitness this Holiday Season

With our busy lives and schedules, it can be difficult to find the right balance between food and fitness. The holidays compound the challenge even more. Between work and personal life, deadlines and sleep, indulgence and healthful eating, somewhere there is surely a balance! We’re here to show you how to do it. The holidays […]

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Sabbaticals Can Benefit Employees and Employers

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Sabbaticals Can Benefit Employees and Employers

While many employees may be dreaming of a short summer vacation, others could have a longer block of time off in mind. Sabbaticals, whether paid or unpaid, are extended breaks from work without leaving a position. A sabbatical gives an employee the opportunity to take timeto travel, spend time with family, do something meaningful or volunteer, […]

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Outside-the-Box Ways to Spend Time Outdoors

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Outside-the-Box Ways to Spend Time Outdoors

Fresh air and sunshine are good for our health, and being active in the outdoors is better yet. Even if you’re not an avid runner or cyclist, there are so many other wonderful ways to get the exercise you need while taking in the joys of nature, family, and friends. Here are a few ideas that might […]

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8 Ways to Better Manage Your Time

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
8 Ways to Better Manage Your Time

Feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? It might sound strange, but you might want to slow your pace. When we try to operate at warp speed, we sometimes make more mistakes and often feel more stress. Check out these tips to make the most of your time without pushing yourself too hard. Log your Take […]

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Weight Loss: Myths vs. Facts

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Weight Loss: Myths vs. Facts

Eat this! Don’t eat that! Lose weight fast! Blast away calories with this best-ever workout routine!  Sound familiar? In your quest to lose weight by improving your diet and getting more exercise, you might be confused by all the information out there. Maybe you read something in a magazine. Maybe you saw an infomercial. How do you […]

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More Companies Flirt with Idea of the Four-Day Work Week

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
More Companies Flirt with Idea of the Four-Day Work Week

Many white-collar jobs, particularly those in creative industries like PR, publishing, and design, have embraced summer hours for years, with shortened workdays on Fridays. Now, some companies are experimenting with “Winter Fridays,” says The New York Times. While clearly seasonal-specific options, both these trends are part of ongoing explorations on the impact of reduced workweeks. Though hardly […]

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Proposed 2020 Benefit Payment and Parameters Rule

Director of Compliance at UBA Benefit Advisors
Proposed 2020 Benefit Payment and Parameters Rule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule for benefit payment and parameters for 2020. CMS also released its draft 2020 actuarial value calculatorand draft 2020 actuarial value calculator methodology. According to CMS, the proposed rule is intended to reduce fiscal and regulatory burdens associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) across […]

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In Pursuit of a Better Meeting

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
In Pursuit of a Better Meeting

Groans and sighs often greet the ping of a meeting invite hitting an inbox. While it may be impossible to make meetings more fun than the office holiday party, it is possible to lessen the dread, increase morale, and improve the results of a meeting. Complaints about meetings are often justified, including wasted time, the […]

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IRS Releases 2019 Inflation-Adjusted Limits

Director of Compliance at UBA Benefit Advisors
IRS Releases 2019 Inflation-Adjusted Limits

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released its inflation-adjusted limits for various benefits. For example, the maximum contribution limit to health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) will be $2,700 in 2019. Also, the maximum reimbursement limit in 2019 for Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements will be $5,150 for single coverage and $10,450 for family coverage. Read more about […]

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Culture Question

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Culture Question

With unemployment continuing at historically low numbers, it’s up to employers to win sought-after candidates. During an interview, employers are likely ready for the culture question. When asked about culture directly, according to an article in Fast Company, interviewers are quick to offer pat or polished answers. Interviewees are being encouraged to dig deeper, asking more specific […]

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It’s Flu Season… Again

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
It’s Flu Season… Again

When flu season hits, absenteeism skyrockets and productivity drops. In a recent article, Employee Benefit News points out that the first step is the “ounce of prevention,” the flu vaccine. Providing for vaccination can be a smart benefit to offer employees, and it requires navigating misinformation about the vaccine, motivating employees to act, and contending with supply issues. […]

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IRS Releases Final Forms and Instructions for 2018 ACA Reporting

Director of Compliance at United Benefit Advisors
IRS Releases Final Forms and Instructions for 2018 ACA Reporting

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released instructions for both the Forms 1094-B and 1095-B and the Forms 1094-C and 1095-C and Forms 1094-B, 1095-B,1094-C, and 1095-C. There are no substantive changes in the forms or instructions between 2017 and 2018, beyond the further removal of now-expired forms of transition relief. There is a minor formatting change to Forms 1095-B and 1095-C for […]

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Giving Thanks in the Office

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Giving Thanks in the Office

While our personal lives may offer plenty of opportunities to give thanks, it’s also important to make a habit of it in our professional lives, according to an article in the Cobb Business Journal. Few people in a study cited expressed gratitude for their work, and that might be because a culture of gratitude needs to be […]

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8 Ways to Relate to Time as a Realist

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
8 Ways to Relate to Time as a Realist

Productivity and time management expert Julie Morgenstern believes people can be grouped two ways when it comes to time management: Time realists and time optimists. Time realists consider how long things take and what is going on in any given day. Time optimists are guided by what they hope to get done. Morgenstern argues that […]

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Be the Boss You Want to See in the World

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Be the Boss You Want to See in the World

An article in the Harvard Business Review suggests that the traits that make someone become a leader aren’t always the ones that make someone an effective leader. Instead, efficacy can be traced to ethicality. Here are a few tips to be an ethical leader. Humility tops charisma A little charisma goes a long way. Too much and […]

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Making a Remote Team Work

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Making a Remote Team Work

In a tight labor market, a candidate’s potential commute can make a job more or less attractive. HumanResources reports that a quarter of employees surveyed had left a job because of the commute. When looking at just Millennials, the number jumps to one third. Employees can be choosy, selecting a job that offers more of what they […]

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Yes, Boss/HR/Your Honor, That’s My Email

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Yes, Boss/HR/Your Honor, That’s My Email

Ever hear of the acronym “CLEM”? That stands for career-limiting email and is a reminder to reconsider sending anything out in writing when a phone call may be the better option. If you have to think twice about hitting that send button, then you shouldn’t hit it. In an article titled, “For God’s Sake, Think […]

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Leveraging Generational Factors for Overall Success

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Leveraging Generational Factors for Overall Success

No matter what your office looks like—in a gig economy or a more traditional one, with or without AI—interviews will be a part of the culture. Learning about best practices benefits everyone, whether you are the interviewer or the interviewee. Especially at busy times, it can be easy to forget that an interview isn’t simply […]

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Get Moving…To Live!

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Get Moving…To Live!

The phrase: “If I’m lying, I’m dying” should be changed to: “If I’m sitting, I’m dying” even though it doesn’t rhyme. If you haven’t heard by now, sitting for long periods of time increases the chance that you’ll die early, regardless of your race, gender, age, body mass index (BMI), or even if you exercise. […]

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Tools to Support Working Parents

Senior VP, Operations at United Benefit Advisors
Tools to Support Working Parents

Today, balancing career and family is no longer a women-only issue. Employed parents of all genders say their primary concern is not having enough time for their children.While every family is different, employers can still take an active role in supporting working parents (sometimes, their teenagers too).   Rising trends include onsite childcare, dependent care flexible […]

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