by Mike Ignatz | Nov 19, 2014 | Benefits Costs, Custom Plan Design, Employee Benefits
In the Fall 2014 edition of Canadian Treasurer Magazine, The Benefits Trust’s Robert Crowder (President) and Karen Taylor Smith (Senior Manager, Group Benefits) were interviewed, along with six of the other top benefits consultants in Canada, to comment on the topic...
by Robert J. Crowder CLU, GBA | Sep 18, 2014 | Benefits Costs, Coordination of Benefits, Custom Plan Design, Employee Benefits, Executive Benefits
That’s right: most off-the-shelf benefits plans on the market discriminate against executives. It’s simple when you think about it. Let’s say everyone in your company has the same, standard benefits plan. When you hire a new employee in an entry-level position and...
by Karen Taylor Smith | Jul 18, 2014 | Benefits Costs, Benefits Taxation, Employee Benefits
Which taxes apply to ASO group benefits plans in Ontario? Premium Tax = 2.0% Provincial Insurance Tax = 8.0% HST = 13.0% Premium Tax on ASO Benefits Plans Premium tax is determined for each employee based on that employee’s province of residence. Premium tax on...
by Karen Taylor Smith | Jun 18, 2014 | Benefits Costs, Custom Plan Design, Employee Benefits
The right compensation can be the key to retaining your best employees and attracting talented newcomers. Small business owners can maximize the value of their compensation with smart spending on employee benefits. A recent article from MarketWatch, a Wall Street...
by Mike Ignatz | Dec 9, 2013 | Benefits Costs, Employee Benefits
A benefits plan is a promise between an employer and employee. You can design your promise to include cost controls, but the most common tactics rely on small changes within the structure of the plan. Reducing per-person or family maximums, increasing drug plan...
by Karen Taylor Smith | Nov 13, 2013 | Benefits Costs, Custom Plan Design, Employee Benefits
When most people think about differentiating benefits for groups of employees, they assume the groups are separated by role. An example would be a benefits plan that provides executives with different benefits than customer service representatives (CSR) in small and...
