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Rhodes-Warden Insurance Blog

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Insurance

Tips for Preparing for Your Holiday Driving Trip

Millions of Americans will do some traveling this holiday season - the majority of it by car. Of course, winter weather creates a unique set of challenges on the roadways, whether you're simply driving around in Lebanon...

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Supreme Court Rules on Affordable Care Act

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of two contentious provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the case National Federation of Independent Business et al. v. Sibelius, Secretary of Health...

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Now that your kid is in college, it's time to put “Insurance 101" on your class list:

It's an exciting time when your child heads off to college. Whether they're attending school in Oregon or have moved all the way across the country, there were a ton of things to get done last month, but did you...

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Covering the Disability Income Gap

Employer group disability income plans offer tremendous tax advantages to both employer and employee. The employer can deduct premiums as a business expense, and they do not count toward the employee's taxable income....

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Understanding Retirement Plan Fees and Expenses

ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act), the federal law governing private-sector retirement plans, requires those responsible for managing retirement plans to carry out their responsibilities prudently and...

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Halloween Safety: Be Ready When the Little Goblins Come Out

It's a night full of treats for both kids and adults. But a number of factors - including lots of people walking in the dark, the threat of wet and stormy weather, strangers coming to your door - mean that Halloween can...

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Audit Alert!

When conducting a dependent audit, please be aware that the Affordable Care Act prohibits health plans from rescinding coverage, except in the event of fraud, intentional misrepresentation of material fact or failure to...

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Save Money with a Dependent Audit

Although employers have no obligation to subsidize dependent coverage, many do. By dropping coverage for ineligible dependents, your firm saves that premium contribution. Even if you don't subsidize dependent coverage,...

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Vision Care: A Clear Choice

According to the most recent U.S. Department of Labor National Compensation Survey, just 26 percent of workers in private industry had access to employer-provided vision care benefits. In comparison, 70 percent had...

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Cash Balance Plans: The Best of Both Worlds?

Pension plans fall into one of two categories: defined benefit plans or defined contribution plans. A cash balance plan has features of both. They can also be simpler to administer than some other plans. Is a cash...

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Get the Most Out of Your RV This Summer

There's nothing quite like taking a road trip in an RV. Whether you're headed to somewhere nearby or somewhere farther away this summer, Rhodes-Warden Insurance wants you to get the most out of your travels. General...

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Critical Illness Insurance: Filling the Benefits Gap

Two important trends are converging and affecting employers' health benefit programs. As medical technologies and treatments improve, more people are surviving once-fatal forms of cancer, heart disease and other...

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Qualified vs. Nonqualified Plans?

Are you looking to reward a few highly compensated employees? Are you unwilling to take on a lot of extra benefits paperwork and administrative costs? A nonqualified retirement plan could meet the needs of your...

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FSAs or HSAs: Which One When?

Health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) let employees or dependents set aside money, before taxes, for qualified healthcare expenses. Employers can use them to incentivize employees to...

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Make Your Vacation a Great One

Whether you're planning a trip to a local attraction in Oregon this summer, or headed all the way across the country, you want your vacation to be relaxing. It's a getaway from work, not to mention your day-to-day life....

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The Next Trend: Consumer-Driven Dental?

No doubt you've heard the buzz about consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs), which seek to control employers' healthcare costs by giving consumers "skin in the game." With the cost of providing dental benefits increasing,...

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Long-Term Care Insurance Helps Protect Retirement Funds

The National Retirement Risk Index published by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found 44 percent of U.S. households were "at risk" for financial insecurity during retirement. When it considered the...

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How Does Your 401(k) Measure Up?

The Profit Sharing/401k Council of America's 54th Annual Survey of Profit Sharing and 401k Plans provides an in-depth look at current practices in profit-sharing and 401(k) plans. Eligibility: Respondents reported that...

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A Home Inventory Will Help You Know What You Own

Why should I have a home inventory? - Your furniture and appliances, clothing, sports or hobby equipment, and electronic goods are all regarded as personal property. Like many people in Oregon, you may own much more...

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Do Your Benefits Communications Make the Grade?

If your employees are typical, fewer than 20 percent know how much you contribute each month toward their health insurance premiums. How can employees value their benefits if they don't know what they cost? Surprisingly,...

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Low-Cost Options Enhance Life Benefits

The year was 1911, the city was Passaic, New Jersey, and the company was the now-defunct Pantasote Leather Company. That's when and where the first group life insurance policy was issued. The most common form of group...

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Pregnancy and Maternity: Avoid Costly Discrimination Claims

Women comprised 46.8 percent of the total U.S. labor force in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Many of these working women will become pregnant at least once during their careers. Improper handling of...

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Saver’s Credit Makes Saving for Retirement More Attractive

Looking to boost employee participation in your retirement plans? Remind them of the retirement savings contributions credit (saver's credit), which allows qualifying individuals to take a tax credit of up to $1,000 ($2,...

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COBRA Benefits: What You Need to Know

COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, allows workers and family members who would otherwise lose their benefits to temporarily continue health coverage at group rates. If you had 20 or more...

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Safety Tips for Your Boat Trailer

When purchasing a trailer in Oregon or elsewhere, stay within recommended capacity guidelines. When determining capacity, remember to include the weight of fuel and accessories in addition to the weight of the craft....

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Retirement Account Limits for 2012

The Internal Revenue Service has announced dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement accounts for Tax Year 2012. In general, many of the pension plan limitations will change because the increase in the...

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Wellness Programs: Why, What, Who and How

As healthcare costs continue to rise faster than inflation, wellness programs have gotten a lot of attention lately. What exactly is a wellness program, and how do you start one? Why wellness? First off, lifestyle...

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Housekeeping for Retirement Plans

As with nearly everything else, retirement plans require periodic maintenance to keep running smoothly. Here are some suggestions to ensure your plan complies with all laws and regulations and meets the goals of your...

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Healthcare Reform Update

In late March, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on several provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) essentially determining its fate. Most attention centered on the minimum coverage provision, the so-called "...

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Telecommuting as a Benefit

With employees working harder than ever before, many say it's becoming more difficult to find a balance between work and home life. If you want a low-cost way to improve job satisfaction and increase productivity,...

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FMLA Administration

The good news is employers are doing a better job of complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Between 2001 and 2008, the number of complaints the U.S. Department of Labor received dropped by one-third, as...

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Be Safe on Your Motorcycle

To stay safe on our Oregon streets and highways, you need the right skills to control your ride, and the best safety equipment for just-in-case. Rhodes-Warden Insurance cares about your safety - so keep these helpful...

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How FSAs Help Employers and Employees Save Money

If your organization doesn't already offer healthcare flexible spending accounts, year-end is the perfect time to start. And if your organization does offer employees this valuable benefit, now is the time to re-educate...

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Retain Top Talent with“Golden Handcuffs”

Even in a difficult economic environment, employers need to attract and retain top talent. One way to do this is by offering high-level executives a non-qualified deferred bonus plan, also known as a supplemental...

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Spring is Coming!

With the days getting longer and the weather getting warmer, we're starting to think about spring. (Or at least hoping that springtime is coming, anyway.) And whether spring arrives on time, we've got you covered with...

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The Care and Feeding of Consumer-Driven Health Plans

Employers like CDHPs because these plans help them slash the cost of providing medical benefits. When used well, consumer-driven health plans help individuals and families get better healthcare while reducing the cost...

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Disabilities: Myths and Realities

Here are the top misperceptions employees have about disability, according to The Council for Disability Awareness: It's not going to happen to me. A disabling accident occurs every two seconds in the United States, yet...

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Why Everyone Needs Long-Term Disability Insurance

What would your employees do if they became injured or ill and couldn't work for an extended period of time? By the time people reach age 35, they have a one in three chance of being disabled for more than 90 days...

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The Pros and Cons of AD&D

Accidents can happen in an instant, but the consequences can last a lifetime. Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance gives your employees added financial security in sudden and tragic circumstances. AD&...

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ERISA and Your Voluntary Benefits

ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, governs any "employee welfare benefit plan" that is "established or maintained by an employer" for the purpose of providing benefits to the plan's participants and...

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It’s Time to Battle Obesity in the Workplace

People who are obese are 42% more like to require medical care than normal weight people as found by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. And the problem is getting worse: Two-thirds of adults are now either overweight...

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Voluntary Benefits Meet Diverse Employee Needs

Small businesses might be missing an opportunity to enhance their benefit programs and employee loyalty! In a 2009 survey by the nonprofit International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 84 percent of employers...

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Design Your Own Health Plan with an HRA

What healthcare plan allows employers to set their own maximum for employee healthcare costs, can be structured to cover 100 percent of preventive care for most employees, and gives employees greater incentive to manage...

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Housekeeping For Retirement Plans

As with nearly everything else, retirement plans require periodic maintenance to keep running smoothly. Here are some suggestions to ensure your plan complies with all laws and regulations and meets the goals of your...

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Five Retirement Plan Problems And What You Can Do About Them

Low enrollments and low contributions not only mean that you're not getting your money's worth out of your administrative dollars; they can also translate into decreased employee loyalty and failure of nondiscrimination...

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No Slip-Sliding Away: How To Stay On The Road

One thing is easy to foretell: Unpredictable weather can cause reduced visibility and hazardous driving conditions that make it challenging for even the most experienced drivers. Fortunately, there are ways to protect...

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Things to Keep in Mind When Buying a Car

Buying a new car is an exciting time - but it can also be stressful. After all, you're trying to get the best deal on price, while also deciding on the make, model and features you need. We can't really help you become...

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