Halloween decorations and candies are already ubiquitous in stores. That means Thanksgiving and the various December religious holidays aren’t far behind. What tricks and treats do you have lined up for your employees to help them manage the frequently conflicting personal and professional priorities that arise during the holiday season?

America's pension system slipped two places and has fallen to 13th in the world in the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (MMGPI). Now in its sixth year, the MMGPI measured 25 retirement income systems against more than 50 indicators under the sub-indices of adequacy, sustainability and integrity.

So why exactly is it that Americans – and residents of many other developed countries – do such a truly terrible job of planning for long-term care (LTC) costs?

Financially stressed-out workers aren't good for businesses. Employees who bring their money worries [to work] tend to be less productive and less engaged, and even raise employer health care costs.

Seventy-four percent of middle-income employees derive the majority of their financial security from the benefits they receive at the workplace, according to the 2014 Guardian Workplace Benefits Study. Despite the importance of benefits, only one in four employees finds their company’s communications helpful in choosing what’s right for them.

Boomers worry about retirement health care costs, but don’t save for them. It’s not exactly news that a major consideration for retirees is the cost of health care. But the fact that boomers aren’t saving against that rainy (and unhealthy) day is starting to draw attention.

Though it’s a new feature this year, it looks like most Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enrollees won’t be auto-enrolling in their plans.

The watchdogs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have produced a report suggesting workplace financial wellness programs can save employers more than they spend on such programs.

With the Affordable Care Act’s new reporting requirements fast approaching, employers and their benefit advisers need more than ever to keep abreast of what’s happening with the ever-changing health care reform law. Here are five ACA issues the national law firm Epstein Becker Green says employers need to be following.

Plan sponsors are increasingly showing a willingness to incorporate new, more complex approaches to help their employees better prepare for retirement. But there’s at least one new plan design idea that remains largely unfamiliar to many of their advisors:

It seemed intuitive a few years ago when hospitals banned smoking and began offering healthier food choices in cafeterias and patients' rooms. Now it seems equally natural for hospitals to make sure they have healthy employees first – from physicians to custodians – if they want to make sure they have healthy communities. 

Open enrollment is one of the busiest times of year for benefit managers. But don’t let the stress of the season get you down. Use these four strategies to fight back against the ill effects of stress. 

Encouraging the use of video game-styled features on smartphones to boost participation in your wellness program might get employees off to a good start, but these tools might not be the best long-term solution to building engagement.

A study conducted by the Trust for America’s Health found that one in five Americans (62 million) get the flu each year. Despite the numbers, fewer than half of Americans (45 percent) got a flu shot during the 2012-2013 flu season.

There's an epidemic running rampant in the workplace, and if you just close your eyes, you'll know what it is.

Companies are trying to figure out just how far they can go to keep their workers fit and healthy. Employer wellness programs, designed to motivate employees to get in shape and address medical and lifestyle issues, have proliferated in recent years as bosses look for new ways to manage health-care costs. Nearly every major employer has some sort of initiative, many of which reward workers for their participation with discounts on insurance premiums or extra cash in their reimbursement accounts. 

Good health is priceless. But with the total annual cost of health care in the U.S. topping $3 trillion a year (about $8,650 per capita), or roughly 18 percent of GDP, employers and insurance companies are always looking for ways to spend less on it. A new study from the University of Michigan Health Management Research Center offers some encouraging news: Even as little as 10 or 20 minutes of daily exercise can "dramatically" lower the risk of developing serious chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, even for people at high risk.