With four generations now in the workforce—Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z—employers must put more attention into offering a wide array of employee benefits. Increasingly, they’re doing this through voluntary benefits, which employees can opt into through simple payroll deductions. From student debt relief to individual long term care, these benefits can appeal […]

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued new rules that make an estimated 1.3 million more workers eligible for overtime pay. Effective in 2020, regulations state that any worker who earns less than $35,568 annually should be compensated for overtime. How are the new rules seen as a compromise between the two political parties? And […]

Actuaries have a focused task: to determine the likelihood and financial impact of events in both the near and distant future. But while the job is focused, it’s certainly not simple, requiring actuaries to draw on skills in mathematics, statistics and complex financial theory. In this overview from the Internal Revenue Service, learn about the […]

As a national conversation continues about the future of American workers, many political leaders have focused on raising state minimum wages. While some states saw incremental increases in 2019 to keep pace with the cost of living, others like Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey took more ambitious steps to raise their minimum wage to $15 […]

With more and more states legalizing marijuana for recreational use, experts predict that federal legalization is inevitable. Yet along with this change comes a major question: how can governments effectively tax marijuana to produce revenue and encourage the most socially desirable outcomes? The answer is far from simple, says Jonathan P. Caulkins, a professor of […]

Most actuaries are drawn to the field because of their interest in math or problem solving. But in fact, that’s just the beginning of what’s required for the role. And while about two-thirds of actuaries are employed by the insurance industry, they’re increasingly seeking out other positions at banks, law firms, corporations and government agencies. […]

Ask actuaries about their jobs and you might hear a familiar refrain: “Every day is a little different.” But dive more deeply into the details and you start to see a vivid picture of an actuary’s work. In the full article from Investopedia, read three in-depth profiles of actuaries and their typical workdays. Find out […]

Among the 36 countries in the OECD—those who have pledged to develop and share solutions to economic and social problems—governments currently hold over $78 trillion in unfunded defined benefit pension obligations. For comparison, this is nearly twice the amount of national debt owed by the same countries. How will the world’s most advanced countries deliver […]

Big data helps us decipher the “what” of consumer behavior: the prevalence and frequency of certain activities. But how do we understand the “why” behind this data? That’s where the discipline of media psychology comes in. According to expert Pamela Rutledge, humans are motivated by the same needs and desires as our primitive ancestors. By […]

If you ask the average person about the effects of social media, you’ll likely get a negative response. They’ll mention how social channels distort our conception of real life, or the outsized role they can play in determining our daily happiness. But the truth, according to researchers, is that how social media affects us is […]