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For your workers to enjoy the full financial benefits from their 401(k) plans, experts recommend that employee education sessions make sure that participants: Contribute enough to receive the maximum match. One expert estimates that at least one in three employees don’t make the maximum contribution, which means they’re leaving free money on the table. Avoid account trading. Because it’s all too easy for plan participants to panic at market bottoms and be over-confident at tops, advise them not to open their account statements during these periods. Diversify. Concentrating account balances in one or a few funds that employees feel will perform well or are safe means making a risky bet on only one economic scenario. Keep their money in the plan. Employees who take out loans on their funds, make withdrawals or cash out a 401(k) when they change jobs will have to pay taxes and penalties that reduce plan payout by almost 50%, which will make it impossible to save enough for retirement. Keep saving. Workers stop saving for a number of reasons. The equity market falls, their spouse loses a job, they want to save outside the plan for a home, car, boat, marriage, etc. It’s far better to lower their contribution if necessary, without going to 0%. Remember, employees need to average 15% in savings over an entire career to retire at their current standard of living. Focus on the bottom line. The most important factor in a 401(k) is not the allocation of assets, market timing, or investment performance, although these are important. It’s how much the employee saves! Make sure that you follow these guidelines in retirement planning education for your employees. They’ll be grateful for your encouragement and support.

A recent nationwide study found that more and more businesses and workers are benefiting from voluntary employee benefits programs. According to the Prudential Insurance Company State of Group Voluntary Benefits survey: More than six in ten employees surveyed (63%) believe that voluntary benefits increase the value of their company's benefits program. The percentage of employees who would like to receive more benefits grew to 34% from 24% a year ago. One in three employees feels that losing their voluntary benefits would be disruptive and expensive. "Employers and employees agree on the value of voluntary benefits," says Bob Patience Prudential Group Vice President, Voluntary Benefits Insurance. "Employers see an increase in employees' satisfaction with these programs, while employees appreciate their employers' endorsement of the products offered, and believe they get good value because of their employers' involvement and diligence." Voluntary benefits offers workers a number of advantages, including the education and resources they need to make informed decisions based on their needs. Taking full advantage of these programs is a great way for employees to improve their "wellness" - both physical and financial. What's more, voluntary benefits offer workers the convenience of employer-based enrollment systems and "pain free" payroll deduction. What employees saw as the primary advantage of voluntary benefits varied based on age, education, and gender. More than three in five workers (62%) over the age of 60 focused on the guaranteed coverage feature. More than half (56%) of college graduates preferred the wide range of available products. A slightly higher percentage (53%) of women than of men (45%) chose the convenience of payroll deductions. Our agency's professionals would be happy to advise you on creating or updating, your Voluntary Benefits program - just give us a call.

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After-school program merges soccer coaching and academic tutoring Watsonville >> Yoni Hernandez dashed around the Pajaro Middle School field at the center of a pack of students kicking a soccer ball Wednesday. Not that long ago, the 19-year-old Cabrillo College student was a player in the Breakaway College Access Project. Now, he's a coach in the after-school program that hooks kids with soccer and provides tutoring and mentoring to encourage them to get a high school diploma and continue on with their education. The program is celebrating five years of operations. As a Watsonville High freshman, Hernandez was part of Breakaway's first class. "In my family, no one had been to college so it was the last thing on my mind," he said. "(Breakaway) opened my eyes, and gave me the thought that college is an option to pursue a better life." Breakaway is the brainchild of a trio of soccer enthusiasts: coach Hillel Rom, former Watsonville High teacher Sara Roe and Carol Schimke, who brought organizational development expertise to her role as executive director. Schimke said the idea was to channel the Pajaro Valley's passion for soccer into academic success. "The caliber of kids coming out of the community every year (for soccer) is astounding," Schimke said. "We didn't see that same caliber coming out of the classroom." The program, which serves about 200 students annually, started at Watsonville High and expanded to Pajaro Middle two years ago. The voluntary drop-in three-hour sessions are split between honing soccer skills on the field and sharpening academic prowess in the classroom. Field trips to college soccer games provide opportunities for campus visits, and college coaches and players come to Watsonville as guest speakers. Students earn points for attendance, which are converted into scholarship dollars when they enroll in college. Every participant might not go right to college after high school, but the goal is to make sure they have the choice, Schimke said. "We plant the seed that college is an option," she said. Breakaway also stresses the importance of the relationships students form with their adult mentors. Program manager Eduardo Santana said students share their troubles with him and their joys. On New Year's Day, for example, several texted him good wishes. To him, it was a small, but meaningful gesture. "It showed me that I am making a positive difference in their lives," Santana said. Hernandez, who is majoring in sociology and plans to transfer to a four-year college in 2015, grew up in the same kind of neighborhoods as the participants. The stories he tells about his own youth — the pressure from gangs, the challenge to make good decisions — resonate with them, he said. "I give them the thought, 'He made it, and he's the same as us,'" Hernandez said. Content provided by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/education/ci_25479741/watsonville-soccer-program-coaches-college

From drinking or texting while driving to using a designated driver, there is a disconnect between what teenagers acknowledge as risky behavior and what they actually admit to doing behind the wheel, according to a survey from Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). While teens know certain behaviors and situations are risky, many don’t apply that knowledge when it comes to getting behind the wheel. For example, a good number say that it is acceptable for a designated driver to have alcohol or that a designated driver is simply the most sober person in a group. Also, a majority of teens admits to using a cell phone while driving despite knowing the danger. Drink and Drive According to the survey results, teens claim to understand the dangers surrounding drinking and driving: The majority (86 percent) of teen drivers consider driving under the influence of alcohol to be extremely or very distracting Only 1 percent of teens define driving under the influence of alcohol as acceptable Only 5 percent of teens admit to at least sometimes driving under the influence of alcohol However, when asked about actual driving behavior involving alcohol, driving “under the influence” takes on a different definition: One in 10 teens who say they never drive under the influence acknowledge that they occasionally drive after having an alcoholic beverage More than two-thirds of teens (68 percent) who admit to driving under the influence of alcohol say they have done so after having more than three alcoholic beverages According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a quarter of fatal crashes involving young drivers resulting from drinking and driving. “While many teens seem to have gotten the message about these driving dangers, the real challenge is to make sure they understand that even a sip of alcohol or a quick text at a red light can be deadly,” said David Melton, driving safety expert with Liberty Mutual Insurance and managing director of global safety. “Teens need to realize it’s not acceptable to put an allowable limit to their engagement in these behaviors – they need to be eliminated entirely when they are behind the wheel.” Defining ‘Designated’ While underage drinking is never acceptable and always illegal, many teens and parents consider a designated driver to be a safe alternative to impaired driving. In fact, more than half of parents (58 percent) encourage teens to use designated drivers to avoid driving under the influence, and almost half of teens (47 percent) admit to using one. However, teens’ definitions of “designated” are concerning: Designated Means “Basically Sober”: 21 percent of teens define their designated driver as allowed to have “a little” alcohol or other drugs, as long as they aren’t too impaired to drive Designated Means “Least Impaired”: 4 percent of teens describe their designated driver as the “most” sober person in the group “With teens reporting these lax definitions of what it means to be ‘under the influence,’ a zero tolerance approach is the only answer to prevent potential tragedy,” said Stephen Gray Wallace, senior advisor for policy, research and education at SADD. “The parents and community have a responsibility to initiate and maintain an open dialogue with teens about exactly what driving under the influence means.” SADD is peer-to-peer youth education, prevention, and activism organization. Talking and Texting According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than 3,300 deaths were reported in 2012 alone as the result of distracted driving, many attributed to talking or texting on a cell phone. Teens seem to understand the dangers of these behaviors: Nearly all (96 percent) teen drivers understand that using a cell phone while driving – either talking or texting – is at least slightly distracting 62 percent of teen drivers think texting and driving is extremely or very distracting However, according to the new data, teen drivers often do not grasp the dangers of what it actually means to use a phone while driving: The majority of teen drivers (86 percent) still admit to using a cell phone behind the wheel Nearly half (47 percent) of the teen drivers who say they never text while driving still admit to texting at a red light or stop sign 68 percent of teen drivers admit to reading or replying to text messages while driving “It’s critical not only for teens, but all drivers to understand that any time you pull out your phone when you are driving, whether you’re moving or at a stoplight, your attention is diverted and you put yourself, passengers and others on the road at risk,” said Melton. “If you need to use your phone while driving, find a safe place to pull off the road to make a call or send a text. It’s not worth the risk to respond at a stop sign or before the light turns green.” About the Study Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD commissioned ORC International to conduct a qualitative and quantitative methodology to measure teen driving attitudes and behaviors. The study was initiated with a series of focus groups held in Philadelphia, Pa., and Dallas, Texas from May 29 – May 30, 2013, followed by a survey of 2,537 eleventh and twelfth graders from across the country. Overall the findings from the study can be interpreted at a 95 percent confidence interval with an error margin of +/- 1.68 percent. Error margins for subsets such as licensed drivers will be wider. Additionally, the study surveyed 1,000 parents of high school aged teenage drivers, providing an overall error margin of +/- 2.94 percent. Content provided by http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2014/03/18/323582.htm