NEWS & EVENTS

As if the cyber insurance market wasn’t difficult enough, a new development known as the Apache Log4j Vulnerability has surfaced and is causing quite a stir. In this article, we'll discuss what the Apache Log4j Vulnerability is, why it’s so concerning, and what you can do today to keep your business protected.

According to Forbes, over 30,000 sites are hacked every single day, with a new cyber attack happening somewhere on the web every 39 seconds. We know that sounds scary, but the good news is that there’s actually a lot you can do to protect yourself and your business should any of them happen to you.

A cyber-attack can damage your business’ computer system, cause irreparable harm to your brand reputation, and put your customers and employees at risk. That’s why it should come as no surprise that cyber insurance has quickly become one of the most sought-after forms of liability coverage in the world.

While we recommend that most people at least take out a small umbrella policy, there are some situations where that recommendation is more of an insistence on our part. Here are the top ten reasons to invest in a quality umbrella insurance policy.

On Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a temporary stay on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and Testing for the workplace.

The Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS’s) Employee Benefit Audit Program is used to audit and enforce. In the event of noncompliance with regulations, the IRS can impose taxes, penalties and interest.

On Nov. 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS) to address COVID-19 transmission in the workplace. Affected employers will be required to comply with most provisions of the ETS by Dec. 6, 2021, and with its testing requirements by Jan. 4, 2022.

Fall is a beautiful time of year, but it’s also when most wildlife-vehicle collisions occur. More than 300,000 of such incidents happen yearly between October and December, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

Winter is fast approaching, and with it comes increased driving risks for your employees. In fact, according to the Federal Highway Administration, approximately 76,000 people are injured in traffic accidents during snowfall each year.

Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) announced that it submitted a draft of its emergency temporary standard(ETS) for private employers requiring mandatory COVID-19 testing or vaccination to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

As open enrollment season approaches, many employers are finding themselves with hybrid workforces due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a mix of employees working on-site and remotely, it’s imperative employers make necessary adjustments to secure a successful open enrollment.

A diminishing deductible, frequently referred to as a “vanishing” or “disappearing” deductible, is additional coverage that rewards you for being a safe driver. Some auto insurances may decrease your deductible over time if you avoid car accidents and maintain a clean driving record.

Health care is rarely straightforward for the average consumer. Many individuals need help making sense of their options both during open enrollment and when receiving health services.

As summer ends and outdoor temperatures begin to drop, it’s important for construction employers like you to find ways to keep the job site warm. Temporary heaters are a common tool used for warming construction sites. Although these heaters can be effective, they also carry several risks.

Hurricanes and tropical storms pose significant safety risks, and it’s vital to be properly prepared throughout hurricane season. As the tropics heat up, here area few tips to help you stay safe before, during and after tropical storms, depressions and hurricanes.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) amended the rules regarding pre-existing condition exclusions in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

Fall signals cooler weather, and the pleasant temperatures let you comfortably do necessary home maintenance before winter arrives. By taking the time to maintain your home each season, you can keep common household problems at bay.

Employers are increasingly using electronic media in connection with their employee benefit plans, including their group health plans. In general, federal law allows employers to provide most health plan notices electronically, provided they comply with certain rules regarding electronic delivery.

In recent years, cyber incidents have surged in both cost and frequency. Although employers within the construction industry may think that their cyber exposures are minimal, this often isn’t the case. Rather, such vulnerabilities can come from a variety of different avenues and lead to devastating damages.

Employers that sponsor group health plans have some different options available to them for designing their plans’ enrollment process. When it comes to enrollment, health plan sponsors should have rules in place.

Securing your personal devices, protecting your vehicle from theft, and eliminating household radon dangers. Click the link below to read more on tips for protecting your personal items this fall.

On Aug. 30, 2021, the IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2021-36 to index the contribution percentages in 2022 for determining affordability of an employer’s plan under the Affordable Care Act(ACA).

As the exterior and interior components of a building begin to wear, aging system scan fail, including electrical systems. Electrical systems must be well-maintained, otherwise they can become severe hazards to buildings and their inhabitants.

Since classic and antique vehicles are all so different, your insurance coverage will be specific to your vehicle and how often you plan to use it. There are many considerations which you and Christensen Group Insurance will discuss while creating a policy to suit your classic car.

Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibits group health plans and group health insurance issuers from applying any waiting period that exceeds 90 days. This waiting period limit does not require an employer to offer coverage to any particular employee or class of employees, including part-time employees. It only prevents an otherwise eligible employee (or dependent) from having to wait more than 90 days before coverage under a group health plan becomes effective.

Health benefits costs are almost certainly going to rise in 2021. They’ve been trending upward for years—over 50% in the last decade, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation—and the current state of economic uncertainty over COVID-19 won’t slow things down. Realistically, after enduring months of business closures and managing exhausted workforces, many employers will be lucky to maintain uninterrupted operations.

On Aug. 20, 2021, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury (Departments) issued frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the implementation of the No Surprises Act and transparency provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA).

While being involved in the construction process for a new building or structure is exciting, it also carries numerous risks. Fortunately, that’s where builders risk insurance can help. Here’s an overview of what builders risk insurance covers, how it works and who needs it.

Some retirement plan expenses can be paid for with plan assets — but many can’t. Which are the “reasonable and necessary” retirement plan expenses that can be paid out of plan assets?

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides COBRA premium assistance to eligible individuals and imposes notice requirements on health plans. One such requirement is that plans must notify eligible individuals about when their premium assistance ends, and whether they may be eligible for regular COBRA coverage or coverage under another group health plan.

If you are considering renting out your home, take the following considerations to heart before doing so. In this article, you will learn the renting to do's and how to protect your personal property.

Managing a restaurant brings numerous challenges. After all, restaurant owners must consistently deliver exceptional food and service, maintain a loyal customer base and ensure employee safety. This resource summarizes common risks that restaurant owners must address and includes helpful strategies they can use to prevent potential claims.

Insurance is one of the most important tools available to help farmers control their unique risks. That’s why most have some form of farm liability insurance. Put simply, farm liability insurance protects farmers and their assets from lawsuits and losses caused by bodily injury and property damage.

According to plan sponsors, one of the most harrowing aspects of their fiduciary obligations is to ensure that plan fees are reasonable. From administration and recordkeeping to compliance and investment management—how can a plan sponsor feel assured that they are aware of all plan fees, understand them thoroughly and then determine their fair and reasonableness? It’s quite a task!

If someone were to ask you what was covered under your auto insurance policy, would you be able to tell them? Like most of us, you would probably have a hard time confidently answering that question. Interpreting the various types of coverage offered under your auto insurance policy can be tricky, but extremely beneficial.

Work flexibility is consistently cited as a post-pandemic trend, and many employers are already introducing hybrid work models in their reopening plans. Turnover is a common occurrence throughout any given year. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, turnover rates fell dramatically.

Many plan sponsors struggle with deciding how many investment options to offer in their retirement plans. While people generally like to have lots of options when making other decisions, having too many plan options can potentially lead to poor investment decisions by plan participants.

Hotel operations carry many liability, security and property risks—all of which could lead to costly damages. That’s why it’s vital to have effective loss control measures in place. This resource outlines common risks hotel owners must address and offers helpful strategies to avoid possible claims.

Umbrella insurance provides an extra layer of protection if you’re held responsible for injuring someone or damaging their property. An umbrella policy can offer coverage if you incur claim expenses that exceed the limits for your homeowners, auto or other personal liability insurance policies.

On July 1, 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services(HHS), Labor, and the Treasury, as well as the Office of Personnel Management, issued “Requirements Related to Surprise Billing; Part I,”.

As a retirement plan sponsor, you want your employees to save the most they can in order to reach their maximum retirement potential. A significant amount of research says that you can improve both employee participation and their saving rates.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s(DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has updated its “COVID-19 and the Family and Medical Leave Act Questions and Answers” web page, originally published in 2020. As before, the Q&As explain that—under the FMLA—covered employers must provide eligible employees with job-protected, unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons.

Sewer backups occur when something blocks the normal flow of wastewater from your house to the city's sewer, causing sewage to back up into your home. There are several potential causes of sewer backups, including aging sewer systems, broken or collapsed sewer lines, tree roots entering sewer lines and sump pump failure.

Recent findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) confirmed that household construction costs have surged over the past year. This rise in construction costs is directly tied to soaring building material expenses—namely, the price of lumber.

Despite the benefits of curbside pickup, however, these operations also carry a range of risks for restaurant owners to consider. If your restaurant currently offers or is considering implementing curbside pickup, review this guidance to learn more about the risks associated with such operations and how to properly mitigate them.

There is a cyberattack every 39 seconds, according to recent estimates from the University of Maryland. Organizations must always be ready for the worst to happen. In the unfortunate event of a security breach, it’s important to be prepared with a basic communication and action plan.

An overwhelming majority of states require individuals to carry insurance in order to operate a vehicle. While meeting these minimum limits may be enough to get you on the road, they may be inadequate if you are involved in a serious accident.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a fee on health insurance issuers and plan sponsors of self-insured health plans to help fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The fee, called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee, is calculated based on the average number of lives covered under the policy or plan.

The risk of a tenant filing a lawsuit against you for any property damage or bodily injury they sustain at your building is a constant concern. Fortunately, that’s where lessor’s risk only (LRO) insurance can help.

On June 11, 2021, the IRS released new FAQs about tax credits for eligible employers who voluntarily provide paid employee leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Most recently the (ARP)—extended and enhanced the tax credits available for employers that choose to provide FFCRA leave through Sept. 30, 2021.

Your home is one of your greatest assets and a significant long-term investment. As such, it’s vital to protect your home and its contents with adequate homeowners insurance. Nevertheless, recent research found that many homeowners lack proper coverage.

Burnout is a commonly discussed issue these days—particularly while many workforces are still working from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Being isolated, stressed and overworked puts employees in a difficult position and can lead to increased burnout.  

This Compliance Overview includes a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help employers understand ERISA’s requirements for reporting and disclosure. It includes information on COVID-19-related deadline relief.

Employers may be familiar with high deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health care accounts, such as health savings accounts (HSAs). A CDHP is simply the combination of those benefits—an HDHP paired with a health care spending account.

On May 10, 2021, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2021-25 to provide the inflation-adjusted limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and high deductible health plans (HDHPs) for 2022. The IRS is required to publish these limits by June 1 of each year.

After a downward trend in the frequency of vehicle thefts, there was a dramatic increase in 2020, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau(NICB).

This month's issue focuses on commercial building spring maintenance and the impact of telematics on commercial auto insurance.

Workers’ compensation covers benefits for your employees if and when they are injured on the job. It can provide flexible compensation for things like doctors’ appointments, surgeries, physical therapy, medications and other treatment.

Spring is here! Learn about bike safety, the importance of vehicle recall notices and painting safety at home.

As an event organizer, how can you effectively do your job while dealing with the worrying fact that you will be accountable for health and safety slip-ups? Simple: You can keep employees, contractors and members of the public safe at your event by following some easy-to-adopt guidance.

Slips, trips and falls are a leading cause of insurance claims for businesses, affecting virtually every industry. A look inside Advisen’s database shows which industries and states have the highest frequency and severity of these claims.

National Hurricane Preparedness Week—which is scheduled for May 9-15 this year—encourages individuals to evaluate their personal hurricane risks and implement measures to keep themselves and their homes protected during a hurricane. As the 2021 hurricane season approaches, prepare yourself and your household with these tips.

On April 7, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor issued answers to frequently asked questions about the American Rescue Plan Act’s premium assistance for health insurance continuation coverage under COBRA and similar state mini-COBRA programs. The DOL’s FAQs are reprinted in this Compliance Bulletin.

Employers may treat employees differently, as long as they are not violating federal rules that prohibit discrimination in favor of highly compensated employees. These rules currently apply to self-insured health plans that allow employees to pay their premiums on a pre-tax basis.

On April 2, the IRS published Notice 2021-23 to provide guidance for employers claiming the employee retention credit (ERC) for the first two quarters of 2021. There have been changes to ERC by other laws including, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) on March 11.

On April 7, the US DOL issued FAQs and model notices for the COBRA premium assistance provisiions of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) which provides a 100% subsidy for employer-sponsored group health insurance continued under COBRA for eligible individuals.

As worsening social inflation concerns, surging medical expenses and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to contribute to a rise in liability claim frequency and severity, the general liability market has preceded to harden.

Your employer provides you with a retirement plan for you to save money in, tax-deferred, for the day you bid your career farewell and enter into retirement. How well do you know your plan?

Catalytic converter theft is on the rise in Minnesota. The cost to replace a stolen catalytic converter can be several thousand dollars. Be aware of the risk and take practical steps to avoid it.

Many times we get caught up in the number: Do you have enough life insurance? However, an equally important question is: Do you have the right type of life insurance?

For the past decade, the commercial auto insurance space has been largely unprofitable for carriers. In this environment, many carriers have elevated premium costs. Unfortunately, this hard market is expected to continue into 2021.

Retirement is a whole new phase of life. You’ll experience many new things, and you’ll leave others behind – but what you won’t avoid is taxes. Read on for tips about developing a retirement income strategy as you approach or begin retirement.

This Compliance Overview summarizes key features for HSAs, including the contribution limits for 2021.

Elective deferral contributions to a traditional retirement plan are contributed on a pre-tax basis and help lower your current taxable income. Roth elective deferral contributions, however, are much like a Roth IRA in that contributions are made on an after-tax basis.

This article outlines four ways HR teams can prepare for future public health crises. Employers can use this information to help cope with the current COVID-19 pandemic fallout and beyond.

The workers’ compensation insurance market has remained mostly stable, performing as an outlier relative to other lines of insurance by producing profitable underwriting results. Yet, some emerging trends have the potential to cause an uptick in workplace accidents and claims.

Health care industry cyberattacks cost an estimated $13 billion last year according to a newly released report.

Water is one of the most common causes of property damage. With warm weather approaching, learn about some ways you can prevent a loss due to water damage.

The FMCSA recently released its strategic plan for 2021-2023, with one in particular focusing on safety. Read about the 5 strategic objectives to help reduce fatalities and injuries related to the operation of commercial motor vehicles.

The CDC released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people who have had exposure to someone with COVID-19.

An announcement about an expansion within Christensen Group's commercial insurance practice.

A summary of the ACA's employer reporting requirements under IRS Code Sections 6055 and 6056. Part one of two.

A summary of the ACA's employer reporting requirements under IRS Code Sections 6055 and 6056. Part two of two.

Recruiting has never been simple, and the COVID-19 pandemic is complicating matters even more. In this rapidly changing landscape, employers need to adapt if they want to attract and retain quality talent.

The DOL released its 2021 inflation-adjusted civil monetary penalities that may be assessed on employers for violations of a wide range of federal laws including OSHA.

As prescription drug costs continue to increase, it’s important for employers to understand the trends behind the rise and what they can do to better manage their health care expenses.

An update about COVID-19 vaccine coverage for non-grandfathered group health plans.

An update from the DOL, H&HS and the U.S. Treasury on greater flexibility for grandfathered plans.

A list of updated annual dollar limits for HDHPs, HSAs, FSAs, 401(k) plans and transportation fringe benefit plans, updated for inflation by the IRS.

The COVID-19 pandemic has solidified remote work as a new operational standard. This article discusses some cybersecurity risks that remote employees face and offers potential solutions.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting the workforce, and the combination of another potentially bad flu season and the pandemic has public health experts worried.

Working parents are under a lot of pressure to deal with new schooling routines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article discusses various accomodations employers can make for their employees who are experiencing these changes.

Join us as we share the expertise and insights of Penny Phillips and Grant Collins for a discussion of the practical and legal issues surrounding COVID-19 vaccination policies, incentives and premium surcharges.

Watch attorney, Greg Peters, discuss recent labor and employment updates ranging from Executive Orders to Supreme Court updates, as well as Minnesota Agency and Legislative updates.

Join us for conversation about lowering expenses for auto fleets with industry experts, Doug Grawe, Gary Randall and Tim Munoz.

This presentation provides general information about the BCBS settlement.

Join us as we share the expertise and insights of Penny Phillips and Sara McGrane for a discussion of the practical and legal issues surrounding COVID-19 vaccination policies.

Join us as we share the expertise, insights and experiences of a nationally recognized legal team, Julius Gernes and Steve Pattee, from Donna Law Firm based in Minnesota and a veteran fleet risk manager, Dan Kugler, of Risk & Insurance Consultancy based in Wisconsin.

The market continues to harden, capacity continues to shrink, and losses continue to mount through COVID-claims, natural disasters, social inflation and nuclear verdicts. Captives provide an alternative risk financing option to counter the impacts of the traditional marketplace.