Story Ideas

Stay up to date on the latest insurance and financial products and services trends, including return to work/stay at work, compliance, voluntary benefits, retirement readiness, paycheck protection and annuities. Learn more about The Standard’s insights and perspectives on these topics with the resources below: research studies, survey results, white papers, infographics, story angles and experts.

Media Inquiries

Get in touch with us for media inquiries.

Return to Work / Stay at Work

Leave, Disability and Employee Expectations

Employees want more from employers, but are companies meeting expectations? See the increasingly important role leave and disability programs have played over the past few years.

Story Ideas

Disability Management: The Right Support Fuels Workplace Productivity
Our recent survey found employers that take a comprehensive approach to disability management can help get employees back to work sooner and increase productivity.
Addressing Behavioral Health Conditions in the Workplace
Employers can make a difference by prioritizing how they support employees with mental health and substance use conditions and creating a stigma-free culture of acceptance and support.
Helping Employees Return to Work After Substance Abuse
Employers are being confronted by the increase in availability and use of drugs and the implications it has on their workforce.
Workplace Accommodations
Workplace accommodations don’t have to be complicated to be effective.
Ergonomic Strategies for an At-Home Workplace
Our disability and productivity experts can offer advice on ergonomic strategies and supplies to optimize employees' at-home workspaces.

Meet the Experts

Our industry experts are available to explain, advise and contribute to the trending conversations about the resources, plans and programs to help employees return to work or stay at work while managing a health condition in the workplace.

Jessica Bolar
Senior Product Manager, PFML
Charles Glassman, M.D.
Associate Medical Director
Dan Jolivet
Workplace Possibilities Practice Consultant
Melissa Oliver-Janiak
HR Director of Benefits
Jung Ryu
National Accounts Practice Leader
Brenda Smith
Senior Director, Workplace Possibilities
Jeff Smith
Workplace Possibilities Practice Consultant
Debra Villar
Manager, Disability Management Resources
Evelyn Wilkins-Green
Director of Clinical and Rehabilitation Services

Compliance

Insights to Help Improve Compliance

Many employers aren’t confident in how they’re managing FMLA and ADAAA compliance. See how to reduce risk and control costs.

Disability and Absence Programs

We talked to companies of all sizes, and here are some of the Absence and Disability challenges companies face at different stages of growth.

Story Ideas

ADAAA
Mishandling, delaying or refusing accommodations could result in an employee filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — or worse — a lawsuit for failing to accommodate a disabled employee.
Absence Management Trends
Stay-at-work and return-to-work assistance programs can help alleviate compliance responsibilities from an employer and help employees receive the resources they need to work comfortably.
Supporting Employee Caregivers to Drive Retention
Experts can provide insights on various leave types and benefits available, beyond leave, for employers.

Meet the Experts

The expert compliance team at The Standard can help navigate complicated industry regulations, stimulate discussion around paid family leave benefits and offer tips about absence management.

Melissa Oliver-Janiak
HR Director of Benefits
Katrina Smith
National Practice Leader, Absence Management

Retirement Readiness

Guidance for Each Life Stage

Put saving for retirement on your to-do list at every stage of your life and career. To see what actions to take now, choose the life stage that fits.

Story Ideas

Balancing Student Loans With Saving for Retirement
Millennials are earning more discretionary income and may be inclined to use that money to pay off their student loan debt — instead of saving for retirement.
Stable Value Funds
For employers with plan participants craving more conservative investment vehicles to help protect their money for retirement, a stable value fund can be the ideal product.
Behavioral Finance and Its Impact on Retirement Readiness
Key findings have proven that specific tips advisors provide upfront can help combat plan participants’ typical behavioral tendencies and make retirement planning seem simpler and more attainable.

Meet the Experts

Our retirement planning experts know the ins and outs of preparing for one’s financial future. They speak to the challenges of timing, behavior and lack of information with tips and advice about the products, resources and support available.

Kent Bartell
Director of Investment Research
Steve Chappell
Vice President of Distribution, Retirement Plan Sales
Ted Schmelzle
Second Vice President, Retirement Plan Services
Ken Waineo
Senior Director, Institutional Products
Jody Meth Yashinsky
Senior Director, Retirement Plan Recordkeeping Product Management

Paycheck Protection

Connect With 3 Generations

Surf the waves of changing values. Learn how to best connect with Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers.

Family Care Benefit

Educate clients about coverage that provides a benefit if they need to take time away from work to care for a child, parent or spouse with a serious health condition.

Story Ideas

Family Care Benefits
New individual disability insurance products can help clients focus on family caregiving should a family member become seriously ill or injured, without worrying about income.
Selling Individual Disability Insurance to Millennials
Millennials finding their footing in adulthood presents advisors with a huge opportunity to tap into this market for individual disability insurance sales.
Changing the IDI Conversation
When it comes to selling individual disability insurance, it’s important to recommend the coverage that provides clients the best value — that is, a policy that best suits their income protection needs in the long run as well as their budgets.

Meet the Experts

The knowledgeable individual disability insurance team at The Standard knows the importance of providing for one’s family. Their depth of expertise on the products and plans available can help families protect their income. Contact us for an interview or contributed article to learn more.

Adam Aschoff
Regional Director – GSI, Individual Disability Insurance
Chris Coy
Regional Director, Individual Disability Insurance
Jill Frohardt
Second Vice President, Individual Disability Insurance Sales
Jeremy Horner
Vice President, Individual Disability Insurance and Corporate Development
Patricia Lynch
Regional Director, Individual Disability Insurance
Patrick Sheehan
Regional Director – GSI, Individual Disability Insurance

Annuities

What Is the Cost of Waiting?

Even in a low interest-rate environment, an annuity's compounded growth and tax-deferral can grow your savings faster than you may think. What are you waiting for?

Using Fixed Annuities to Help Clients Transfer Wealth

As your clients get ready to retire, there is a huge opportunity for you to help them craft a wealth transfer strategy using fixed annuities.

Story Ideas

Tips for Successful Fixed Annuity Sales
The critical first step for selling annuities is understanding a client’s priorities.
Volatility-Controlled Annuity
While the S&P 500 remains the most popular index for an index annuity due to its simplicity and familiarity, volatility-controlled indices have become popular as well.
Overcoming Annuity Misconceptions
Regardless of how clients obtained their inaccurate perceptions of annuities, it’s our job to correct them.

Meet the Experts

Learn more from The Standard’s individual annuities experts on how annuities can offer peace of mind to one’s financial portfolio. The team is versed in providing successful sales tips, clarifying misconceptions and articulating how clients can reduce risk and provide a predictable financial future.

Paul Garofoli
Regional Sales Director, Individual Annuities
Rich Lane
Vice President Individual Annuities Sales and Marketing
Mark MacGillivray
Director of Financial Institutions, Individual Annuities
John Williams
Regional Sales Director, Individual Annuities

Corporate and Community Involvement

Employee Volunteerism

From donating millions of dollars annually to volunteering thousands of hours each year, The Standard and our employees make a real difference in the communities we call home.

Employee Programs

Our legacy of giving is grounded in a partnership between employees and the company to create opportunities and deliver results.

Story Ideas

Employee Volunteerism
Giving back to our community through volunteer hours, events and company initiatives.
Corporate Giving
Each year, our employees donate millions to nonprofits across the nation.
Board Leadership Training
Our executives serve on dozens of nonprofit boards. To prepare, they participate in annual board training sessions sponsored by The Standard.
Sustainability
Our buildings feature locally sourced supplies, recycled materials and renewable energy.

Meet the Experts

Learn more from The Standard’s subject matter experts on a range of corporate community involvement topics from volunteerism and giving to operational sustainability. Contact us for an interview or a contributed article.

Bob Speltz
Executive Director of The Standard Charitable Foundation and Senior Director of Community Relations