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This is What a Train Wreck Looks Like

"MSNBC, an ardent supporter of both the President and his health care law, sat down to bask in the glory of ObamaCare.... It's painful to watch, yet you just can't stop looking. The reporter attempted to sign up but ran in to problem after problem ... Error pages, web chats that didn't go anywhere, horrible customer service reminiscent of the IRS, and in the end, no ObamaCare. In fact, in the irony of ironies, the only part about the ObamaCare signup process that worked was the government's data collection program. So the government gets your information, but you don't get ObamaCare."

Colleges Roll Back Faculty Hours in Response to Obamacare

"Adjunct faculty from at least four universities will also see their hours cut as colleges try to reduce the number of full-time employees whose health care they need to cover.... Only contingent faculty -- as opposed to full-time, tenure-track faculty -- would be affected by the change in policy.... Teachers' associations like AAUP and AFT are bracing for the shift.... [B]oth organizations are hoping the federal government will require universities to count time spent outside the classroom as part of adjunct faculty's work hours."

Retirement Means Recruitment for Some Employers

"The rise of the older worker is cast sometimes as a problematic feature of the current job climate: a 'gray ceiling' in which the lingering of older employees leaves scant opportunity for younger workers to be hired, developed, and promoted. The challenge is genuine, as recent headlines about a 'lost' generation of youth imply. But take a larger and longer view, and the picture may be much more positive. There's the potential for ample demand for younger and older workers alike. Many seniors, for their part, are engaged in a righteous rebellion against artificial limits -- against the notion that hitting 65 means one's contributions to society are largely in the rearview mirror."

IRS Gearing Up for New Responsibilities in Health Care

"The Supreme Court's decision to uphold most of President Barack Obama's health care law will come home to roost for most taxpayers in about 2-1/2 years, when they'll have to start providing proof on their tax returns that they have health insurance. That scenario puts the Internal Revenue Service at the center of the debate, renewing questions about whether the agency is capable of policing the health care decisions of millions of people in the United States while also collecting the taxes needed to run the federal government."

Your Family Is Probably Losing $155k from 401(k) Plan, and Why New Rules Won't Help

"The Demos study, released last month, is just the latest in a long string of research showing 401(k) plans are a better deal for Wall Street than for you. Many show that people lose about one-third of their retirement money to fees that they don't even know they're paying. The actual lifetime impact of fees is a matter of widespread debate, but it shouldn't be. In one dramatic example, John Bogle, the inventor of index funds, demonstrated how fees can consume 80 percent of an investor's money through something he'd dubbed 'the tyranny of compounding fees.'"

'Bad Deal' Lump Pension Payouts for Veterans Draw New Scrutiny

"Lump sum pension payments for vets are big business, targeting 1.5 million former service members who receive $40 billion annually. Companies that provide them have attracted negative attention from military advocates for years. Tales of retired or injured vets getting 30 to 40 cents on the dollar are easy to find. In 2004, Congress threatened legislation designed to banish the industry, and several courts have ruled the arrangements run afoul of existing federal laws.... But on Monday, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray said his agency will begin focusing on pension lump sum payments."

Employee Benefits Are Good for Employers, Too

"Harvard Business Review Analytic Services surveyed 58 of the 100 companies named to 'The Principal 10 Best' list over the past decade ... Three quarters of those polled reported that benefits contributed to employee retention and 72 percent said they impacted employee loyalty.... When asked to identify the most significant thing they are doing to impact employees' financial security, nine out of 10 respondents mentioned retirement programs and cited generous employer contributions."

Obesity Adds $190 Billion in Health Costs

"The nation's rising rate of obesity has been well-chronicled. But businesses, governments and individuals are only now coming to grips with the costs of those extra pounds, many of which are even greater than believed only a few years ago: The additional medical spending due to obesity is double previous estimates and exceeds even those of smoking, a new study shows."

Generation Y Facing Retirement As Go-It-Alone Affair

"Roughly between 18 and 34 years old, [Generation Y's] table is wobbling on its last two legs: a job and a 401(k), which are co-dependent. Thus instead of protection, Gen Yers have inherited a great deal of pressure. More than ever, they know they better be employable, and they better be skilled 401(k) investors. The trouble is, it is quite difficult to do this when faced with high unemployment, and ever-higher student loan debt."

Breast-Feeding at Work Now Protected by Law

"The Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in March 2010, amended the Fair Labor Standards Act, and for the first time employers are now federally mandated to provide women with breaks and a place to breastfeed. The final rules regarding the law have not been finalized, but that hasn't stopped the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour division's enforcers from going after employers who don't make accommodations for working moms who want to pump."