There is a lot to keep track of when it comes to understanding the health and retirement plans your job offers. Thick bundles of documents show up in your mailbox, links to plan information clutter your email, and you get to sort through it all. Employers don’t just...
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When will pay equity arrive for Texas women?
Laws about equal pay for equal work regardless of gender have been on the books for years. But for Texas women specifically, the question of pay equity remains a difficult one. Last year a study by the Dallas Women's Foundation reported that if things continue the way...
Companies show signs of working to address pay inequities
Pay inequities due to gender, race and more have long affected employees across Texas and the U.S. While the pay gap due to gender has narrowed slightly since the 1980s, it has made little progress over the past 15 years. According to the Pew Research Center, in just...
Pay inequality in the workplace: what do the statistics suggest?
Most women would likely attest that they work at least as hard as men do to achieve their occupational position. And despite the hours of study, financial loans and sacrifice that you dedicated to your profession, you still might not receive equal pay for performing...
ERISA and the Supreme Court: 4 cases that could affect you
The longer you work and the more money you invest in your retirement account, the more you want to make sure it’s safe and protected. To that end, the government introduced the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). ERISA protects your benefits plans....
Should you accept a lump-sum pension buyout?
Would you rather have monthly income through the rest of your life or a big check now that you can use and invest for yourself? If you haven’t already had to face this question, a recent decision from the Treasury Department has increased the chances...
Texas leads the nation in workplace discrimination charges
If you’re facing racial discrimination in Texas, you’re not alone. Texas led the nation last year in charges of racial discrimination in the workplace, as well as for all workplace discrimination charges. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)...
What employees can do if they suspect pay discrimination
It is no secret that there is still a substantial pay gap between men and women. In Texas, white women have an average annual income of $40,000 and white men make an average of $60,000. Women of color receive even less pay, with incomes averaging closer to $30,000....
How Studebakers Failure Inspired ERISA
Before the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), came into effect in 1974, employers could revoke promised retirement funds in the blink of an eye. Generation after generation experienced these abuses, and patience in financially inept and otherwise...
How COBRA benefits work in Texas
If you lose your job, you are probably concerned about your health insurance. What happens to your insurance coverage now that you are no longer employed? How will your family be covered? Thanks to the government, there is a plan for that. The COBRA plan The Employee...