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Rapidly rising commercial building construction costs could result in your facility being underinsured if you suffer a major loss and haven't increased your insurance policy replacement cost limits lately.

Your policy has a maximum amount it will pay to rebuild your building, and that limit should reflect current construction costs. Otherwise, the policy may not be enough to pay for rebuilding after a total loss like a fire razing your business. And whatever the insurance doesn't cover, you would have to pay out of pocket.

Pollution and environmental claims always linger as a threat to contractors of all types and can lead to significant costs for cleanup, remediation and potential legal liabilities. 

Pollution claims against contractors typically concern surface water contamination, chemical spills, inappropriate disposal of hazardous materials, asbestos exposure, and mold and bacteria caused by poorly installed heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Any of these can lead to lawsuits and significant liability exposure that could cripple a small or mid-sized construction firm.

President Trump's sweeping return to tariff-heavy trade policies in 2025 is sending ripples across the economy, including the cost of property insurance claims.

The latest round of tariffs, which include steep duties on imported construction materials and auto parts, many of which are sourced from China, threatens to drive up claims costs in both personal and commercial lines, particularly property and vehicle insurance. The result is likely to be higher insurance rates to account for higher claims costs.

During wildfire season, utilities with equipment in at-risk areas will often cut power during high-wind events to reduce the risk of ignition from downed power lines.

While the practice can prevent a fire from starting, it can put businesses in a bind by hampering operations and even putting perishable items at risk of spoiling if the outage lasts for an extended period. Businesses in these areas need to be prepared for these potential blackouts.

The devastating floods that hit Texas in July 2025 and the massive flooding in North Carolina a few months earlier are a sobering reminder that floods can happen suddenly, with little warning, and increasingly in areas not designated as flood zones.

As climate change fuels more intense storms, longer rainy seasons and unprecedented weather patterns, flooding is no longer confined to the coasts or riverbanks. If you live in an area outside a flood zone, your home could be at risk — and homeowner's insurance doesn't cover flood damage. Here's what's happening and why you may be exposed to financial peril.

A growing number of employers are adding menopause-related benefits to their health and wellness programs, recognizing both the personal and business impact of this phase of women's health.

According to a 2023 Mayo Clinic report, menopause-related symptoms are responsible for an estimated $1.8 billion in lost workdays annually in the U.S. largely due to absenteeism and diminished productivity.

As a result, employers such as Microsoft, IBM and several large financial institutions have already launched menopause initiatives.

Health insurance is back on the legislative agenda in Washington, with several proposals that could reshape how employers provide coverage to their workers.

Three bills gaining traction in the House aim to overhaul parts of the Affordable Care Act, expand access to group health plans for small employers and protect the use of stop-loss insurance for self-insured plans.

Here's a summary of what's on the table and how it could affect employers.

In a major announcement, America's Health Insurance Plans said that more than 50 major insurers — including UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna and various regional Blue Cross Blue Shield plans — have pledged to significantly streamline the prior authorization process and improve the patient care experience.

This shift could bring relief to more than 250 million Americans enrolled in commercial, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care plans.

Employment practices and employee benefit-related lawsuits are on the rise — and employers have to be eternally vigilant when it comes to meeting their compliance obligations as plan sponsors.

Businesses face risk from the potential of lawsuits that employees may bring for alleged failure to fulfill their fiduciary duties as sponsors of retirement plans under ERISA, for example. Or for accidental or unauthorized leaks of personally identifiable information, which carries significant penalties under HIPAA. What steps can you take to protect your firm?

Watching their group health plan premiums climb higher with each passing year, some employers start looking into alternative funding strategies in hopes they can get a better handle on their employees' health costs.

While group plans are the standard, larger employers have typically had more options for funding their group health coverage, but now even small and medium-sized employers — even companies with fewer than 100 employees — can benefit from alternative funding approaches.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make if you incur damage to your business premises is to wait too long before filing the claim with your insurer.

Believe it or not, this is a common problem for businesses. It is one of many mistakes business owners make in filing claims. This item sets out the surefire ways to risk having your claim denied or disputed by your insurance company.

It's one of the biggest and most costly mistakes homeowners make: They pay no mind to an aging roof until they see a leak from the inside. But by the time water damage becomes visible from inside the home, there may already be extensive rot and mildew between the ceiling and roof.

Suddenly, instead of just replacing shingles or laying down new pitch and gravel on a rooftop, your contractor may be cutting into drywall or replacing sections of the ceiling and roof. In some cases, you may have to go through a costly mold remediation project. Here's how to avoid this type of scenario.