November is American Diabetes Month. For those of you who know me well, you are probably aware that diabetes prevention and education is a subject about which I am very passionate.

While the holidays were once a time of family togetherness and peaceful rejoicing, today's world has made it a frantic rush to host the perfect party and outdo relatives with gift selections. With holiday work events, family meals, and parties with friends, you may feel pulled in several directions asyour calendar quickly fills up. Alas, the stress begins. But what to do? Make sure you schedule time for yourself to relax and enjoy the season or you run the risk of over-stressing, losing sleep, and becoming so exhausted you get sick.

A few weeks ago we put all the lake stuff away for the offseason. As I gazed at the water skis, I couldn’t help but think about what a great summer it had been. My nine year old, unable to get up the summer before, was up on two skisby early June this year. A few weeks later he had me remove the training strings holding the skis together. My eleven year old went from two skis, to dropping one, to becoming a pretty impressive slalom skier by summer’s end.

It was not without a lot of hard work from both of them. I can’t tell you how many times I got the call of “Ready Dad!”, slammed the throttle forward and took off, only to look back and see them take a dive into the lake. Every time, I dutifully circled the ski rope back around them. We would repeat the same process as many times as it took.

During 2012, 55 percent of small businesses experienced at least one data privacy breach and 53 percent encountered multiple breaches, according to the Ponemon Institute. Despite this, the National Small Business Cybersecurity Study found that only 10 percent of small businesses have an allocated staff member who is responsible for online and cyber security.

The key to an effective wellness program is communication. Your employees must know about the programs and understand how they can benefit. Here are five strategies to help you achieve your goals:

With all of the media coverage surrounding the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we have a real crisis in America with health and health care costs. It’s widely known that obesity and diabetes rates have doubled in the last 15 years and that costs are tracking up along with these trends. Any organization doing a deep dive on their health claims costs realizes that the Pareto Principle is alive and well. It’s likely 20% of their employees or family members are incurring 80% of their costs, and that 80% of those costs are directly related to conditions linked to lifestyle choices.

Several years ago the National Institute of Health put out this comment: “If we could get Americans to do just three things:

1. Stop using tobacco products
2. Stop drinking to excess
3. Not be obese

Football, backyard campfires, multi-colored landscapes, pumpkin carving, and Halloween festivities. The month of October brings awesome activities and traditions that people of all ages can enjoy. However, for those working in the health care industry, the month of October brings in one of the busiest times of the year: the dreaded cold and flu season.

Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires most individuals to obtain acceptable health insurance coverage for themselves and their family members or pay a penalty. This provision is widely known as the “individual mandate.” If you are covered under a health plan offered by your employer, or if you are currently covered by a government program such as Medicare, you can continue to be covered under those programs and will not be impacted by the individual mandate.

How much will the individual mandate penalty cost me?

The penalty for not obtaining acceptable health insurance coverage under the ACA will be phased in over a three-year period. The amount of the penalty is the greater of two amounts—the “flat dollar amount” and “percentage of income amount.”

In 2014, the penalty will start at $95 per person, or up to 1 percent of income. For 2015, the penalty increases to $325 per person or up to 2 percent of income. In 2016 and after, the penalty increases to $695 per person or up to 2.5 percent of income. “Income” for this purpose is your household income minus your exemption (or exemptions for a married couple) and standard deductions. Families will pay half the penalty amount for children. The penalty is charged annually but calculated on a monthly basis - assessed for each month in which you go without coverage. There is no penalty for a single lapse in coverage lasting less than three months in a year.

Because this provision has the effect of “requiring” individuals to have coverage, it is often referred to as the “individual mandate.”

I was reading a blog post on Harvard Business Review the other day by Vineet Nayar. He is an entrepreneur and author. He was touching on the three ingredients of successful teams - which I translate to having a motivated workforce.

Most organizations employ at least one individual who is essential to the company’s success. This person may be a partner, owner, majority stockholder, or another individual who is crucial to the business. If this person unexpectedly leaves the organization – due to a death, disabling accident or an immediate resignation – it may be hard for the organization to survive without the person who makes the business run smoothly.

If your organization employs people who are vital to its success, key-person life insurance or key-person disability insurance can help protect your business. These insurance solutions can give your organization options other than immediate bankruptcy should you lose the key person or people without warning.

Who Needs Key-Person Life Or Disability Coverage?