Skip to main content

HANYS Benefit Services' Carol A. Idone Receives Prestigious SPARK Advisor Award


Vice President,
Client Relationship Management and Consulting,


Honored for
Leadership in "Plan Design & Administration Innovation"








HANYS
Benefit Services (HBS) is pleased to announce that Carol A. Idone, CFP®, AIF®,
Vice President, Client Relationship Management and Consulting, is the recipient
of the 2017 SPARK Advisor Award: Plan
Design & Administration Innovation. 










This award
is presented annually by The SPARK Institute, Inc., to a retirement plan
advisor in the United States who "demonstrates leadership in designing
plans and administrative processes that improve participant outcomes while
managing plan costs." The SPARK Institute helps to shape national
retirement policy by providing research, education, testimony, and comments on
pending legislative and regulatory issues to members of Congress and relevant
government agency officials. Its members serve approximately 85 million participants
in 401(k) and other defined contribution plans. 








Ms. Idone
brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial services and
retirement planning field to HBS. She has particular expertise in working with
healthcare-focused and not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining HBS in
2013, Ms. Idone worked at The Hartford and AIG Valic. She previously served as
Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance at Seton Health
System in Troy, New York, and as a Certified Public Accountant at KPMG in
Albany, New York.  




 




"My
background has allowed me to see these plans from every angle, and the advising
done at HBS is unique in part because of that technical expertise," Ms.
Idone said. "I truly enjoy having the opportunity to help our clients
develop the plans that will serve their employees most successfully, and I
thank The SPARK Institute for this recognition."  









"Carol
is an extremely dedicated professional and so deserving of this
recognition," said James J. Kelley, President, HBS. "Our clients
benefit from her expertise and skill in producing unique analysis and reports
in various areas, but especially benefit from her plan design modeling.”









HANYS
President Bea Grause echoed Mr. Kelley's sentiments. "Carol's expertise is
invaluable to our members. We are grateful for her leadership and her
commitment to HBS' member-focused philosophy."









Ms. Idone’s
expertise can be found in her whitepapers on participant outcomes, and she has
been quoted by industry-leading publications.













If you have any questions, please contact Carol directly via our website, or by calling (800) 388-1963.



Popular posts from this blog

Innovative employee retention strategies: 9 fresh ideas

Employee engagement and retention are pivotal in every sector, but they carry even more weight in the not-for-profit space, where resources are often limited. High turnover can be both costly and disruptive, impacting productivity and damaging morale. In an era of workforce evolution, to effectively retain their top talent, organizations must explore innovative employee retention strategies that go beyond conventional methods.  Engaged employees are distinguished by their higher productivity, motivation and loyalty, and they are more likely to stay with a company for the long term. Gallup recently updated its research article, The Benefits of Employee Engagement , finding that "low engagement teams typically endure turnover rates that are 18% to 43% higher than highly engaged teams."  In addition to turnover, disengaged employees negatively impact a company's financial health, with turnover costs averaging six to nine months of the departed employee's salary, accordin
Read more

Employee benefits strategies: 5 budget-friendly ideas

Retirement and employee benefits help create a solid foundation for recruitment and retention. They’re also pivotal in enhancing job satisfaction, boosting productivity, encouraging employee well-being and increasing workplace morale. With the work landscape evolving rapidly, organizations are revisiting their offerings to develop stronger employee benefits strategies.  The first area most small- and mid-size employers investigate is quick, short-term ways to foster company culture. In this blog, we’ll cover budget-friendly ideas to improve your employee benefits initiatives. Think of them as smaller action items that can help you gain a competitive edge. Then, we’ll take a closer look at how customizing your benefits plan can support your new efforts.  1. Promote a healthy work culture  Investing in employee benefit plans is not just about fulfilling a checklist. It's about creating an environment where employees feel supported in both their professional and personal lives. Benefi
Read more

What are Alternative Investments? 4-Part Introduction

The market has seen a lot of uncertainty in recent years. Because of this, many organizations are looking for new ways to diversify their investment portfolios. Our best-kept “not-so-secret” secret: alternative investments. In this blog, we'll explore alternative investments with a focus on how they can potentially shield your portfolios from downside market volatility. In addition, we'll break down its benefits and risks and whether it could be a good fit for you. Part 1: What are alternative investments? Alternative investments may help diversify your investment portfolios through non-traditional investment strategies. Non-traditional investment options have varying liquidity ranges depending on the strategy and fund structure. Alternative investments are sometimes referred to as alternative assets. According to the Harvard Business School , the seven types of alternative investments are: private equity; private debt; hedge funds; real estate; commodities; collectibles; and s
Read more