Some points to consider if you’re an employee that has employer benefits available to you.

Sit down with all options available to you. During this period of time, starting November 1, you are in the open enrollment period, which means that you can explore your options and make your moves accordingly for 2016.

Whether you want to lay these out in your mental buckets of individual, employer plan (self) and possibly employer plan (spouse), I would start with: What are my summary of benefits coverage (SBC). Ask your employers for a copies of your SBC (hopefully they’ll know what you’re talking about, too). Then, figure your cost for yourself, your spouse and your children under each of these buckets.

After you’ve done your homework, you might be well satisfied to stay where you are. However, I have had folks come to me with some discoveries and some questions and realize that they had been passing up some opportunities, whether that be benefits, whether that be the network of providers they have access to or their premium costs.

If you do not know anything about an HSA account, I encourage you to look into that. There are generally speaking, lower premium costs and opportunities for some tax savings. If you want me to help you evaluate your choices so that you can make the best decision for you and your family, please feel free to call me.