University employees can save money on everything from auto insurance to legal services with a free new benefit called "YouDecide.com."
This voluntary benefits offering provides one-stop shopping and discounts for auto insurance, home insurance, auto financing, home financing, refinancing, home equity loans, legal services, pet insurance, real estate solutions, financial planning and tax preparation.
"Offering this voluntary benefits program to our employees not only supports our philosophy of providing a variety of benefit choices to meet individual and family needs, but more importantly helps our employees make some of life's most important decisions," said Justin L. Ford, director of human resources planning.
Consumer Financial Network (CFN) in Atlanta, an electronic marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers of financial benefits and other consumer services, provides the service under the YouDecide.com brand name. Major corporations, health systems and non-profit organizations, including Georgia Tech, the University of Connecticut, Texas A&M and the University of Pennsylvania, are among their clients.
Here's how it works: Employees request information on insurance, financing or other services via the Web or telephone. CFN will collect the appropriate employee information and forward it electronically to qualified providers. Customized quotes are then obtained from multiple providers, and CFN forwards employees summarized statements from which they can choose the best solution from the top three.
"Because this benefit is offered through the University, these discounted rates are greater than employees would find in the retail marketplace," Ford said. "CFN beats the cost of users' existing coverage in 75 percent of all cases at an average savings of $550 per quote. And they usually have two or three providers for the employee to choose from."
CFN negotiates special rates with providers who pay to be part of CFN's network. Current providers include First USA, Chubb, Transamerica, Bank One, Chase Manhattan Bank, American Express and Progressive Insurance.
"They are able to leverage the highest quality providers with group buying power," Ford said. "Not only is there no cost to the employees, but the service is also free for the University."
To access via the Internet, go to http://www.youdecide.com/corporate or you may access through the benefits section in the new Human Resources Web site (https://hr.wustl.edu). First-time users must register for the service. Click on the "First Time Here?" handshake. The Washington University client identification is WU351. Employees may also call 1-800-663-7520. Customer advisers are available 24 hours a day every day to answer questions or assist in the quoting process.
