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Erica Kirby
Nobody Told Me That

You got handed benefits. Nobody handed you a manual.

Plain English guides for the person who is the benefits department. Renewals, open enrollment, compliance, and the dozen things nobody tells you on day one.

Nearly 20 years running US benefits, for companies as small as 500 people and as large as 60,000. Written down so you don’t have to learn it the way I did.

Start with the open enrollment emails.

The announcement, the reminders, the deadline nudge, the confirmation. Already written, in Word and PDF. Free.

Straight to your inbox. Then about one benefits email a week. Unsubscribe in one click, no hard feelings.

Check your inbox. I just sent a confirmation email. Click the link inside and the templates arrive right after. Look for Erica Kirby | Nobody Told Me That, and check Promotions if it’s not there in a minute.

Or see all three free resources

I once ran a dependent eligibility audit that pulled about 60 ineligible dependents off a self-insured plan.

One of them was a dog. It took two million dollars out of the next year’s claims.

That is the kind of thing I write about here.

This is for you if

  • You got handed benefits on a Tuesday and there was no handover document.
  • You are the whole department. There is nobody down the hall to ask.
  • Open enrollment is on the calendar and you are quietly hoping it goes better than last year.
  • Somebody said “5500” and “nondiscrimination testing” in the same sentence and you nodded.
  • Your training budget is zero and you are learning this on your own time.
who writes this:

Meet Erica Kirby

Still doing the job, not just writing about it.

I’m Erica.
I have been the person handed a benefits program with no handover. Years later, I was the person people came to with the situations that didn’t fit any of the rules. I have run the renewals, filed the compliance, and explained the same plan design a dozen different ways until it finally landed for somebody.

Everything here is what I wish somebody had written down for me.


More About Me

Featured Articles

  • Benefits 101

    2027 ACA Affordability Is 10.22%: The 15 Numbers That Change What You Charge

  • Benefits 101

    GLP-1s Are Eating Your Renewal. Here’s How to Decide What to Do.

  • Benefits 101 · Real Cost-Saving Strategies

    We Found a Dog on the Health Plan. Here’s What It Was Costing Us

To The Blog
Still here? Take the open enrollment emails.

The announcement, the reminders, the deadline nudge, the confirmation. Already written, in Word and PDF. Free, and it takes about ten seconds.

Straight to your inbox. Then about one benefits email a week. Unsubscribe in one click, no hard feelings. Or see all three free resources

Check your inbox. I just sent a confirmation email. Click the link inside and the templates arrive right after. Look for Erica Kirby | Nobody Told Me That, and check Promotions if it’s not there in a minute.

When you’re ready to go deeper

Three paid guides, for benefits admins who have already been thrown in the deep end.

Day One Ready

You just inherited benefits. This is your first two weeks: what to find, who to call, and what to ask your broker before you have to admit you’re new.

See what’s inside

90-Day Playbook

Ninety days from handed-the-keys to running it, stage by stage, in the order things actually break.

See what’s inside

Open Enrollment Mastery Kit

The timeline, the employee emails, and the checklist that keeps November from eating your life.

See what’s inside

Guides

  • Open Enrollment Mastery Kit
  • Day One Ready
  • 90-Day Playbook

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