About Us
Our History
Since 1975, GCG Financial, LLC, has been a trusted partner for our clients. Our mission has been to enhance the financial security of the businesses and families we serve through exceptional employee benefits, risk management, and wealth management solutions.
In 2017, GCG Financial and 23 other like- minded, entrepreneurial firms came together to form Alera Group. Since then, Alera Group has grown to over 4,200 employees, 190+ locations, and thousands of clients across the country.
In 2022, we officially began embracing the Alera Group brand. What remains consistent is holding our clients at the core of our business; we focus on bringing personalized solutions, expanding our capabilities, and deepening our resources nationally.
Our Team
Trusted. Smart. Passionate.
Our team has a sincere commitment to the long- term success of our clients. With an emphasis on collaboration and teamwork, we create unique solutions that fit the distinct needs of each client. We are passionate about doing what is right for every client, driven by the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, integrity, character, fairness, trust, and confidence.
Our Presence
Our clients benefit from the expertise and resources of a large national firm, while still maintaining the advantages of local service and relationships. We leverage powerful relationships, industry experience, and resources with the goal of supporting our clients’ business strategies and elevating the experience of working with us.
Above all, our firm believes in empowering people – our clients, our team, and the individuals in the communities where we live and work.
We are headquartered in Deerfield, IL, with offices throughout Illinois and Colorado, along with more than 150 Alera Group locations across the country. Wherever you are, we can meet your needs.
Meet Our Team
Eric Rosenbloom, BFA™, ChFC®, CLTC
Vice President, Wealth Services
Eric Rosenbloom brings extensive financial and business knowledge and experience as a Vice President of Wealth Services. He counsels individuals and families on comprehensive financial planning to help navigate the complexities of retirement. In addition, he advises business owners on succession and executive compensation strategies.
Eric has served a diverse group of clients for over thirty years. He started his career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in a large public accounting firm after graduating with honors from the University of Illinois. He then entered the private sector as a Controller. Eric was consistently recognized for his superior skills in troubleshooting and creative problem resolution and was promoted to Vice President of Finance early in his career. Subsequently, he was hired as the Chief Financial Officer for a telecommunications distributor. After several years with the distribution group, he accepted the position of CFO and Treasurer at a large retail cellular company.
In 2002, Eric brought his unique experiences to the firm. Throughout his career Eric has consulted business owners and individuals on a variety of financial issues, such as business protection, family security, estate planning, tax-efficient strategies, retirement plans and comprehensive financial planning.
Eric enjoys volunteering. He has served on several school district committees, works regularly with the Les Turner ALS Foundation, and values coaching youth baseball, basketball and soccer.
Education: Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois
Certifications: Behavioral Financial Advice (BFA™), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and the Certification for Long Term Care (CLTC)
Investment advisory services offered through Alera Investment Advisors, LLC. Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.
CA license # 0D94047
Ethan Rosenbloom, BFA™, CFP®
Wealth Advisor
Ethan is an Advisor at Alera Group Wealth Services, partnering with his father, Eric Rosenbloom. The two work closely with clients assisting in all aspects of their financial lives. Ethan brings extensive experience in building customized financial plans and takes pride in guiding clients towards achieving their goals and enjoying a meaningful retirement.
Ethan started with the team in 2017 as a Financial Planning Analyst, delivering individual financial strategies across a holistic range of disciplines: debt management, savings strategies, investment planning, tax and estate planning, insurance planning, and retirement accumulation and distribution.
Prior to joining the firm, Ethan spent three years at a micro-cap hedge fund, where he led the firm’s accounting, compliance, and operations efforts.
Education: B.S. in Finance, Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business
Credentials: Behavioral Financial Advice (BFA™), Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®)
Investment advisory services offered through Alera Investment Advisors, LLC. Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.
Joan Settineri Kopinski, GBDS
Senior Vice President, Benefits Consulting | Employee Benefits
Joan is a Senior Vice President of Benefits Consulting who brings organization and execution to the strategies that Brian Uhlig develops for his clients. Joan is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of Health and Welfare programs including vendor management, plan administration, merger/acquisition management, and employee communications. Joan’s years of experience in Human Resources before becoming a benefits consultant provides her with a unique ability to understand and address each client's needs. She has a passion for employee education and ensuring that the programs that are implemented are understood and properly communicated.
Joan enjoys spending time with her daughter and 3 young boys. She is active in her community and is heavily involved with her sons' extracurricular activities: band, cross country, track, travel hockey, theatre and Boy Scouts.
Bradley Shaps
Vice President, Retirement Plan Services
Bradley Shaps is a Vice President at Alera Group Retirement Plan Services. Brad has been with the firm since 2004 and specializes in assisting mid-size companies design, implement, administer, and communicate their qualified retirement plans. Brad is passionate about his role serving as a fiduciary helping employers offer state of the art retirement plans and meet their fiduciary responsibilities.
Prior to joining the firm, Brad served as a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and as a Principal at Buck Consultants providing benefit and retirement consulting services and technical expertise to both large and small employers.
Brad is active in his community. He currently serves on the Board of Congregation Beth Shalom. He has served as a member of the Board of Northbrook Citizens for Drug and Alcohol Awareness and has been actively involved with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago for many years.
Brad earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from the George Washington University.
Brad enjoys travel, golf, theatre, fantasy football, spending time with his children and cheering for his favorite sports teams, which are the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Fighting Illini.
Investment advisory services offered through Alera Investment Advisors, LLC. Securities offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.
Resources
Alera Group Spends The Week Giving Back
In the spirit of our Generous Community Giving program, Alera Group employees participated in a week of events, both in-person and virtually, for our 2023 Community Giving week.
Chicago Housing Authority Hiring Fair
Alera Group colleagues spent the day at the Chicago Housing Authority Job Fair reviewing resumes, helping with interview prep, working on communication skills, and offering general insights and advice to people just starting their professional careers. It was time well spent helping others in the community both professionally and personally.
Feed My Starving Children
The Alera Group team volunteering with Feed My Starving Children had a positive experience measuring, bagging, weighing, sealing, and packing meals for children over the course of an afternoon. Not only did they feel like they made a difference in the lives of others, but they also enjoyed using the time as a teambuilding exercise to work with colleagues outside of their department.
Lyman Woods Nature Center
Alera Group volunteers rolled up their sleeves to beautify the nature preserve by building a new fence and cleaning up the trails for the community to enjoy now that the weather has warmed up. Despite being a physically demanding morning, everyone agreed it was a rewarding experience.
Send virtual cards to patients at St. Jude
Our remote teammates were able to participate in Community Giving Week as well! They wrote dozens of encouraging notes to patients undergoing treatment for cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
The Alera Group volunteers not only gave their time and energy to make a positive impact on our communities, but unanimously agreed that they had a great time while doing it!
Alera Group’s 2023 Office 5k Raises Money for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
On October 12 we laced up our sneakers as part of our Generous Community Giving initiative. This year’s annual 5k included a record number of participants who enjoyed running and walking the outdoor course at our Deerfield, Illinois headquarters as well as a step challenge for remote employees. To keep things interesting, we added a new 5k relay event consisting of teams of four colleagues for some additional friendly competition.
The proceeds of the money raised this year benefits Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Their mission is to improve lives by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes (T1D).
The day was billed a success as the rain clouds held off long enough for us to support an important cause while enjoying the company of our fellow team members.
An Alera Group Care Package
Alera Group colleagues came together last month to enjoy a lunch and celebrate our shared successes in 2023. The day had a bigger purpose though, as we rolled up our sleeves to kickoff our first Generous Community Giving event in the new year with nonprofit group, Blessings in a Backpack.
Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for school-aged children across America who might otherwise go hungry. By the end of the afternoon, over 100 Alera Group colleagues had packed 500 bags! Not only was it rewarding to collaborate on a physical task together, but we were thrilled to know that our work would ensure children in our community would not go hungry that weekend.
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
Meeting the Needs of an Aging Workforce
Our experts will provide tips and insights about how to incorporate Medicare, menopause benefits, retirement, communications best practices and other hot topics for older workers into your program successfully and without breaking the bank.
October 17, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Wealth Services
State of the Markets
Join us as we unveil the factors that drive the nation's financial pulse and how they may impact your personal finances.
October 23, 2024 at 11:00 am CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
When Captive Insurance Makes Sense
In this session, our experts will talk about how captives work, the advantages and disadvantages and what you need to know to determine whether they make sense for your organization.
November 21, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Property and Casualty
Umbrella Insurance for Businesses: Peace of Mind in an Increasingly Unpredictable World
Whereas a skilled agent can help provide businesses with adequate insurance against property losses by following a predictable formula, the unpredictability of liability claims underscores how important it is for businesses to buy as much Umbrella/Excess Liability coverage as they can afford.
September 18, 2024
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Wealth Services
Weekly Market Update
Stocks rallied last week as investors received better-than-expected consumer and producer inflation data.
September 16, 2024
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Wealth Services
Monthly Market and Economic Update - August 2024
Read about the latest insights on the market and economy from our Director of Investments, Bob Janson.
September 12, 2024
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General Liability Insurance in 2024: Navigating a Complex Landscape
While some aspects of General Liability Insurance have largely turned a corner from a prolonged hard market, the outlook in other areas looks much less cheery. Overall, the market has finally improved after several challenging years, offering signs of stabilization.
September 12, 2024
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