About Us
Forum was founded in Greenville, SC in 1999 as Palmetto Benefit Management, an independently owned insurance agency specializing in employee benefit planning and administration. In January of 2017, Forum joined 23 other entrepreneurial insurance and financial services companies across the United States to form Alera Group, an employee benefits, property/casualty, risk management and wealth management firm with approximately $1.3 Billion in annual revenue. Alera Group has grown to over 5,000 employees in over 220 local offices and is now one of top 10 independent brokerage firm in the US.
As a local office partner for Alera Group, we bring national resources such as Legal & Compliance, Actuarial & Reinsurance, Captives, Data Analytics & Benchmarking, HR Administration & Technology, and Wellness & Total Health Management to our local clients. In January 2024, Forum rebranded to Alera Group to capitalize on our commitment to Collaboration.
Meet Our Team
Laurie Winston
Firm Leader![Laurie Winston](/sites/g/files/sujchg151/files/2024-03/Alera-1.jpg)
Firm leader
Christianna Cato
Account Executive![Christianna Cato](/sites/g/files/sujchg151/files/2024-03/Alera-7.jpg)
Account Executive
Heather Edwards
Consultant / Account Executive![Heather Edwards](/sites/g/files/sujchg151/files/2024-03/Alera-12.jpg)
Consultant / Account Executive
Stephanie Farmer
Benefits Technology Consultant![Stephanie Farmer](/sites/g/files/sujchg151/files/2024-03/Alera-6.jpg)
Benefits Technology Consultant
Resources
Employee Navigator (Benefit Administration System) access link.
Contact your Client Service Advocate (CSA) access link
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
Driving Communications and Engagement: Open Enrollment
Our experts will walk you through a strategic planning process to make sure you’re sharing in a way that not only drives employee awareness and engagement but also reaches your workforce across platforms with what they need to know about choosing the right benefits for them and their families.
August 15, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
Sign Up![Alera Engage - Webinar](/sites/g/files/sujchg151/files/2023-12/WBI-692x434-Webinar-Engage_5.jpg)
Employee Benefits
Q3 Compliance Update
Alera Group's quarterly employee benefits compliance roundup will help you stay current on the latest national regulatory developments impacting employers.
September 3, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
Sign Up![Webinar graphic - Alera Engage](/sites/g/files/sujchg151/files/2023-12/WBI-692x434-Webinar-Engage_12.jpg)
Employee Benefits
Collaborative Conversations: 2025 - What to Expect and What You Need to Know
Save the date for a conversation in September where we will discuss the impending PLO changes by BOLI and the Employment Department, their impacts, and other critical considerations.
September 12, 2024 at 08:30 am PT | Virtual
Sign Up![Image that reads webinar](/sites/g/files/sujchg151/files/2024-06/WSG-DigitalThumbnails_Webinars-110723-4.png)
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Employee Benefits
Benefits Benchmarking Webinar: What To Do With the Data
If you’re designing your company’s employee benefits program, you want to know what your peers and competitors are offering. Employee retention and talent acquisition are largely dependent on whether you offer a benefits package that meets or exceeds the standards of your industry, location and company size while managing costs in an increasingly expensive market for healthcare and pharmaceuticals. That’s why Alera Group places a high priority on using benchmarking data and analysis to inform and otherwise serve our clients.
July 1, 2024
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How To Lower Healthcare Costs While Improving Benefit Offerings
Join us on June 20 for a one-hour webinar designed to help you eliminate wasteful healthcare spending while providing your employees with benefits that attract and retain talent. We’ll take you through our three-step solution.
June 11, 2024
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Legal Alert: PCORI Fees Due by July 31, 2024
Employers that sponsor self-insured group health plans, including health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) should keep in mind the upcoming July 31, 2024, deadline for paying fees that fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) via Form 720, which was recently updated and released by the IRS.
June 7, 2024
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Legal Alert: CMS Redesigns the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program Beginning in 2025
As a result of the changes to Medicare Part D under §11201 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, on April 1, 2024, CMS released Final Redesign Program Instructions (“Final Program Instructions”) for the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, which are effective starting in 2025.
May 30, 2024
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