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
Stephanie Farmer
Benefits Technology ConsultantBenefits Technology Consultant
Michelle Filler
Director of Client Services
Director of Client Services
Madison North
Account Manager
Account Manager
Beth Hamilton
Administrative Tech Specialist
Administrative Tech Specialist
Resources
Employee Navigator (Benefit Administration System) access link.
Contact your Client Service Advocate (CSA) access link
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
Benchmarking That Drives Decisions: Why Averages Mislead — and What Best-in-Class Data Reveals
A clear, data-driven view of the 2026 employee benefits landscape grounded in benchmarking results.
June 16, 2026 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
Register Here
Employee Benefits
GLP-1s at Scale: Why Weight-Loss Drug Decisions Are Now a Financial Strategy
A GLP-1 decision framework plus scenarios.
July 21, 2026 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
Register Here
Employee Benefits
Open Enrollment That Works: Why Employees Do Not Engage — and How Modern Communications Drive Better Choices
Practical communication strategies to strengthen open enrollment effectiveness and employee decision-making.
August 18, 2026 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
Register Here
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Employee Benefits
Legal Alert: IRS Releases 2027 HSA Contribution Limits and Other Limits
In Rev. Proc. 2026-24, the IRS released the inflation adjusted amounts for 2027 relevant to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and high deductible health plans (HDHPs). The table below summarizes those adjustments and other applicable limits.
June 3, 2026
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Legal Alert: PBM Transparency Coming Soon
Two recent movements on the federal level have paved the way for greater pharmacy benefit manager (“PBM”) transparency for group health plans.
May 22, 2026
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Legal Alert: RxDC Reporting Due June 1st
Reminder: RxDC Reporting Due June 1st
February 26, 2026
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IRS Releases Guidance Related to Recent HSA Changes
The IRS recently released Notice 2026-5, which provides guidance and answers to common questions related to the expanded availability of health savings accounts (“HSA”) under the Reconciliation Act (previously named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) passed into law earlier this year.
December 30, 2025
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