Alera Group, Inc.

Seattle, WA

    About Us

    About Us

    TRUEbenefits is embracing our Alera Group brand to reflect our national capabilities, industry expertise and expanded resources in all areas of our business.

    In 2017, TRUEbenefits and 23 firms across the nation joined to form Alera Group. Six years later, we are 180 firms strong, working together to leverage powerful relationships, industry experience and resources with the goal of supporting our clients’ business strategies and elevating the experience of working with us. By embracing our new branding of Alera Group, we will continue to bring our clients a personalized set of solutions while reflecting our expanded capabilities. What remains consistent is holding our clients at the core of our business.

    We are excited about this next step in our evolution as we continue to build a great company with clients at our center. Through collaboration and teamwork, we will continue to offer you the resources of a national firm along with the personalized experience of a local partner.

    As Alera Group, we are stronger together!

    Beyond Benefits as Usual

    We ask questions you haven’t heard before. Digging deeper gives us the understanding to customize cost-effective solutions that advance our clients’ business goals, see them through times of rapid change, and help recruit and retain the best people in their industries. Our clients know they can count on us for total transparency and an independent point of view. Our firm attracts passionate, industry-experienced people who value the time we give them to go above and beyond for our clients. It’s not enough to be reactive around renewal time. Together, we bring the strategic thinking, attention to detail and proactive perspective that employee benefits need all year round.

    By delivering measurable results and client satisfaction, we have earned a Net Promoter Score of 88 —much higher than those of leading Fortune 500 companies. Most important, it earns our clients’ confidence that they’re getting higher value from every benefit dollar.
    Our Team

    Meet Our Team

    Meet our Team

    Cherise Reese

    Managing Partner
    Cherise Reese

    Cherise Reese has over twenty years of experience in the benefits consulting industry, with expertise in retail management and human resources. Cherise’s passion is focused on developing and growing her team, and in creating new avenues for success as they serve clients with excellence. With patience, integrity, and optimism, she works tirelessly to implement strategies that further the goals of the team and their clients. Cherise has been with Alera Group since 2008 and plans to continue to serve her team with dedication for many years to come. Cherise is a graduate of the University of Washington, and enjoys boating around the San Juans, collecting sea glass, watching football, and reading.

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    Brent Schlosstein

    Founder & Senior Partner
    Photo of Brent Schlosstein

    Brent Schlosstein is an entrepreneur and recognized employee benefits expert focused on building high performance health plans for progressive and employee-focused organizations. Passionate about transforming healthcare in an environment of transparency, collaboration, and professionalism, Brent’s responsible for driving growth and building a world-class consulting organization. Brent holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Washington and is one of just 250 healthcare consultants in the U.S. to be accredited by Health Rosetta. He’s Past President of the Lake Washington Human Resources Association and a member of numerous insurance Advisory Councils in Washington state. In his spare time, Brent continues to work on his golf game where, one day, he plans to shoot his age.

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    Aanya Lee

    Senior Lead Consultant
    Photo of Aanya Lee

    Aanya Lee is thoughtful and strategic in working with employers in their ability to prioritize their most important resource, their human capital. She has over 15 years of experience working with employers of all sizes and industries to manage their health and benefits and relies heavily on her foundation of finance.  Her hands-on approach to consulting paired with years of pharmacy and finance experience allow her to design best in class benefit strategies for employers, while ensuring members are never overlooked. Aanya joined Alera Group in 2019. When not strategizing, Aanya enjoys planning her next family vacation, baking and cheering on her daughters academic and athletic endeavors.

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    Ann-Marie Clarke

    Senior Consultant
    Photo of Ann-Marie Clarke

    Ann-Marie Clarke is commited to helping employers to develop strategies in cost management while maintaining industry competitive benefits programs in our ever-changing environment. Her passion for bringing vision of geographic market trends, industry specific design options and ideas for increased member engagement fuels her goal in maintaining client spend, providing an added layer for Human Resources teams, and educating members in consumerism. Ann-Marie takes pride in her best-in-class client service and believes the broker/client relationship is a true partnership. She joined Alera Group in 2022. Her other passions include running and core strengthening, hiking, lots of time with her spouse, three children and two Bernese Mountain dogs, and wine tastings in Woodinville.

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    EXPERT EDUCATION

    Events and Webinars

    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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    Webinar Graphic

    Employee Benefits

    Q4 Compliance Update

    Alera Group's quarterly employee benefits compliance roundup will help you stay current on the latest national regulatory developments impacting employers.

    December 3, 2024 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Webinar - Legal Graphic

    Employee Benefits

    Setting Your Strategy for the New Year: Alera Group's 2025 Employee Benefits Market Outlook

    Our experts will highlight key results from Alera Group’s 2025 Employee Benefits Market Outlook Report and explain how these trends can impact your benefits program this year.

    January 16, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual

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    Webinar graphic - Alera Engage
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    "We’ve had the pleasure of working with TRUEbenefits over the last decade. They have provided a unique service to us by customizing their approach as they work with us and our partners. As a private federally funded non-profit organization, understanding our needs, culture, and long-term strategic plan has made TRUEbenefits an exceptional partner."
    Client
    “I have had the pleasure of working with TRUEbenefits since 2015 and since that time, they have brought our team and our employees exceptional service, year-over-year, in the areas of rate negotiations, employee support/advocacy, benefits open enrollment, and account management. I highly recommend TRUEbenefits; I cannot imagine managing employee benefits without their partnership and hard work to help us achieve our benefit goals every step of the way.”
    Client
    “I’ve used TRUEbenefits to do most of the work for us. I use TRUE because they are not only a vendor, but an extension of our business. The TRUEbenefits team has gone out of their way to make sure everything runs smoothly. I absolutely do recommend them.”
    Client
    “The TRUEbenefits team helps us each year to get the very best benefit package at the lowest cost and keeps us up to date on all compliance issues – we couldn’t do it without them. The customer service they provide to our employees and to the HR team is unsurpassed!”
    Client
    "The TRUEbenefits team has a unique approach to consulting – they truly care about their clients! The personable, proactive partnership that we have with our TRUEbenefits team invites collaboration and problem solving, which are two areas that have been high on our list as we’ve dealt with the complexities that the pandemic threw at us while navigating ever-evolving legal requirements. Our TRUEbenefits team is only an email or phone call away, and they respond quickly with meaningful information and action, which means the world to us. If you are ready to work with consultants that are ethical, intelligent, and fun, we highly recommend TRUEbenefits.”
    Client
    “We have partnered with Brent Schlosstein and his team for over 20 years. The service we receive from TRUEbenefits is second to none. They are always available to assist us and have helped improve our employee benefit program each and every year. TRUEbenefits is very budget conscious, and they are experts at finding the best possible plan for us at an affordable price. We rely on TRUEbenefits to keep us updated on benefit trends and regulatory compliance as they are specialists in this area. When asked who our benefits broker is, I can truly say I am proud to be associated with the team at TRUEbenefits.”
    Client

    THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

    Insights

    Employee Benefits

    Avoiding an Employee Lawsuit Over a Tobacco Surcharge Claim

    Tobacco surcharges on health insurance premiums for employees who use tobacco products are attractive options for employers looking to keep their workforce healthy while lowering their organization’s healthcare costs. But surcharges can go too far, and many employers may be unaware of the limitations. Alera Group's new whitepaper on tobacco surcharges is designed to assist employers in complying with federal regulations.

    November 19, 2024

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    Employee Benefits

    Q4 Considerations: New HIPAA Privacy Considerations

    Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Final Rule titled HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy.

    November 15, 2024

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    Employee Benefits

    Spotlight on 2025 Benefit Limits

    The IRS has released the 2025 benefit plan limits. The following chart shows some of the key limits for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 tax years.

    November 15, 2024

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    Employee Benefits

    Courts Ablaze with Tobacco Surcharge Class Action Lawsuits

    Tobacco surcharges, or an increase in premiums for employees who use tobacco products, are attractive to employers looking to keep their employee population healthy and lower their healthcare costs. But they can go too far, and many employers might not be aware of the limitations.

    November 15, 2024

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