Meet Our Team
Michael Steele
Principal, Individual and Medicare
Principal, Individual and Medicare
Stephanie Farkas
Inside Sales Manager, Individual Benefits
Inside Sales Manager, Individual Benefits
Bill Brown
Managing Director, South Central
Bill Brown serves as Managing Director, South Central Region, covering Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas and Kentucky. His responsibilities include oversight of employee benefits, property and casualty insurance, wealth services and retirement services across the region. Working closely with Alera Group’s senior leaders, practice leaders and fellow regional leaders, Bill is focused on enhancing growth activities, creating new opportunities for colleagues to improve client relationships and produce meaningful outcomes.
One of the founding partners of Alera Group, Bill has over 20 years of industry experience. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics.
Heather Eshaghpour
Regional Vice President, Employee Benefits Practice Leader
Heather is the Regional Employee Benefits Practice Leader. In her role, Heather collaborates with firms across the region leading initiatives on our client experience, our people, growth, and operational efficiencies. Heather sits on our national employee benefits leadership team working with other practice leaders to drive innovation and growth within the employee benefits practice.
Heather has over 25 years of experience in employee benefits having worked previously for both small and national consulting firms in client-facing and leadership roles. Heather lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, son, and two Labrador retrievers. She is an avid Nashville Predators Hockey fan.
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
Maximizing Impact: The Value of Voluntary Benefits for Today’s Workforce
In this session, our experts will showcase the value of voluntary benefits, from financial savings to improved retention to addressing the specific needs of their employees.
March 20, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Balancing Cost and Care: Could a Captive solution be the right fit for you?
In this session, our experts will discuss how captive solutions work and what you need to consider for your own group’s needs.
April 17, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Q2 2025 Quarterly Compliance Webinar
Alera Group's quarterly employee benefits compliance roundup will help you stay current on the latest national regulatory developments impacting employers.
May 6, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Insights
Employee Benefits
The Market for Employee Benefits in 2025
Join Alera Group on January 16 from 1-2 p.m. CT as we highlight the key findings in our "2025 Employee Benefits Market Outlook" and discuss how trends in employee benefits may affect your business' offerings. The insights we’ll share and the questions we’ll answer will help you determine your benefits strategy for the months ahead.
January 6, 2025
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Employee Benefits
New ACA-Related Laws Provide More Flexibility to Employers
On Monday, December 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law two bills, H.R. 3797 (the Paperwork Reduction Act) and H.R. 3801 (the Employer Reporting Improvement Act), which will positively impact applicable large employers (ALEs) and other entities required to furnish Forms 1095-B or 1095-C to individuals.
January 2, 2025
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State of the Market for Employee Benefits in 2025
What are the needs and priorities of those in the workforce and the employment market? What are rival businesses offering to attract and retain the best the market has to offer? And what shifts are taking place in the market that employers should anticipate and prepare for? Alera Group’s 2025 Employee Benefits Market Outlook, scheduled for release on January 16, provides answers to those essential questions.
December 19, 2024
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IRS Releases PCORI Fee For Plan Years Ending Before October 1, 2025
The IRS has released Notice 2024-83, which sets the applicable PCORI fee for plan years ending between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, at $3.47 per covered life.
December 12, 2024
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