Two Memphis Insurance Veterans Join Group Benefits LLC to Expand Services to Clients

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Oct. 24, 2013 - PRLog -- The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is changing the insurance brokerage business as much as it is changing the healthcare profession. The complexity of ACA has made it difficult for smaller insurance agencies to service health benefit clients. Brokers need bigger staff and more support to help their group insurance clients make informed choices and comply with ACA.

This sea of change in the employee benefits business has created an opportunity for Ben H. Arnold, Jr., CLU and Michael S. McManus, CLU to join forces with Group Benefits LLC. This alliance will allow Arnold and McManus to provide a full spectrum of group insurance services to employers, including compliance and financial modeling, as well as employee education and enrollment tools. Under the terms of the agreement, both Arnold and McManus will continue to operate their businesses independently, but will work under the umbrella of Group Benefits LLC.

Timothy J. Finnell, CLU, ChFC, president and founder of Group Benefits LLC, calls Arnold and McManus “great guys” and says: “It’s a natural fit. I’ve known Ben and Mike for years, and we share the same philosophy, which is always doing what is right for the customer. When we do what’s best for the customer, it always turns out best for us.”

“By joining with Tim, we will be able to give our customers better service and continue to grow our business,” says McManus, who is senior partner at the wealth management firm of McManus Reilly Financial. “Now we have the capability to act as an extension of our customers’ HR departments. We can design, communicate, implement and service a complete benefits package, and enable clients to fully comply with ACA.”

Arnold calls the agreement “a big step forward” for his business. “Now we will have the critical mass to care for our clients, and a bigger volume of business to negotiate more successfully with insurance carriers,” he notes. “Plus, we will have access to the technology and communication services that clients must have in the wake of healthcare reform.”

A Memphis Firm Backed by National Resources

Group Benefits LLC has more than doubled its staff and revenue since Finnell founded the independent group benefits brokerage in 2009. The agency’s rapid growth has been driven by Finnell’s strategic decision to forge an agreement with one of the nation’s largest benefits firms, NFP. The alliance gives Group Benefits LLC substantial resources, including NFP’s compliance department, communication tools, IT systems, and knowledge network.

“We offer the best of both worlds,” Finnell explains. “We’re a local firm, so we’re readily accessible to our clients, and totally committed to their success. And thanks to our affiliation with NFP, we have buying power and resources typically beyond the scope of a local firm.”

Now Arnold and McManus will put NFP resources to work on behalf of their clients. “Tim has excellent back office resources and a first-rate staff. My staff will fit in well with them,” McManus says. Arnold adds: “Insurance products are the same, so what distinguishes one broker from the other is the level of customer service provided. With Tim, I can offer a level of customer service I could not before.”

About Group Benefits LLC

Group Benefits LLC is an independent group benefits brokerage firm offering complete employee benefits programs and enrollment support for employers of all sizes in the Mid-South. Its clients profit from the buying power and compliance services that Group Benefits LLC provides through its strategic alliance with NFP Benefits Partners, one of the nation’s largest benefits brokers. For more information, visitwww.groupbenefitsllc.com.

About Timothy J. Finnell, CLU, ChFC

Tim Finnell is one of the Mid-South’s leading authorities on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), having been accredited in January 2013 as a Certified Healthcare Reform Specialist® by the National Association of Health Underwriters. Finnell has worked in employee benefits for more than 30 years. He founded Group Benefits LLC in 2009, and currently serves as president.

As an ACA expert, Finnell has written about healthcare reform for The Commercial Appeal and has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Memphis Daily News, The Tennessean, the Memphis Business Journal, andEntrepreneur magazine. The Memphis Business Journalselected him as an Executive of the Year finalist in its 2013 Small Business Awards.

Tim is a Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant. Active in the Memphis Health Underwriters Association and the American Society of Financial Services Professionals, he is a highly sought after speaker who has made more than dozen presentations on healthcare reform in the past two years.