The Palmer Agency

What The Palmer Agency does

The Palmer Agency is a boutique, family-owned independent insurance brokerage founded in 1961 by Howard H. Palmer in Decatur, Georgia, and now led in its second generation by his daughter, Myra Palmer. The firm operates as a lead insurance placement partner for financial advisors, RIAs, and independent insurance professionals, distributing life insurance, annuities, long-term care, disability income, and specialty coverages (including Key Person, Kidnap and Ransom, and Brand Protection) across a multi-carrier roster that includes OneAmerica, Mutual of Omaha, Lincoln, Nationwide, Ameritas, Principal, Guardian, Illinois Mutual, Securians, and Petersen International Underwriters. Its product surface is augmented by consultative services — estate, business succession, and charitable gifting planning — plus a policy review service that audits existing client coverage.

Revenue is generated entirely on a commission basis from insurance carriers for placed business, with no disclosed pricing or subscription component. The technology stack is modest and relationship-centric: a website with quote request forms, express online applications, a restricted Advisor Portal for case status and licensing, and newsletter/social channels; the input data discloses no proprietary platforms, APIs, or software products. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on industry association membership (NAILBA, NAIFA, NABIP, The Marketing Alliance), Myra Palmer's speaking engagements and former NAILBA chairmanship, and direct consultative outreach to fee-only RIAs and fee-based wealth advisors. The team comprises approximately 7 people, including a Case Manager, Contracting & Commissions Manager, Marketing Director, and Executive Assistant — a staffing footprint that constrains scale and concentrates institutional knowledge.

Name

The Palmer Agency

Legal name

The Palmer Agency

Website

https://palmeragency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Palmer Agency is a family-owned, independent multi-carrier insurance brokerage founded in 1961, placing life, annuity, long-term care, disability, and specialty coverages for financial advisors and insurance professionals across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAAACAI

Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions)

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) & Independent Wealth Managers

SECONDARYFSAEADAJ

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Insurance Brokerage & Risk Advisory

SECONDARYFSAEADAA

Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Insurance Brokerage & Risk Advisory

Keywords

• Independent insurance brokerage
• Life insurance products
• Annuity and long-term care
• Disability income insurance
• Insurance back-office services

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: The company earns commissions from insurance carriers for placing life insurance, annuities, disability, long-term care, and specialty insurance products. As an independent insurance brokerage, they represent multiple carriers and receive override commissions or placement fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Palmer Agency is a boutique independent insurance brokerage that places life insurance, annuities, disability income, long-term care, and specialty insurance products from multiple carriers on behalf of financial advisors and insurance professionals. The firm also provides estate, business, and charitable gifting planning strategies alongside policy review and case management support, functioning as an outsourced insurance back office for its advisor clients.

Product overview

The Palmer Agency is a boutique independent insurance firm founded in 1961, now in its second generation of family ownership. The company operates as a lead insurance partner for financial advisors and insurance professionals, offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products and consultative services. The core product suite includes Life Insurance, Annuity, Long Term Care Insurance, Disability Income Insurance, and Specialty Products (Business Loan Failure to Survive, Buy-Sell Failure to Survive, Key Person Failure to Survive, Confidential Failure to Survive, Kidnap and Ransom, and Brand Protection). These products are complemented by strategic planning services including Estate Planning Strategies, Business Planning Strategies, and Charitable Gifting Strategies. The agency also provides Policy Review services to analyze existing policies, along with Online Applications and Quote Request capabilities. As an independent firm, they work with multiple insurance carriers across each product line to provide unbiased solutions for advisors and their clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted partner enabling advisors to service client insurance needs effectively

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SecurianscoreOthersLong-term care insurance provider partner offering products through The Palmer Agency's brokerage platform.
• OneAmericacoreOthersLong-term care insurance carrier providing products distributed through The Palmer Agency.
• Mutual of OmahacoreOthersInsurance carrier offering long-term care and disability insurance products through The Palmer Agency's multi-carrier brokerage.
• Lincoln Financial GroupcoreOthersLong-term care insurance carrier partner providing coverage options through The Palmer Agency.
• NationwidecoreOthersInsurance carrier providing long-term care products distributed via The Palmer Agency.
• AmeritascoreOthersDisability insurance carrier partner offering income protection products through The Palmer Agency.
• Principal FinancialcoreOthersDisability insurance carrier providing products through The Palmer Agency's brokerage platform.
• Guardian LifecoreOthersDisability insurance carrier partner offering coverage options distributed by The Palmer Agency.
• Illinois MutualcoreOthersDisability insurance carrier providing products through The Palmer Agency.
• Petersen International UnderwriterscoreOthersSpecialty insurance carrier providing unique products including Key Person, Confidential, Kidnap and Ransom, and Brand Protection insurance distributed through The Palmer Agency.
• AssuritycoreOthersDisability insurance carrier partner offering income protection solutions.
• The Marketing AlliancecoreOthersStrategic distribution partner for annuity products; The Palmer Agency directs annuity inquiries to the Palmer Annuity Center powered by The Marketing Alliance.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ash Brokerage: Independent brokerage general agency specializing in life insurance, annuity, and disability placement for financial advisors. Comparable multi-carrier platform model with similar advisor-customer base.
• DPL Financial Partners: An insurance platform built specifically for fee-only RIAs, offering objective life, annuity, and disability product comparison and placement. The closest direct analogue to Palmer Agency's RIA-channel positioning, though larger and more technology-enabled.
• Highland Capital Brokerage: Independent life insurance brokerage general agency serving financial advisors and insurance professionals with multi-carrier life, disability, and annuity placement. Highly comparable BGA model serving similar advisor and RIA segments.
• The Marketing Alliance: Independent BGA and Palmer Agency's annuity distribution partner; offers multi-carrier annuity and life placement to independent agents and advisors. Direct peer in BGA distribution model and a known partner relationship.
• LifeMark Partners: Independent life insurance distribution firm focused on serving financial professionals with multi-carrier placement and case management — a directly comparable BGA peer in advisor-focused life distribution.

Broad incumbents

• M Financial Group: Member-owned consortium of independent life insurance distributors serving ultra-high-net-worth advisors with multi-carrier access. Larger, more institutionalized version of Palmer Agency's independent multi-carrier placement model.
• Crump Life Insurance Services: Large independent life insurance brokerage serving advisors with multi-carrier access across life, annuity, and disability. Comparable in product breadth and advisor channel focus, materially larger in scale.
• NFP (National Financial Partners): Diversified insurance brokerage and advisory firm with a strong life, disability, and LTC placement practice serving financial advisors. Operates in the same advisor channel but at vastly greater scale across many product lines.
• Advisor Group (now Cetera): Large IBD and RIA-services platform that historically owned LifeMark Partners and integrates insurance placement into its advisor offering. Comparable in serving insurance-adjacent advisor needs, though far larger and more diversified.

Others

• Riskalyze (now Nitrogen): Risk-tolerance and proposal technology provider widely adopted by RIAs; complementary ecosystem participant in the fee-only advisor tech stack where Palmer Agency delivers insurance placement services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ThePalmerAgcy
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/The-Palmer-Agency/143337059057620
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-palmer-agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Palmer Agency