What International Planning Group does

International Planning Group (IPG) is a privately held financial services firm founded approximately 1983 and headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It operates as a group of entities providing international life insurance and wealth protection advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, families, and corporate clients across more than 70 markets. The firm is self-described as the pioneer of the international high net worth life insurance industry and reports over $50 billion in client coverage inforce, supported by a professional team with expertise in banking, law, tax, insurance, and fiduciary services.

The company's core offerings center on four advisory workstreams: protecting and preserving global wealth, mitigating sovereign and market risk through portfolio diversification, integrating insurance products with fiduciary structures for intergenerational wealth transfer (including closely held businesses), and optimizing funding structures by evaluating cost of funds, tax implications, and risk tolerance. Service delivery is supported by Global Insurance Services, Ltd., a Massachusetts LLC that facilitates the formation of non-U.S. insurance carriers, designs products, and administers operations, and by IPG Howden, a joint venture with Howden Broking Group Limited that extends distribution through Howden's global brokerage network.

The business model is B2B advisory intermediated through a referral network of over 100 professional organizations including private banks, family offices, independent advisors, and law, accounting, and tax firms. Revenue is generated through advisory fees and commissions tied to international life insurance placement and wealth structuring mandates, with a recurring relationship-driven revenue profile. The firm operates ten offices across the United States (Wellesley, Boston, Miami), Switzerland (Zurich), Mexico (Mexico City), Bermuda, the UAE (Dubai), Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia (Labuan). As of May 26, 2026, IPG operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Switzerland-based 1291 Group under the 1291 Group Americas brand, gaining the parent access to U.S.-domiciled carriers and products.

Name

International Planning Group

Legal name

International Planning Group, Ltd.

Website

https://ipgltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

International Planning Group is a privately held financial services firm advising high-net-worth individuals, families, and corporate clients on international life insurance and wealth protection across more than 70 markets, intermediated through a network of over 100 professional referral partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management & International Life Insurance Advisory

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Direct Life, Health, and Medical Insurance Carriers (52411)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Life Insurance (6311)

akta.pro primary industry

International Benefits Administration & Global Benefits Brokerage (BPACAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Guarantee, Insurance & Risk Mitigation Facilities (BPADACAK)

Keywords

• International life insurance
• Wealth protection planning
• High net worth advisory
• Cross-border wealth structuring
• Risk management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellesley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Advisory Services: IPG generates revenue through advisory fees and commissions related to international life insurance products, wealth protection solutions, and wealth structuring services for high-net-worth clients. The firm facilitates the creation and management of insurance products, carriers, and distribution across international markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

International Planning Group provides international life insurance advisory and wealth protection solutions for high-net-worth individuals, families, and corporate clients across more than 70 markets. Its services include wealth preservation, risk mitigation, wealth transfer structuring, and outcome optimization, delivered through cross-disciplinary expertise in banking, law, tax, insurance, and fiduciary services. The firm operates via a referral network of 100+ professional organizations and direct engagement through 10 global offices.

Product overview

International Planning Group (IPG) is a financial services company and pioneer of the international high net worth life insurance industry. The core offering includes custom wealth protection and planning solutions across more than 70 markets, with over $50 billion in client coverage. The company operates through its main entity (IPG), a wholly owned subsidiary focused on insurance company formation and administration (Global Insurance Services), and a joint venture for brokerage services (IPG Howden). Services span distribution, carriers/products/capacity management, and third-party administration, delivered via a network of over 100 professional organization referrers including private banks, family offices, and law and accounting firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IPG Howden: Joint venture between International Planning Group, Ltd. and Howden Broking Group Limited, an insurance brokerage firm

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $50 billion in client coverage inforce

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 1291 GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Swiss-founded 1291 Group, an independent insurance broker specializing in wealth protection solutions, acquired International Planning Group to enter the U.S. market. The transaction provides 1291 Group with onshore access to the US market, the world's largest life insurance market, along with access to US-domiciled insurance carriers and products. IPG will operate under the 1291 Group Americas brand as a wholly owned subsidiary.
• Howden Broking Group LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPG Howden is a joint venture between International Planning Group, Ltd. and Howden Broking Group Limited. Howden Broking Group is a Howden Group Holdings company formed in the United Kingdom with locations worldwide. The joint venture combines IPG's international life insurance expertise with Howden's global broking capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lombard International Assurance: Luxembourg-based specialist provider of unit-linked life insurance and wealth structuring solutions for ultra-high-net-worth individuals across multiple jurisdictions. Closest direct competitor to IPG, sharing the international HNW life insurance and wealth structuring focus with cross-border carrier infrastructure.
• Utmost International: Isle of Man-headquartered specialist in international life insurance, wealth, and succession planning for HNW and UHNW clients. Directly comparable to IPG in offering international whole-of-life and unit-linked products via professional adviser referral channels.
• Old Mutual International (Quilter International): International life and savings business serving HNW expatriate clients across multiple jurisdictions. Directly comparable to IPG in product range, target client, and reliance on professional adviser referrals for distribution.
• Royal London 360° (now Ardan International): International life and investment bond provider for expatriate and globally mobile clients, distributed through advisers. Operates in adjacent product categories and geographies to IPG, serving the same HNW mobile-client persona.
• Hansard International: Isle of Man-based long-term savings and life insurance provider serving expatriate and international HNW clients. Similar product set (whole-of-life, endowment) and similar reliance on IFAs and private bankers for distribution, making it a clear functional peer to IPG.

Broad incumbents

• Howden Broking Group: UK-founded global insurance broking group and IPG's joint venture partner via IPG Howden. Overlaps with IPG in international wealth-protection broking, but operates far more broadly across commercial, retail, and reinsurance lines.
• Zurich International Wealth Solutions: International life insurance arm of Zurich Insurance Group serving expatriate and HNW clients globally. Comparable customer profile and cross-border product set, but operating within a global multi-line insurance giant rather than as a focused international HNW specialist.
• HSBC Life International: International life insurance and wealth planning unit of HSBC, distributed through HSBC's global private bank network. Targets many of the same internationally mobile HNW clients as IPG, with significant captive distribution.
• 1291 Group: Swiss-founded independent insurance broker specializing in wealth protection solutions, and IPG's parent since May 2026. Closely aligned business model in international wealth broking, but at a group level rather than as a U.S.-onshore HNW specialist.
• Generali Global Insurance (Generali Group): Major global insurer offering international life insurance and wealth planning products to HNW clients in multiple markets. Overlaps with IPG in cross-border life and savings products, but as part of a much broader insurance and asset management portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 International Planning Group