What JTS Financial Services does

JTS Financial Services is a privately held, full-service employee benefits and insurance consulting firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, founded in 1998 by John T. Starling, J.D. The company operates an integrated stack centered on a proprietary benefits administration software platform that handles employee enrollment, premium billing, ACA compliance automation (including automated population of IRS 1094/1095 forms with per pay-period hour tracking), EDI file feeds to carriers, payroll systems, and third-party administrators, and a 24/7 self-service web portal. Beyond the software core, JTS delivers group health and voluntary benefits brokerage, self-funded health plan strategies (claiming average employer savings of 22.5% for new clients), property & casualty and life insurance brokerage, consumer-directed health plan administration (FSA/DCA/LFSA/HSA), COBRA and retiree billing administration, compliance testing (5500/DVFCP, non-discrimination), and Medicare Advantage plan support, plus a comprehensive grant lifecycle support service for nonprofits and municipalities using the federal 15% de minimis indirect rate. The product surface also includes the Sola Wind & Hail Crisis Policy, a parametric-style supplemental insurance product using National Weather Service data, and the ChooseJTS.com service-discovery sub-brand.

JTS employs nearly 200 people across Arkansas offices in Little Rock, Fort Smith, and Fayetteville plus a family of affiliate companies operating across 13 states including Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting mid-to-large businesses, municipalities, school districts, and healthcare organizations, layered with inside sales/phone and content marketing through the JTS blog, email newsletter, and active social channels. Revenue is generated through a mix of insurance brokerage commissions (group health, voluntary, P&C, life), recurring subscription/managed-services fees for benefits administration technology and administrative services (COBRA, FSA/HSA, compliance), professional services fees for grant administration paid from awarded grant funds, and outcome-based pricing on self-funded strategy consulting. The company is founder-controlled, with John Starling as Owner/President, David Chance as CEO, Mike Cole as CFO, and Seth Mikkelsen as CTO, and includes a wholly-owned subsidiary, Educational Benefits, Inc. (EBI), acquired in 2017 to anchor the school-benefits vertical.

Name

JTS Financial Services

Legal name

JTS Financial Services

Website

https://jtsfs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

JTS Financial Services is a privately held employee benefits and insurance brokerage firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, serving mid-to-large businesses, schools, municipalities, and healthcare organizations across 13 states via an integrated benefits administration platform, insurance brokerage, and grant lifecycle support services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employee Benefits Brokerage and Insurance Services

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324), Life Insurance (6311), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Flexible Benefits Administration (FSA/HSA/HRA) (HLAEALAK)

Keywords

• Employee benefits brokerage
• Insurance brokerage services
• Benefits administration
• Self-funded health plans
• Grant lifecycle support

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: As a licensed insurance broker, JTS earns commissions from insurance carriers for placing employee benefits, property & casualty, life insurance, and other coverage for business and individual clients.
2. Administrative Services Fees: Fee-based administrative services including COBRA administration, HSA/FSA administration, retiree billing, plan document services, and compliance testing (5500/DVFCP, non-discrimination testing).
3. Benefits Administration Technology: Technology platform fees for benefits administration software, electronic file feeds, and compliance reporting tools.
4. Grant Administration Services: Full-lifecycle grant support services including consultation, application preparation, post-award management, compliance, and reporting. Fees covered by awarded grant funds using the federal 15% de minimis indirect rate.
5. Self-Funded Strategy Consulting: Consulting and administration services for self-funded employer health plans, including large claim review, benchmarking, wellness initiatives, and pharmacy analysis. The company claims employer savings averaging 22.5% for new clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

JTS Financial Services is a full-service employee benefits and insurance brokerage firm that places commercial, health, life, and personal insurance coverage, administers benefits (FSA, HSA, COBRA, retiree billing, ACA compliance), and runs proprietary benefits administration software. The firm also delivers self-funded health plan strategies, Medicare Advantage consulting, and end-to-end grant lifecycle support for businesses, schools, municipalities, healthcare organizations, and nonprofits across 13 states.

Product overview

JTS Financial Services is an employee benefits and insurance consulting firm offering a portfolio of integrated products and services. The core platform is the Benefits Administration Software, which serves as the central hub for employee enrollment, administration, and premium billing. Surrounding this platform are core offerings including Employee Benefits consulting, Business & Personal Insurance (property, casualty, life, cyber, workers' comp), Self-Funded Strategies, and Life & Disability Insurance. Add-on modules include Administrative Services (FSA/HSA/COBRA/Retiree billing), Voluntary Products (accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity), Medicare Advantage Services, Grant Lifecycle Support, and Employee Support & Engagement tools. The product ecosystem also includes specialized tools like the Life Insurance Calculator and the Sola Wind & Hail Crisis Policy. The company operates primarily in Arkansas with affiliated companies in 13 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ChooseJTS: A service discovery platform where clients can answer questions to find relevant services for their employees, covering businesses from start-ups to nonprofits, municipal governments, and school districts.

Products and services

• Benefits Administration Software Single-site benefits administration platform for employee enrollment, administration, and premium billing, with paperless administration options, multiple enrollment options, carrier and payroll interface, online benefits portals, ACA 1094/1095 form automation, per pay-period hour tracking, and EDI file feeds for HR, payroll, carriers, and third-party administrators. Sold to employer clients of all sizes.
• Administrative Services Full-service administrative support covering Consumer Directed Health Plan Administration (FSA, DCA, LFSA, and HSA accounts including claims processing, employer portal access, consumer web portal, and smartphone app access), COBRA administration, Retiree Billing administration, Plan Document services, and Compliance Services (5500/DVFCP reporting and non-discrimination testing). For employer clients managing complex benefits compliance.
• Employee Benefits Brokerage Brokerage and consulting service providing efficient and cost-effective employee benefits solutions including group health insurance, voluntary benefits, benefits consulting, and strategic plan design for businesses from start-ups to large enterprises.
• Business and Personal Insurance Property and casualty insurance products including General Liability, Business Contents, Commercial Property, Business Income and Excess Liability, Property Insurance, Life Insurance, Cyber Insurance, Workers' Compensation, and Executive/C-Suite coverage for businesses and individuals.
• Sola Wind and Hail Crisis Policy Supplemental wind and hail insurance policy that provides a $5,000 payment toward out-of-pocket expenses for wind and hail damage, using National Weather Service data to automatically detect qualifying events.
• Life and Disability Insurance Individual life insurance products including Term Life, Whole Life, Universal Life, and Final Expense Life Insurance, alongside Disability Insurance providing income protection for individuals.
• Voluntary Products Voluntary supplemental insurance offerings including Accident Insurance, Basic Life and AD&D, Cancer Insurance, Critical Illness Benefits, Hospital Indemnity Policy, Long-Term and Short-Term Disability Insurance, and Medical Transport Solutions. Sold through employer benefits packages.
• Self-Funded Strategies Self-funded health benefit strategy consulting and administration including Large Claim Review and Forecasting, Benchmarking, Wellness Initiatives, Custom Reporting, Pharmacy Analysis and Review, and Plan Design and Contribution Analysis. The firm claims employer savings averaging 22.5% for new clients on self-funded health plans.
• Medicare Advantage Services Medicare Advantage consulting services helping employers and their employees aging into Medicare with plan transitions, as well as launching and managing Medicare Advantage plans in the state of Arkansas. Led by Medicare Specialist Cynthia Cornell with 15+ years of Medicare experience.
• Comprehensive Grant Lifecycle Support End-to-end grant services spanning opportunity identification through closeout, including consultation, application preparation, post-award program management, compliance, budgeting, reporting, and training. Sectors served include Education, Infrastructure, Healthcare, and Public Safety. Fees are covered by awarded grant funds using the federal 15% de minimis indirect rate.
• Employee Support and Engagement Employee education and engagement services including Custom Benefit Booklets, Call Center Support, One-on-One Enrollments, Educational Videos, Newsletters/E-letters/Text Communication, and Web Portal plus Mobile App Options. Sold to employer clients as part of their employee benefits engagement strategy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Employer savings averaging 22.5% for new clients on self-funded strategies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Educational Benefits, Inc. (EBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Acquired in 2017 to expand the education-focused benefits division. EBI specializes in serving school districts with tailored employee benefits solutions, complementing JTS's existing capabilities in the school benefits market entered in 2011.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• USI Insurance Services: Privately held insurance brokerage and consulting firm serving middle-market and large employers with property/casualty, employee benefits, and retirement planning. Directly comparable in mid-market brokerage focus and benefits administration services.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm with deep employee benefits and consulting practices. Comparable in product breadth (group health, voluntary, life, P&C, benefits consulting, self-funded/alternative risk) and in serving mid-market and large employers.
• Brown & Brown, Inc. Large national insurance brokerage and employee benefits firm providing commercial, health, life, and P&C products across all 50 states. Highly comparable as a multi-line brokerage serving mid-market and enterprise clients with a similar product mix and acquisition-led growth model.
• AssuredPartners: U.S. insurance brokerage built through aggressive regional acquisitions, offering commercial, employee benefits, and personal lines. Directly comparable to JTS in regional broker roll-up strategy and multi-line product offering.
• Lockton Companies: Largest privately held insurance brokerage in the U.S., offering commercial, employee benefits, and risk-management solutions. Comparable as a private, relationship-driven broker with strong benefits consulting practice and similar acquisition-driven expansion.
• Hub International: North American insurance brokerage offering commercial, personal, life, and employee benefits products with strong regional office networks. Comparable multi-line brokerage model and middle-market employer orientation.
• OneDigital: Employee benefits and HR consulting firm focused on benefits strategy, benefits administration technology, and compliance for mid-market employers. Closely comparable to JTS's benefits administration, self-funded consulting, and verticalized employer segments.
• Holmes Murphy & Co. Privately held insurance brokerage specializing in commercial, employee benefits, and self-funded solutions with strong presence in the Midwest and South Central U.S. Closely comparable to JTS in regional footprint, self-funded expertise, and benefits consulting focus.

Broad incumbents

• Marsh McLennan: Global professional services firm operating Marsh (brokerage), Mercer (health and benefits consulting), and Oliver Wyman. Overlaps with JTS in health & benefits brokerage and consulting but operates at a vastly larger scale and global footprint.
• Aon plc: Global professional services firm providing risk management, insurance brokerage, reinsurance, and health & benefits consulting. Comparable in benefits consulting and brokerage for mid-to-large employers, though at significantly larger scale and broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChooseJTS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jtsfs
• Instagraminstagram.com/choosejts
• Xx.com/jtsfinancial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 JTS Financial Services