Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group

What Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group does

Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group is a Toronto-based insurance advisory and brokerage firm founded by John Firstbrook, with operating roots traceable to 1977 and a formal founding date of 1982. The firm serves Canadian entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses, offering insurance advisory alongside succession planning, estate planning, tax and planning, and dedicated client services management. The practice rebranded to "Firstbrook Miklas" in 2024, formalizing the partnership with David Miklas and signaling an ownership transition away from sole dependence on the founder.

The firm's core capability is human-advisory: a small team of approximately nine employees delivers integrated insurance, succession, estate, and tax planning through practitioner-led engagements rather than a technology platform. Leadership includes John Firstbrook as Founder/CEO, David Miklas as Partner, Connor Kelly as VP Tax & Planning, Amy Zhao as Manager of Client Services, and Matthew Low as New Business Director. Distribution is anchored by a long-standing partnership with CADA dating to 1987, and the firm operates within a PIPEDA-compliant privacy framework required for handling sensitive Canadian client financial and estate data.

Revenue is generated through professional advisory fees and commissions from insurance carriers on policies placed for clients. There is no public disclosure of revenue, no external funding, no M&A activity, and no technology platform; the business is a traditional relationship-driven boutique. The narrow customer segment (private Canadian family businesses), single distribution channel relationship, and limited headcount together imply a concentrated revenue base with limited diversification across clients, segments, or geographies.

Name

Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group

Legal name

Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group

Website

https://firstbrookmiklas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group is a Toronto-based boutique insurance advisory and brokerage firm serving Canadian entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses with insurance, succession, estate, and tax planning services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Advisory Services

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions) (FSAAACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Risk Management & Insurance Advisory for Families (FSAAADAK)

Keywords

• Insurance advisory services
• Business succession planning
• Estate planning solutions
• Life insurance brokerage
• Family wealth planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Advisory and Planning Services: The firm provides insurance advisory services to entrepreneurs and family businesses, likely earning commissions from insurance products placed with carriers. Services include succession planning, estate planning, and business transfer planning.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group is an independent insurance advisory firm that helps Canadian entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses with insurance planning, business succession, and estate transfer strategies. The firm acts as a coordinator among clients' existing professional advisors (accountants, lawyers, healthcare professionals) to design comprehensive, multi-generational wealth and business continuity solutions, supported by in-house tax planning and dedicated client services management.

Product overview

Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group offers a unified suite of advisory services for family businesses and entrepreneurs. The core offering centers on insurance advisory (life insurance, estate planning, business succession) augmented by in-house tax planning capabilities and dedicated client services management. The team coordinates with external specialists (accountants, lawyers, healthcare professionals) to deliver comprehensive, personalized planning solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insurance Advisory Services Comprehensive insurance planning and advisory services for family businesses and entrepreneurs, including life insurance placement, estate planning, and business succession solutions delivered as a consultative engagement.
• Business Succession Planning Advisory engagement guiding family-owned businesses through generational ownership transitions, asset transfer strategies, and business continuity planning.
• Estate Planning Comprehensive estate planning services that help clients protect and transfer their legacy to future generations, coordinated with accountants, lawyers, and other specialists.
• Tax & Planning Services Tax planning and advisory delivered by a CPA, CA with experience advising ultra-high net worth Canadian families on wealth structuring, integrated with the firm's insurance and succession practice.
• Client Services Management Day-to-day insurance administration and client support services that ensure smooth policy servicing, application follow-up, and superior client experience.

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

One partnership is on record.

• Canadian Automotive Dealers Association (CADA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987Key partnership established in 1987 with CADA consulting with industry leaders. This partnership helped expand the firm's reach to serve top entrepreneurs and business families across various sectors beyond automotive.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Marsh Canada: Marsh Canada is a leading insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm serving large commercial clients and HNW segments. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering insurance advisory and risk-management services that overlap with Firstbrook Miklas's consultative offering.
• Sun Life Financial: Sun Life is one of Canada's largest life insurers and wealth managers with significant group benefits and HNW advisory offerings. Amy Zhao previously worked at Sun Life, and the firm places business with carriers in Sun Life's tier. Comparable as a broad incumbent in life insurance and wealth for Canadian individuals and business owners.
• Industrial Alliance (iA Financial Group): iA Financial Group is a major Canadian insurance and wealth management company with strong HNW, group benefits, and dealer-network distribution. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose dealer/advisor channel overlaps with Firstbrook Miklas's client base of entrepreneurs and family businesses.
• Canada Life: Canada Life is a major Canadian life and health insurer — John Firstbrook's former employer. As a direct carrier it underwrites the life insurance products the firm places, making it both a supplier and a comparable institutional player in the same life-insurance/wealth ecosystem serving Canadian families and businesses.
• Aon Canada: Aon's Canadian operations include a large commercial insurance brokerage and HNW/private-risk advisory practice. Comparable as a global incumbent with sophisticated risk advisory and insurance placement capabilities for affluent individuals and family enterprises.
• Manulife Financial: Manulife is a leading Canadian life insurer and wealth manager with extensive HNW and group benefits capabilities. Comparable to Firstbrook Miklas as a full-spectrum insurance and wealth provider for Canadian families, entrepreneurs, and employer plans — though at vastly greater scale and with proprietary product manufacturing.
• Hub International Canada: Hub International operates a large Canadian insurance brokerage platform offering commercial and personal lines, employee benefits, and wealth-adjacent services. It is comparable as a broad insurance intermediary with HNW/private-client capabilities, but spans many more lines and geographies than Firstbrook Miklas.

Direct peers

• T.E. Wealth: T.E. Wealth is a Canadian multi-family office providing integrated wealth, tax, and estate planning services to HNW families and business owners. Directly comparable to Firstbrook Miklas in serving Canadian HNW families with coordinated wealth, tax, and succession advisory — though with a more family-office orientation.
• Nicola Wealth: Nicola Wealth is a Canadian employee-owned wealth management firm serving HNW families and entrepreneurs with integrated investment, tax, and estate planning. Highly comparable to Firstbrook Miklas in target client (HNW Canadian families) and integrated advisory model, though Nicola Wealth is much larger and more investment-led.
• BFL Canada: BFL Canada is one of Canada's largest employee-owned specialty insurance brokerages, serving mid-market to large enterprises with complex risk and insurance needs. Comparable to Firstbrook Miklas in providing broker-led advisory and placement services, though at far greater scale and with broader commercial lines.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firstbrook-miklas-insurance

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Firstbrook Miklas Insurance Group