The ForWard Insurance Agency

What The ForWard Insurance Agency does

The ForWard Insurance Agency, Inc. (TFIA) is a privately held, Houston-based insurance agency founded in 2014 that sells employee benefits, 401(k) plans, COBRA administration, and HR advisory services to businesses of any size and individual consumers across the United States. The firm operates as a licensed brokerage, generating revenue primarily through commissions from a network of more than 200 insurance carriers, with no public pricing disclosed and no subscription line item beyond the recurring commission structure. TFIA's operational backbone is a proprietary Benefit Administration System provided free of charge to clients, featuring payroll and carrier integrations, paperless enrollment, automatic eligibility notifications, and built-in HR tools such as PTO and ACA filing management. The agency is founder-led by CEO/Owner Hammie Ward III with a team of approximately six people, including a junior partner, sales and operations coordinators, and an account specialist, and serves clients nationally while being headquartered in a single Houston office. Marketing is conducted through the company website, social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), and direct phone and email outreach, with no evidence of external capital, parent company, or subsidiary structure.

Name

The ForWard Insurance Agency

Legal name

The ForWard Insurance Agency, Inc.

Website

https://tfiagy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TFIA is a Houston-based, founder-owned insurance brokerage founded in 2014 that sells employee benefits, 401(k), COBRA administration, and HR support to SMB and individual clients nationwide, supported by a proprietary free benefits administration platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Individual Health Insurance Brokerage & Distribution (FSAIAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Employee benefits brokerage
• Group health insurance
• COBRA administration services
• 401k retirement plans
• Benefit administration software

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston, Texas

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Agency Commissions: TFIA generates revenue through commissions from over 200 carrier partners for insurance products sold to businesses and individuals, including employee benefits, 401k plans, life insurance, supplemental insurance, and COBRA administration services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The ForWard Insurance Agency is an independent insurance agency that brokers employee benefits, 401(k) retirement plans, COBRA administration, and individual insurance products through a network of over 200 carrier partners. The agency supports employer clients with a proprietary Benefit Administration System (offered free of charge) and HR advisory services, while also placing personal insurance coverage for individuals and families.

Product overview

The ForWard Insurance Agency (TFIA) offers a portfolio of insurance products and administrative services centered on employee benefits management. The core offering includes group health and supplemental insurance products (Major Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, Accident, Cancer, Heart Attack/Stroke), retirement planning (401(k)), and COBRA administration. These products are supported by a proprietary Benefit Administration System—a web-based platform that integrates with payroll and carrier systems to enable paperless enrollment, compliance management, and employee self-service. HR advisory services complement the technology platform for clients requiring additional human resources support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employee Benefits Comprehensive employee benefits brokerage program for employer clients including Core Benefits (Major Medical, GAP, Dental, Vision, Telemedicine), Supplemental Insurance (Accident, Cancer, Heart Attack/Stroke, Hospital Plans), Disability Insurance (Short-Term and Long-Term), and Life Insurance (Term, Whole, Universal), placed through the agency's 200+ carrier partners.
• COBRA Administration Federal and Texas state COBRA continuation administration services for employer clients, with the cost of required compliance notices covered at no additional cost to the client.
• 401(k) Benefits Employer-sponsored defined-contribution retirement savings plans with employee and employer contribution options, designed to help employers attract and retain talent.
• Benefit Administration System Web-based benefits management platform offered free of charge to all clients, featuring payroll integration, carrier integration, paperless enrollment, reporting tools, built-in HR tools (PTO management, ACA filing management), automatic eligibility notifications, mobile and computer accessibility, and organizational structuring by department, divisions, and job title.
• HR Support and Administration HR professional advisory services supporting day-to-day HR duties and basic HR questions for employer clients, with partner referrals provided for clients requiring full-service tailored business HR needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1000 satisfied clients served
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Over 200+ Carrier PartnerscoreOthersTFIA works with over 200 insurance carrier partners to provide diverse insurance products and competitive rates to their clients. These carrier partnerships enable the agency to offer comprehensive employee benefits, 401k plans, supplemental insurance, and other coverage options to businesses and individuals across the United States.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• OneDigital: OneDigital is an employee benefits-focused insurance brokerage offering group benefits, retirement, voluntary benefits, and benefits administration technology to employers — directly comparable to TFIA's core offering with a similar employer-centric value proposition.
• Acrisure: Acrisure is a large, fast-growing insurance brokerage operating across commercial, employee benefits, and personal lines through multi-carrier distribution — a scaled analog of TFIA's benefits-led brokerage model.
• Brown & Brown: Brown & Brown is a national insurance brokerage with a strong employee benefits division distributing group health, supplemental, and retirement products through carrier partnerships — directly analogous to TFIA's distribution model.
• Alliant Insurance Services: Alliant is a national specialty insurance brokerage with an employee benefits group distributing group health, retirement, and voluntary products through carrier relationships — a direct peer for benefits-led brokerage.
• Hub International: Hub International is a major North American insurance brokerage providing employee benefits, commercial, and personal insurance — comparable to TFIA as a multi-carrier broker serving both employer and individual clients.
• USI Insurance Services: USI is a top U.S. insurance brokerage with a dedicated employee benefits practice serving mid-market and large employers — comparable to TFIA in benefits distribution but with deeper resources and broader geographic reach.
• NFP: NFP is a large U.S. insurance brokerage and benefits advisory firm serving employers with group health, retirement, and individual products — directly comparable to TFIA's employee benefits and 401(k) distribution model, though at far greater scale.

Emerging players

• SimplyInsured: SimplyInsured is a tech-enabled small-group health insurance broker distributing carrier products online — comparable to TFIA in the small-employer benefits segment but with a digital-first distribution model.
• Gusto (Benefits offering): Gusto integrates payroll, HR, and benefits administration into a single platform for SMBs — an emerging tech-enabled alternative to traditional brokerages like TFIA in the small employer market.

Broad incumbents

• Paychex (Insurance & Benefits Solutions): Paychex offers benefits administration and insurance distribution alongside its payroll and HR platform, competing with TFIA for SMB benefits business where payroll+benefits integration is increasingly a deciding factor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/forwardinsurance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-forward-insurance-agency
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_forward_insurance_agency

Compliance1 record

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 ForWard Insurance Agency