Our Foundation:
In 1976, JA Counter was founded in New Richmond, Wisconsin as an insurance agency specializing in individual life, health and disability and employee benefit planning. James (Jim) Counter founded the agency during a time that health claim forms were handwritten on paper; but as times changed--so did JA Counter.
Linda Skoglund joined the firm in 1990 and worked with Jim to help capitalize on his industry leadership to build programs to support other advisors in 1990. Skoglund joined JA Counter as a shareholder in 1997 and acquired 100% of the shares by 2001. Skoglund leads the firm with the same passion and determination to care for their clients as was instilled in her through Jim Counter’s mentorship. JA Counter became a member of the Benefit Advisors Network (BAN) in 2007 and joined Cambridge Investment Research, Inc in 2016.
Out of the Benefit Advisors Network, twenty-three independent firms discussed the ability to provide the best of both worlds—national scope combined with local service. The thought-leaders dreamed of the transformation of client experience that would occur by providing greater depth and breadth of resources if they came together as one large collaborative unit. In 2017 they executed on their plan! An aggregator was formed, uniting the 23 firms into a larger entity known as Alera Group.
Our Present:
JA Counter IS Alera Group; fully embracing the alignment of our brand with the dream our builders had and our team is executing on is our present-state. Our local (Wisconsin/Minnesota) operations are run by managing partner Linda Skoglund with the backing of the regional and executive leadership team of Alera Group. The culture of our combined organization thrives on innovative thinking and constant collaboration while maintaining strong local relationships.
We provide exceptional service to our clients through innovative, customized solutions, education, knowledge, and resources delivered with integrity and professionalism. And we have fun doing it! We look forward to making a difference for you!
