also called: risk advisor, employee benefits consultant
This advisor reviews what the target is insured for and what it is not, whether historical claims suggest a risk the financials have absorbed quietly, and what the employee benefit obligations actually cost going forward. Underinsurance is common in owner-managed companies, because the owner has been carrying risk personally without framing it that way.
After closing they handle the practical merge: two benefit plans, two renewal dates, two brokers, and employees comparing their new package to their old one within about a week. Benefits are the most visible thing that changes for the acquired workforce, and getting them wrong costs goodwill you cannot buy back.
During diligence for anything with employees, vehicles, premises or professional liability, and again immediately after closing to plan the benefits transition before employees discover it themselves.
Often commission-based through the placement of policies, sometimes fee-based for pure advisory. Ask which, because a commissioned advisor has a view about how much cover you should buy.
Leaving benefits until after closing and letting the acquired employees find out what changed by opening their own paperwork. It is the cheapest goodwill in the whole transaction and it is routinely spent badly.
Not representations and warranties insurance, which is a transaction product placed by a specialist broker.
The Institute accepts no payment from any advisor, takes no fee tied to any transaction, and does not place or refer professionals for compensation. This entry describes a role, not a recommendation of any firm.