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JS Benefits Group – Helping Clients Navigate the Healthcare Industry and Much More
Jennifer Schaefer
Founder & CEO
JS Benefits Group
Contact
Jennifer Schaefer MBA, ChFC, SHRM-
877-
Interview conducted by:
Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor
CEOCFO Magazine
Follow JS Benefits Group
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/js-
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jsbenefitsgroup/
X (Company): https://x.com/JsBenefits
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jsbenefitsgroup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsbenefits/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jsbenefitsgroup/
LinkedIn (CEO): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferschaefermba/
X (CEO): https://x.com/schaeferadvise
Published – September 9, 2026
CEOCFO: Ms. Schaefer, what led you to start JS Benefits?
Ms. Schaefer: I was trying to be a financial planner when I was younger, but I struggled with that. From there, I started pfinding leads online when the internet was new. It was a different type of sale, so I was able to meet with people and businesses in a different way than being so young-
CEOCFO: Would you tell us about the variety of services you provide?
Ms. Schaefer: JS Benefits Group is an employee benefits and HR consulting firm that helps employers design, manage, and optimize their employee benefits programs. We help companies with their group health, group life, group disability, their voluntary options that they may offer employees, as well as executive benefits that they may offer. We are consulting on that and helping employers pick those plans.
Often they are looking to do the best they can for the employees, as well as trying to keep the pricing down. We are consulting on that, and servicing the accounts. If somebody needs a card, we are doing the enrollments and the terminations. If there are problems with claims in any way, employees are coming to us. We also help with compliance and HR consulting.
CEOCFO: So you are pretty much a one-
Ms. Schaefer: Yes, we are.
CEOCFO: Do clients tend to take advantage of the range of services you offer?
Ms. Schaefer: Because it has been 30+ years that I have been doing this, employers will come to us for many things, over a long period of time. I say to my team that if they show up on time, and meet with people for many years, that they will ask for your help in many ways. We do a lot of those services for our clients.
CEOCFO: Your site shows, “Every industry, every size.” Who is turning to JS Benefits?
Ms. Schaefer: We work with employers ranging from about 25 employees to 300 employees, which I would say is our sweet spot. We do industries across the board, and lately I have noticed law firms. We have been doing this for 30+ years and we have so many types of clients. We have trucking companies, law firms, consulting businesses, home healthcare agencies, and that is just two I spoke to today.
CEOCFO: Would you give us examples of a somewhat typical engagement and maybe something a little more outside the box?
Ms. Schaefer: We had a client recently where they came to us. They had been working with a family friend for many years. They were very reluctant to make a change but we were able to show them a way to save a significant amount of money and keep the employees whole. We do that a lot. They did make the move and it was difficult for them to make that call to a family friend, but they did make that change. That is a recent new group that we took on.
We recently helped an employer who was receiving a large increase and wanted to have more control of trying to keep the rates in line. We moved them to a Captive, which is a form of self-
CEOCFO: How is technology making it easier for you to compare different plans, and where does the human element come in to play?
Ms. Schaefer: We are very people oriented. Our clients are calling our team and dealing with people in the US when they have questions, so that is very helpful. The technology piece is that enrollments are easier today, terminations are quicker, and everything is online that employers and employees can see if they choose to go that route. Today everyone is doing Zoom or team meetings. I think all of that is for the better.
We use technology where it improves efficiency, but we do not want technology to replace the human relationship. I want people to know we have humans here and that we are going to take care of them and that they mean something to us. We want to differentiate ourselves that way.
We are not using AI on the calling side. Yesterday I called a client of mine, and they are using AI. I don’t want to go that route. I want people to know we have humans here who are going to take care of them and that they mean something to us. We want to differentiate ourselves that way.
CEOCFO: How is business?
Ms. Schaefer: Good! But I make it that way. We were out marketing, networking, so we are out there in the field making business happen. We are not waiting for it to come to us.
CEOCFO: Your recent press release addressed BBB accreditation, is that something new for you?
Ms. Schaefer: It is new. I had been reading different articles about doing that, so I thought it would be a good idea, so I went through the process to become accredited.
CEOCFO: What is the competitive landscape like in the geography you cover?
Ms. Schaefer: We are in many states. We are in California, Florida, and Texas. I am seeing business move from smaller firms to larger firms, and that can sometimes create opportunity for us in that transition that is happening where the larger organization is taking over and they may not be seeing the same type of service that they did when they were with the smaller benefit firm.
CEOCFO: Would you tell us about the people in your firm and what you look for over and above expertise?
Ms. Schaefer: Some of the people who work for me, I have known prior. They worked with clients of mine. I was able to see their work ethic. I always use Lisa Reed, as an example. At times I would call where she worked and at 7:30 am she was picking up. Then I was calling late because I work all the time, and I called after 5:00 pm and Lisa was picking up.
One of the benefits of being in the business and dealing with the CEOs and CFOs in HR, I get to interact with them a lot. I started to learn about them, the work ethic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Over the years when somebody has left, I have waited for a period of time and then reached out to them to hire. It was a good way for me to hire people who I knew previously and how good they were at their jobs.
CEOCFO: Where do you see JS Benefits Group a year from now?
Ms. Schaefer: I see growing and hiring more salespeople and more HR people. The compliance piece of it is very big. I think self-
CEOCFO: How do you know when a tweak in one of the areas you work in is going to be substantial and to be embraced?
Ms. Schaefer: I’m not just a figurehead; I’m out in the field writing business myself. I learn a lot from clients. There are times when I have actually learned something from an appointment and thought, “Oh wow, I have to do this.” I am learning all the time. I was just reading about pet bereavement and I found that very interesting. I don’t know if that will take off but I was just having that discussion over the last couple of days because I have been reading about that, with some employers.
I see it all out there. Some of it is good, and with some of it, I am not sure yet. I start to see trends that are happening which has been very good for our business, that I am out in the field meeting with employers all the time.
CEOCFO: Did you anticipate liking what you do so much after all this time; your enthusiasm is quite noticeable?
Ms. Schaefer: I don’t think I had an expectation in the beginning. I was trying to pay my bills and make a living. What we do is very valuable. We are helping people navigate a complicated system. We are helping people when they are not in a good place because they have a health issue. They are coming to us to try to get a claim corrected or appealed.
Somebody just emailed me that there was a denial for their child. So I will have one of the ladies look into that. I already know the issue, so we can have that fixed. I remind everyone who works for me that we are helping people and we are valuable and they need to remember that. It can be painful for people and frustrating when they have a health issue. We try to be there for them and do the best we can.
CEOCFO: Is there anything our readers should know about JS Benefits Group, which we haven’t discussed?
Ms. Schaefer: I would say that we are there for them. We are available. We are out there in the field and we have people here local who are experts. They can help you and they care. Not only are we experts in the field, we really care about our clients. We do the best that we can to help them navigate the healthcare industry. It is complicated.
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