Title: Our Benefits Consulting Process
Source: https://ethosbenefits.com/how-we-work
Publisher: Ethos Benefits
Last updated: 2026-10-20
Summary: How an engagement with Ethos Benefits runs, from the five-phase Ethos Method to the team assigned to your plan and the reviews that follow all year.

1.  [Home](https://ethosbenefits.com/)
2.  The Ethos Method.

# The Ethos Method. How we take a plan apart and put it back together.

Every Ethos Benefits engagement runs the same five phases, in order: Risk Reality, Anatomy of a Plan, Invisible Invoice, Ground Truth and the Fiduciary Framework™. Each phase teaches your team something about your own plan before anything changes. After that, a named team runs the plan with you all year.

[Request a Strategic Analysis](https://ethosbenefits.com/strategic-analysis)

## The five _phases._

Each phase answers one question about your plan. They run in order, because each one depends on what the one before it found.

| Phase | The question it answers | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **1\. Risk Reality** | What does the plan cost, and where does the risk sit? | Cost trend, stop-loss exposure, contract terms, and who is paid what |
| **2\. Anatomy of a Plan** | Who touches the plan, and what does each of them charge? | Every vendor, every fee and every hand-off, on one page |
| **3\. Invisible Invoice** | What is the plan paying that nobody shows you? | Compensation and pricing spread across your vendors, quantified and sourced |
| **4\. Ground Truth** | What is really happening in the claims? | Claims and pharmacy data read directly, not from a carrier summary |
| **5\. Fiduciary Framework™** | Where should the plan go, and how will you prove it was run well? | A committee, a charter, a three to five year plan, benchmarks and minutes |

The [Fiduciary Framework™](https://ethosbenefits.com/fiduciary-framework) is where the method ends and the year-round work begins.

## From first call _to kickoff._

1.  **Strategic Analysis.** Your broker agreement and plan documents first, then the plan itself. [Request one](https://ethosbenefits.com/strategic-analysis).
2.  **Analysis.** The five phases above, presented to your leadership as the situation, the complication and the options.
3.  **Alignment.** Your committee weighs the options with the full picture and decides. Each decision is recorded with the reasoning behind it.
4.  **Kickoff.** Final plan decisions, contributions, eligibility and the open enrollment plan, in one signed kickoff document before enrollment starts.

## Your team, _by name._

| Role | What they own |
| --- | --- |
| **Benefits consultant** | Strategy, contracts, your benefits business plan, and escalations |
| **Account executive** | Onboarding, your Ethos Experience calls, claims reviews, communication strategy, and technology |
| **Account manager** | Your employees’ questions, eligibility, claims support and help finding care |
| **Compliance specialist** | Your fiduciary committee, your compliance calendar and every annual compliance item |
| **Technology specialist** | Benefits administration setup, audits of plan builds, and carrier and payroll file feeds |
| **HR consultants** | HR questions, handbooks and documents |

The people on your account are named in your agreement, so you always know who is responsible for what.

## How the year _runs._

-   **Every week or every other week:** an Ethos Experience call with your service team.
-   **Every month:** a claims review, including large claims and what is being done about them.
-   **Every quarter:** a committee meeting under the Fiduciary Framework™, with one-page minutes filed in your record.
-   **Every renewal:** options marketed and compared side by side, decided by your committee, and documented.
-   **Every open enrollment:** employee communications written and scheduled for you, with your approval.

## Where it all _lives._

Every document, decision, deadline and request is kept in the [Ethos Fiduciary OS](https://ethosbenefits.com/fiduciary-os), so your committee can see the plan’s record at any time, not just at renewal.

## Questions employers ask about this.

Does anything change in our plan during the first phases?

No. The first four phases are about understanding the plan as it is. Changes come later, when your committee has the full picture and decides, and every decision is recorded with its reasoning.

Do we have to leave our current broker to start?

No. A Strategic Analysis starts with your current broker agreement and plan documents, wherever your plan is today. What you do with what you learn is your decision.

Who will we work with day to day?

Your account executive and account manager. Your benefits consultant leads strategy and the committee, and compliance, technology and HR specialists join when their part of the plan is on the table.

How often will we meet?

Your service team holds Ethos Experience calls with you every week or every other week, reviews claims with you every month, and meets with your benefits committee every quarter.

## See what your plan is really costing you.

A Strategic Analysis starts with your plan documents and your broker agreement, then shows you what your plan costs, where the risk sits, and what a committee would decide with the full picture.

[Request a Strategic Analysis](https://ethosbenefits.com/strategic-analysis) [Call (407) 803-4710](tel:+14078034710)