How does a kid from South Bronx grow up to build one of the most successful financial service companies in the country and handle mega policies for a foster of wealthy clients that include 17 billionaires? Hard work, perseverance, and determination. 

For nearly 30 years, Tom Archer has managed The Archer Financial Group, a firm specializing in the utilization of life insurance for business succession and estate planning for high-net worth individuals, business owners, professional athletes, and celebrities. He has placed hundreds of millions of dollars in mammoth policies each year and personally wrote the largest-ever life insurance policy.

Archer Financial provides wealth transfer and estate preservation services, estate, gift and trust planning, and insurance planning while maintaining health care and fringe benefits for major companies. Its products include life insurance, annuities, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance and individual and group health insurance.

“We provide the highest level of service to all our clients,” Mr. Archer said. “We offer the best solutions to help wealthy families protect their assets from estate taxes in order to pass down their fortunes for generations to come.”

Born in the South Bronx, Mr. Archer saw shadows of Yankee Stadium, yet his family could not afford to go to many games. His family later moved to Lindenhurst, where he attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grammar School and then St. Johns the Baptist High School in West Islip. During his youth, he enjoyed playing sports. He played baseball, football, and basketball. He also boxed and later competed in mixed martial arts, where he currently holds a black belt.

He graduated from St. Johns the Baptist High School with all-league honors in baseball and was offered several baseball scholarships. He attended Mt. Mercy College, where he was team captain in his senior year. He finished his collegiate career strongly and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Finance. After college, he earned his Certified Financial Planning designation from the College for Financial Planning in Denver, Colorado.

He had an opportunity to play professional baseball before going into the insurance business in 1986 and was sidelined with a leg injury, although he says he “wasn’t good enough to make it anyway”. Baseball remains a passion for Mr. Archer, as he is still involved in the sport as a part-owner of a Class A minor-league team and a Scout for the Chicago White Sox.

Within his second year of the insurance business, he placed a $100 million life insurance policy on a famous celebrity. He was then on his way to greatness.

Mr. Archer is a highly sought-after motivational speaker. He provides advice on how to be successful, not only in business, but in life. He has also led several major life insurance companies in production and received numerous honors for his accomplishments in the industry. He has also been recognized for his philanthropy, financially supporting various charitable causes, and generously donating to his former high school.

Since the company began, The Archer Financial Group has grown, with its head-quarters in New York, serving clients all over the world. The company currently services more than 5,000 clients for their insurance and wealth preservation needs.

“The creation and success of the company was born out of a hard work ethic that I demand from myself and my employees,” said Mr. Archer. “My motto has been ‘Always be more prepared than the next guy.’ Mental toughness is a key ingredient to success. This has resulted in our company growing in leaps and bounds through referrals from our clients. When we prepare a plan for a wealthy family, they know they are in the best hands possible.”

Over the past year, Mr. Archer has written life policies in the amounts of $235 million, $265 million, and $295 million for three separate clients. This is what puts him in a stratosphere of his own and why he is considered to be the top insurance advisor in the country.