Beyond Buy and Pray: How Van Carlson's 831B Captives Give Small Businesses Big Risk Power

7 snips

Oct 1, 2025

Van Carlson, Founder and CEO of 831B Admin, draws on his 30 years of risk management experience to introduce innovative strategies for small businesses. He explains 831B captive insurance as a tool to move beyond traditional insurance, likening it to a health savings account for businesses. Van discusses tackling non-transferable risks, such as supply chain disruptions and brand protection. He also highlights the innovative 'halo coverage' that fills gaps left by traditional policies, urging business owners to adopt holistic risk strategies for growth.

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INSIGHT

831(b) Levels The Playing Field

831(b) lets small-to-mid market businesses tax-defer underwriting profits up to $2.85M in premium, building surplus for risk-taking.
Van frames it as a way for smaller firms to access enterprise-style risk financing historically used by large companies.

INSIGHT

Covers Risks Traditional Insurance Skips

831(b) is used to insure non-transferable risks like business interruption, supply chain and brand protection.
Van notes modern businesses face complex exposures that traditional markets increasingly exclude.

ADVICE

Assess Policies And Use Halo Coverage

Assess existing insurance first and map policy gaps before funding an 831(b) program.
Use a halo policy to cover first-dollar losses, coinsurance, and property exclusions traditional carriers add.

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In this new, limited series of Risk Management: Brick by Brick, host Jason Reichl sits down with Van Carlson, Founder and CEO of SRA 831(b) Admin for Episode 1 of ‘Documentation & Organization’, to explore how small and medium-sized businesses can access enterprise-level risk management through 831B captive insurance programs. Van brings three decades of experience helping business owners move beyond traditional "buy and pray" insurance approaches to strategic risk financing that builds wealth while protecting assets.

Discover how 831B captives work like "health savings accounts for your business," why the tax code was originally designed to help smaller insurance companies compete, and how modern businesses are using these structures to cover non-transferable risks like supply chain disruptions, brand protection, and cyber incidents. Learn about Van's innovative "halo coverage" approach and why he believes every business owner should consider strategic risk retention as part of their growth strategy.

To find out how TrustLayer manages risk so that people can build the physical world around us, head to TrustLayer.io.

Podcast Host: Jason Reichl

Executive Producer: Don Halliwell

Episode Highlights:

[01:03] - Van's Unconventional Journey: From FedEx to 30 Years in Risk Management
[02:06] - 831B Basics: Tax-Deferred Insurance for Small Business Risk Building
[03:04] - Modern Risk Coverage: Business Interruption, Supply Chain, and Brand Protection
[05:22] - Halo Coverage Innovation: Filling Gaps Traditional Insurance Won't Cover
[11:33] - Addressing 831B Misconceptions: Risk Management vs. Tax Planning
[15:49] - Success Story: How One Denim Supplier Saved His Contract with Strategic Risk Planning
[20:04] - Future Outlook: Why 831B Programs Are Becoming Standard Business Practice
[24:02] - Risky or Too Risky Game: Van's Take on Corporate Acquisitions and Political Risk
[25:44] - AI Integration: Using LegalOn to Decode Complex Insurance Policies

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Previous guests include: Seth Hausman of Kraus-Anderson Insurance, Matthew Meyer of The Horton Group, Diana Rich of Foundation Building Materials, Christy McHenry of Suffolk Construction, Mark Rieder of NFP, and Cory Mangum of Primoris Services Corporation.

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