# Questions & Answers | Helio Risk > Straight answers about captive formation, management, timelines and enterprise risk consulting from Helio Risk. Canonical page: https://heather-mcclure-heliorisk.launchautomation.workers.dev/faq # Questions people actually ask Every answer starts with the answer. If yours is not here, call and ask. [Discuss Your Risk Strategy](/contact) ## All questions ## Helio Risk designs, forms and manages captive insurance programs that turn insurance expense into an owned asset, alongside enterprise risk management consulting built around each client's risk tolerance and timeline. ## Formation runs in three phases. The business plan phase covers corporate structure, financials and internal approvals. The application phase includes a pre-application meeting, EIN, capital contribution and license issuance, with regulatory review of about 30 days. The approval phase covers policy issuance, premium collection and loss payment. ## Helio Risk is headquartered in Oklahoma City, with additional offices in Dallas, Jacksonville and Chicago, plus a growing presence in Vermont. ## Helio Risk works with clients across automotive, banking, commercial real estate, convenience stores, family offices, the firearms industry, healthcare, nonprofits, private equity and property. ## Heather McClure serves as Managing Partner and General Counsel, Kyle Sweet as Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, and Blake Kerr as Partner and Chief Financial Officer. ## Managing Partner Heather McClure was named #15 on Captive Review's Power 50 in 2026, recognizing decades shaping the captive insurance industry from both the owner and manager side. She was also featured in a separate Captive Review article on the firm's multi-location growth in August 2026. ## A captive is a licensed insurance company that a business owns and controls, rather than a policy rented from an outside carrier. The business that takes on the risk also owns the company funding it, so premium builds capital instead of only transferring risk away. ## A traditional policy sends premium to a carrier and nothing comes back unless a claim is paid. A captive is licensed in the business owner's own name, so the same premium builds an asset the business controls, with Helio Risk handling formation and ongoing management. ## Yes. The team is ICCIE trained, meaning every program is built by people formally educated in captive insurance structure and regulation, not sold as an add-on to a traditional policy. ## Three partners run the firm day to day, backed by a team of twelve across accounts, operations, accounting and risk control, for 15 partners and staff in total. ## Captive Conversations is Helio Risk's own podcast, hosted by Partner Kyle Sweet. The first episode, "From Expense to Asset: Captive Insurance Investment," ran in June 2026 with guest Madeline Jacobs, CPFA. ## Call, email or send a message through the contact page to discuss your risk strategy directly. Someone from the team replies within one business day. ## Oklahoma City, Dallas, Jacksonville, Chicago and Vermont are where Helio Risk has an office presence, but captive formation, management and risk consulting are available to businesses nationwide. ## Business plan, application and approval. The business plan phase covers corporate structure, financials and internal approvals. The application phase includes a pre-application meeting, EIN, capital contribution and license issuance. The approval phase covers policy issuance, premium collection, loss payment and corporate policy adoption. ## Once the application phase begins, regulatory review generally runs about 30 days, covering the pre-application meeting, EIN, capital contribution and license issuance. ## Corporate structure, financials and internal approvals are put on paper before anything is filed with a regulator, so the captive is built on a plan the business has already agreed to. ## Policy issuance, premium collection, loss payment and corporate policy adoption bring the captive to life. From there, Helio Risk manages the program on an ongoing basis rather than handing it off. ## Businesses with real, measurable, repeatable risk, and owners ready to fund that risk instead of only transferring it. Companies in industries like automotive, healthcare, real estate and banking are common fits. ## Businesses looking only to lower this year's premium, or anyone unwilling to hold capital in the program long term, are not a good match for a captive. ## A confidential, comprehensive risk assessment matched to a business's risk tolerance, needs and timeline, built on resources the business already has rather than assuming something new is required. ## No. Risk consulting sits underneath every captive Helio Risk manages, and also stands alone for businesses that want a clear picture of their risk before deciding whether to form one. ## The same industries Helio Risk serves overall: automotive, banking, commercial real estate, convenience stores, family offices, the firearms industry, healthcare, nonprofits, private equity and property, plus emerging categories like psychedelic-assisted care. ## Yes. The assessment gives a full, private picture of the risk a business already carries, and is not shared beyond what the client authorizes. ## Businesses that want a clear picture of their risk before acting, companies weighing a captive but not ready to commit, and hard-to-insure or emerging risk categories are all a good fit. ## Businesses looking only for a quick quote comparison, without interest in a fuller picture of their risk, are not the right fit for a Helio Risk engagement. ## Someone from the team replies within one business day of a call, message or free-call request. ## Still wondering? Ask the team directly. Thirty minutes, free. [Discuss Your Risk Strategy](/contact) --- Helio Risk, (405) 960-2005, info@heliorisk.com, Oklahoma City, OK Powered by [Launch Automation](https://www.launchautomation.ai)