Primerica Financial Services
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Freedom Lives Here
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Primerica Financial Services ~ Freedom Lives Here ~
A.L. Williams
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A.L. Williams 〰️
The Famous “Do It!” Speech
- Art Williams, founder
Primerica Financial Services
Primerica Inc., listed on the New York Stock Exchange as PRI
Largest financial services marketing organization in North America
5.7 million life insurance clients
2.9 million investments accounts
$900 billion of life insurance in force
An average of $6.1 million in benefit claims paid every day
Over $100 billion in Assets Under Management
The History of Primerica
The Early Years
Born in 1977, Primerica was founded as then known, “A.L. Williams” by Art Williams.
Art Williams was a football coach at a local school, who also worked part-time in the insurance business, for Bob Safford and his company at the time. Art’s father had a whole life insurance policy with another company named, “Prudential”.
At the time of his death, Art’s father’s whole life policy did not payout the cash value as per its contract. According to Art, he and his family were deceived by the insurance agent and company. This incident changed Art’s life.
Art contacted his local colleagues, mostly teachers and coaches around the town, and discovered that many of them had the same life insurance policies. Art and seven others founded A.L. Williams, the only life insurance company that would not sell Cash Value life insurance. A.L. Williams specialized in “Buy Term & Invest the Difference.
After 13 years of incredible success, A.L. Williams grew from a sales force of seven people, to 225,000. At which point A.L. sold more life insurance than the top two life insurance companies in the United States combined (one of which was Prudential).
In 1986, A.L. Williams expanded into Canada through the Hector LaMarque hierarchy with its first Canadian RVP, Barry Andershak in British Columbia.
In 1988, Art Williams sold Primerica to Citigroup Inc., for $1.54 billion. Sandy Weill appointed Joe Plumeri to Primerica’s new CEO, and it was then that Primerica began its corporate era.
The Corporate Era
Being under the Citigroup umbrella had many benefits, after all, Citigroup was the largest company in the world.
The most notable achievement during the corporate era was the introduction of the Financial Needs Analysis (FNA) thus transitioning Primerica’s culture from simply selling the “Buy Term & Invest the Difference” concept to full service financial services including other services such as Legal Shield and debt management solutions. It did not, however, deviate from its core belief of “Buy Term & Invest the Difference.”
The Public Era
Post 2008 recession, Citigroup stock plummeted from $500 a share to $2.50, the company was in doldrums. Primerica co-CEOs at the time, John Addison and Rick Williams, push to IPO Primerica on the New York Stock Exchange.
On April 1st, 2010 Citigroup sold Primerica for $9 billion with an IPO at $15 per share. Today Primerica stock is over $290 per share (as of Feb 1st, 2025).
John Addison and Rick Williams thus retired after Primerica’s IPO and appointment Glen Williams as CEO (current).
Under Glen’s leadership the company has grown tremendously in every category. Primerica’s product shelf now includes dozens of products and robust partnerships with other industry leaders, establishing its brand as the “go-to” financial services company for middle income Canadian and American families.
And it was all started by a football coach that took on the insurance industry…