Is it better to be a "Captive insurance agent" or an "Individual agent"?

What companies would I sign up with as an Individual agent?

iam not sure

find a job selling something real.

Insurance companies do not do what they say.

wow, at first I thought you said INSURGENT (insurance) and I was getting worried, lol. that sounded kind of scary!

Sorry 'Surfjunkie' had to make ignorant editorial comments. Now to your question. A captive insurance agent is an agent for a specific company versus an independent agent who sells insurance for multiple companies. There are benefits to both. With a captive insurance agency you usually are an agent for a very large, successful insurance company which will lend support, prestige and a name brand to your agency (i.e. State Farm Insurance utilizes captive agents) You get the benefits of their experience, training, business support and brand quality. With an individual agent you get the benefit of flexibility in products and companies so you may be able to sell more products to more individuals. Also, you may be able to find products which are more profitable for you. Other companies which use captive agents are Allstate and Nationwide.

Highly subjective. It's easier to start out - get an appointment - with a captive carrier. MUCH easier.

See, companies that go through independents have a gazillion people to choose from, when signing agents on. It's not about what company YOU pick, it's who the HECK will give you a contract. It's REALLY HARD. And if you're starting out and don't have a book of business to roll over, it's practically impossible.

But when you sign on with a captive, you have a much more limited market place.

Best bet, if you're starting out - work for someone else. Use their markets, establish your book, learn the business, then you can get the contracts once you have a book you can roll over.l

If you want to be an independent agent you can also sign with an independent marketing group. You can get training and support. It also helps you contract with companies. As an independent you may also be better positioned to cross sell to meet your customers needs. Check out http://www.naawashington.com and contact me if this interests you.

Well in my case, I find it to be better to be able to offer one company that I offer products from, instead of confusing my clients with 50 different products. On the other hand I can see having more options will gerate more sells which means more money for me. Not necessarly a bad idea just doesn't work for me. I see enough of the other products and I have strict guide lines for selling a product that most I have seen does not cover. In other words I could not sell myself or family or friends.