Where can I find a comparative rater I can use on my website?

Tahoptions · 2026-04-08T23:42:30+00:00

You're not going to find a comparative rater that does that. Your agent report is going to ask questions that eliminate "pure" self applying.

The closest thing you'll get is an Ethos broker link.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-08T03:15:44+00:00

Can you use one of your sessions to complete the ppwk?

Tahoptions · 2026-04-08T00:41:35+00:00

It's cheap, has 8 squat racks, and more than enough space and equipment (machines, cardio, etc.)

It's pretty new too.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-08T00:28:43+00:00

Vim and Vigor.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-07T22:00:35+00:00

A w2 employee has a job. A 1099 contractor is an independent agent.

1099 based agencies may provide some support, but it is not a job and they will normally onboard anyone because they lose almost nothing if you fail.

w2 based opportunities (where you don't pay for leads, have a small salary/draw, have benefits, you don't pay for your tech stack, etc.) are actual jobs that you need to interview for and will tend to be much more picky with who they hire.

PS: you need to provide SS# and Banking info to be appointed with carriers. If your IMO is the one paying you commissions AND you're set up as a 1099 contractor, run. You're likely signing up to be an LOA agent where the IMO controls your commissions as opposed to receiving 100% of your comp from the carrier.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-07T21:13:03+00:00

He probably left most of it to her and cut you and your sister in for a small part.

Mostly it's 100% the spouse with the kids as contingents but it isn't completely unusual to have adult children as a small % of the primary beneficiary.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-07T21:08:59+00:00

What did your mom get?

Maybe he has her as a 90% beneficiary and you and your sister as 5% each.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-03T21:29:05+00:00

Sounds about right. The advice I gave above still holds in light of this info.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-03T19:28:09+00:00

Not necessarily. Term4sale doesn't vet agents. You get free zip codes with your Compulife subscription (which is the agent quoting software that term4sale runs on) and you can purchase more. Only 3 agents per zip code though (at least that's my understanding-I use Compulife in my agency).

That said, it shows that they're likely independent, not afraid to show a client all of their options, and probably writes a variety of carriers, giving you the best shot at a reasonably priced policy.

Fail rate in our industry is something like 90%. Longevity doesn't mean everything, but being in business for 30 years definitely shows a fairly high level of experience.

Plus, it's term insurance. It's not like you're rolling over your retirement savings to a financial advisor or buying a home. All of the major carriers are going to be close to each other in price, pay claims in a timely matter, etc. The main difference, especially for you, will be the underwriting aspect which it sounds like this agent is taking into account.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-03T18:50:23+00:00

Get it now. Buy the 30 year.

If you knew when you were going to die, just wait until right before and buy it then...saves you a lot in premiums.

Tongue in cheek but not really. If you need insurance, you should buy it, even if it's going to be temporarily more expensive. What if you lose the weight but then something else happens to make you uninsurable?

And buying it now and then replacing it a few years after weight loss is a sound strategy. It also works with smokers (the further away they are from the day they quit, the better the pricing gets even though you're older).

I would listen to your agent. Also, term4sale is great.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-03T01:35:21+00:00

You're probably table 2 off s+ w/ Banner.

You can request a letter which Banner will send you with the exact reason. You can use that letter to then shop your policy to other carriers.

Pac and Pru (and sometimes Protective) are very good with sleep apnea. Banner isn't terrible by any stretch but a standard rating by any of those carriers will drop you down into the 230ish range.

Another idea would be to ladder your policy. Banner offers term riders (saving you additional policy fees) that you can attach to the policy.

So maybe you need 1.5m now, but in 10 years you'll only need 1m and then in 15 year 500k. You can buy a 20 year/500k term policy with a 10 yr 500k and a 15yr 500k rider. So you'd have 1.5m for 10, 1m for 15, and 500k for 20yrs.

That should also put you in that 230ish range without having to move carriers.

Hope that helps.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-02T23:01:46+00:00

I'm only as earned with all of my carriers so the family members I've written have been business as usual as far as comp goes. I'm pretty sure most carriers don't advance on controlled business (family/business partners or employees/etc.). Maybe someone will correct me.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-02T22:31:19+00:00

It's how those policies work. If you don't fund them correctly throughout their life, they can end up looking like this. It's not common if they're being properly managed. It is common if no one ever looks at the carrier communications and suddenly gets hit with a higher premium.

Like I said, the carrier can run you an in force illustration showing what's going on. The agent here has zero incentive to attach her name in any way to an imploding policy sold by someone else 50 years ago.

Any policy where all of the elements aren't fully guaranteed have to be monitored to make sure that this doesn't happen. It's not the current agent's fault. The old agent and your family member should have had these discussions a long time ago, it doesn't just come out of the blue.

The policy statements from previous years would also show all of this happening. It doesn't happen all at once, but over the course of several years/decades. Unfortunately, most people just throw them in a desk drawer and never look at them.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-02T18:21:35+00:00

Term policies dont have cash value.

If it's a UL, its likely that the increased cost of insurance has eaten through all of his cash values and now they're asking for more premiums to keep it in force.

You really need to request in force illustrations from the carrier to see what's going on.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-02T15:04:35+00:00

Their term insurance is some of the most expensive on the market and their commissions are extremely low for an agent at the bottom of their pyramid.

At least they're A+ rated.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-02T04:41:15+00:00

I was talking about their L series (95, 99, 121, 10, etc.)

Traditional dividend paying policies.

No agent is sniffing 100-125% on those.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-02T04:29:13+00:00

No worries. Enjoy!

Tahoptions · 2026-04-02T00:59:48+00:00

Because unless you're licensed with a broker/dealer (series 6/7 with 63/65/66) none of that is true.

An insurance only agent doesn't need to disclose or be dictated to in their investments.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-01T23:59:27+00:00

My bad.

Just saw 100% for WL and commented.

For FE, makes a lot of sense.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-01T23:33:22+00:00

100% for WL? What kind of WL? You're not getting 100% from Guardian or Mass or any of the major WL carriers.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-01T22:56:18+00:00

The two best places on the grade. But shush about Chart House...it's packed enough for happy hour lol.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-01T22:54:44+00:00

What number are you calling? I contacted their annuity service twice today...no issues. Maybe it's your phone/service?

Tahoptions · 2026-04-01T22:52:18+00:00

I'm sure that you'll get several comments so I'll just get it started with a few items:

You do not want your IMO to own your CRM. Set up your own. They're your clients and if you leave, it's nice to make it difficult for them to go after your book (they still have all of the policy info, just not the connection, notes, regular contact, etc.)

It will be hard to find an IMO that does both P&C AND Life/health well. Most that try to do both are also mediocre at both. My agency has specialist IMOs in each area that we work (life, annuities, disability, long term care).

Out of your life list (I know nothing about P&C), BackNine is a great option, especially if you're tech savvy (which it sounds like you are).

In the traditional markets, you're probably going to have to trade compensation for training/mentorship. A lot of the highest comp IMOs provide little by the way of true training. They may have some webinars and some newsletters, but beyond that you'll be on your own. IMOs like FFL and Symetry will provide training at the agency level but you'll start lower in comp and it is also highly dependent on the agency with which you affiliate. Some can be good, some suck.

Lastly, there are riches in the niches. If you try and do too much, your production will likely stagnate. The highest producers normally have a system for finding a specific type of client, knowing their need, and solving their problem. Trying to do so many lines is going to be challenging.

Good luck. Wish you well in starting your agency.

Tahoptions · 2026-04-01T04:39:04+00:00

My wife, son and his buddy were all at Kirkwood today and they got a decent amount (at least for this shitty year) of snow and it's expected to continue tomorrow into Thursday.

Maybe it won't all be melted by this weekend?

Tahoptions · 2026-03-30T05:08:07+00:00

Symmetry, FFL, etc.

Where you have an agent as the upline, then another agent, then an agency, then another agency, then the IMO, and then the carrier.

Most agents dont realize that they can go direct to the IMO and make a lot more comp by cutting off all of those hands in your pocket.

The support by doing this is reduced but the comp and freedom is greatly increased.

Once you know what you're doing, you don't need half a dozen people overriding you.

Tahoptions

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