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To start an insurance agency you will need to decide on going independent or being a captive agency. Some of the best known captives include Farmers, Nationwide and Allstate. Captives sell exclusively, or mostly, one brand of insurance. There are advantages and disadvantages of each so it is advisable to investigate both. Many states require an insurance company to sponsor your license application, so selecting a company is a good place to start. A property and casualty license is generally the minimum to start and allows you to sell auto and homeowners type policies (Laws vary by state). It is advisable to get additional licenses such as accident and health, and possibly investment type licenses (For example Series 6 and 63).

For either choice many agents work part time first to get licensing, training, experience, and begin building a client base. If you have your own business your income will probably be straight commission. Normally you are paid for the sale of each policy and again every time of renewal. In my area 20 to 30 policies per month is considered good for new agents. This might pay you $2,000 to $3,000 depending on the type of sales. After you pay your expenses the income can be quite small when starting. As your book of business increases your renewal income will greatly increase your income.

An option to building an agency from scratch is to buy an existing agency. Typically you will pay 2 or more times annual earnings. For example, if an agency has 1,000 policies that earn $100,000 annually in renewals, you will probably pay $200,000 or more. It is possible to finance an agencies purchase. This will generally require 10% or more for a down payment. SBA is the most common lender for this kind of loan. My company, Texas Capital Mortgage 281-537-7800, can help with business financing for Texas residents. (I have found that the mortgage business is a good compliment to the insurance business.)

Obviously you need a lot more information to start an agency. I suggest spending a lot of time researching the business before jumping in. Read some books about the business. The larger companies have district offices where they can tell you about employment with them. The agent you buy your insurance from may be willing to share his experience with you. There is also a lot of information available online.

Insurance is a great business but don’t underestimate the difficulty! After starting with Farmers full time, the first 1/2 year I lost 50K (much of this was start up expence), the next year I lost 20K, and this year I should make some profit. Some agents will do better or worse but this could give you some idea.

By: Glenn Lamb

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With the ease of online banking today, many people choose to do their banking from home. One bonus is that you can continue banking with the same financial institution, though you can do so from your home computer. With 24-hour access to account information and anytime transactions, banking has become much more convenient.

There are many benefits to online banking. You can avoid fees sometimes charged for teller transactions or check writing. Also, online banking options often include better deals on checking accounts, often with lower service fees and no monthly charges. It is easy to pay bills electronically, with funds taken directly from your account-check-free. And banking software, such as Quicken, enables you to download banking information from your account into a budget spreadsheet.

Most banks in America now offer online banking options. Some banks offer online banking in conjunction with online trading, allowing you to use one institution for a variety of financial needs. There are some institutions that specialize only in online banking and do not have any physical branches. These require online or phone transactions and the use of other banks’ ATMs.

This is one downfall of virtual banking. You may have to pay a fee for using a machine at another banking institution, and sometimes a fee from your own bank as well. Some banking institutions will waive ATM fees, as they know this can be a deterrent to potential customers. If you are an ATM user, make sure you research this before selecting a bank.

Another likely problem is making deposits. Direct-deposit options for paychecks are convenient; however, if you receive other checks you will need to deposit them yourself. With online banking, you may have to mail your deposit or make an electronic transfer from another bank account. This creates a longer lapse before you can access these funds.

Despite these issues, online banking appeals to many customers. Virtual banking allows you to take care of bills even while traveling. You can access your account whenever it is convenient to you, not just during banking hours. With this convenience, there is little excuse anymore for bounced checks.

By: Jeff Lakie

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