What is the risk of selling life insurance?

Asked by: Tate Kuphal Jr.  |  Last update: July 21, 2025
Score: 4.1/5 (11 votes)

You'll want to make sure that you won't lose those benefits if you receive money from a life insurance settlement sale. Privacy risks: Your life insurance policy could change hands over the years, being sold and resold, and along with the transactions, your medical information will likely be shared with each investor.

What is the downside of selling your life insurance policy?

Not all proceeds received from the sale of your life insurance policy are tax-free. It is important to know that the proceeds you receive from a life settlement may be accessible by your creditors.

What is the hardest part of selling life insurance?

Life insurance is a very difficult product to sell. Simply getting your prospect to acknowledge and discuss the fact they are going to die is a hard first step. When and if you clear that hurdle, your next task is creating urgency so they buy right away.

Is selling life insurance worth it?

Selling life insurance can definitely pay well, but it's a lot harder than it sounds -- long hours, high pressure, and rejection are part of the deal. The upside is the potential for high commissions, but it takes time to build a steady income and not everyone has the patience for it.

How much can you sell a $100,000 life insurance policy for?

A typical life settlement is worth around 20% of your policy value, but can range from 10-25%. So for a 100,000 dollar policy, you would be looking at anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 dollars.

How Hard Is It In A Career Selling Life Insurance?

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Can you become a millionaire selling life insurance?

If you have a great work ethic and are willing to place yourself out there to establish relationships with clients, you will get more opportunities to earn a higher income. Selling insurance may even make you a millionaire.

How much commission do you get for selling life insurance?

Typically, a life insurance agent receives anywhere from 30% to 90% of the amount paid for a policy (also known as the premium) by the client in the first year. In later years, the agent may receive anywhere from 3% to 10% of each year's premium, also known as "renewals" or "trailing commissions."

Why is life insurance so hard to sell?

Why Is Life Insurance So Hard To Sell? It's hard to sell because it deals with the topic of death. That's something many people find difficult to consider or discuss. Furthermore, it's hard to keep trying to sell because agents find that they can't make enough money to support themselves.

What is the most lucrative insurance to sell?

Life insurance is the most profitable—and the hardest—type of insurance to sell. With the highest premiums and the longest-running contract, it brings in cash over a long period of time. In the first year, agents make the largest annual sum on a policy, bringing in anywhere from 40–120% of the policy premium.

Is selling life insurance a stressful job?

Being an insurance agent isn't the easiest job in the world—stress and rejection come with the territory—but if you thrive in high-octane environments and enjoy working with people, you just might love it.

Can selling life insurance be a side hustle?

Earn Supplemental Income

Looking to make some extra cash on the side? Now's the perfect time to start selling insurance! While we would never recommend going into any profession solely for the money, some people do enjoy earning something a little extra on top of their primary income.

Why do most life insurance agents fail?

The most commonly cited reason insurance agents fail is that they fail to listen to their customers and take the time to find the best product to suit their needs. Agents who bring the right solutions to customers build trust, and that helps them build a book of loyal customers.

What type of life insurance pays highest commission?

Commission rates for whole and universal life insurance plans are often significantly higher than those for term life policies. Agents, however, must ensure that their clients are able to meet premium payments.

Do I have to pay taxes if I sell my life insurance policy?

The portion of the sale amount you receive that is equal to what you've paid in premiums (your “cost basis”) will not be taxed. The portion that exceeds your cost basis, but is less than the cash value of the policy, is subject to income tax. Lastly, any amount above the cash value is subject to capital tax gains.

Why is life insurance not a good investment?

The cash value is slow to grow

Eventually, a higher percentage of your premium will go toward your cash value. But this takes a while, so it can take 10 to 15 years (or even longer) for you to build up enough cash value to borrow against.

How to sell life insurance easily?

Follow These Tips and Find Out How to Sell Life Insurance Successfully
  1. Know Your Product. As a life insurance agent, knowing your product inside out is critical. ...
  2. Personalize Your Pitch. ...
  3. Leverage Verified Leads. ...
  4. Build Trust with Prospects. ...
  5. Use Digital Marketing Strategies. ...
  6. Overcoming Objections. ...
  7. The Art of Closing.

Can you make a good living selling life insurance?

Earning Potential in Life Insurance Sales

Life insurance agents have the potential to make a good living especially when they are successful and have a passion for their work. Compensation from life insurance sales usually comes from commissions and bonuses as a result of the policies sold.

How many policies does an insurance agent sell per month?

How many policies does an insurance agent sell? According to the financial reports, the Official Number is 2.5 policies per month. However, many people just do it part-time.

Why do people who sell insurance make so much money?

In essence, insurance brokers provide invaluable expertise to clients, ensuring they have the coverage they need. Their compensation, through commissions and fees, reflects the vital services they offer within the industry.

What is the hardest part about selling life insurance?

Selling life insurance is challenging because it involves discussing sensitive topics like death and financial planning, which many potential customers are uncomfortable or reluctant to think about.

Is it illegal to sell life insurance?

Most types of life insurance that an individual purchases directly can be sold once they are no longer needed. Term, whole life, and universal policies can all be sold on the secondary market. However, you will likely not be able to sell any life insurance policy provided by your employer or issued by the government.

What percentage do you get when you sell your life insurance?

While the amount you will receive from selling your life insurance will vary depending on a few factors, including your specific policy and its amount, a general rule of thumb is that most people receive 40-70% of the policy's face value through their viatical settlement.

Why did I quit being an insurance agent?

There's two big reasons why insurance agents quit: they don't feel valued, and they aren't given the technology they need to do their jobs well. In addition, managing commissions while hitting performance goals is a stressful part of the job for many insurance agents.

Which insurance company pays the highest commissions?

Some of the companies that offer high commission rates to their agents are HDFC Life, Max Life, ICICI Prudential, and Kotak Mahindra. These companies also have attractive incentive schemes and bonus programs for their top-performing agents.