Experience with American Income Life?

[HomeService]

Torchmark may be the "the evil empire" , but I have one question: If AIL and LibNat and UA are that horrible, why are they not being shut down by somebody, or, some state, or some government, or something? Just curious why they get to recruit and churn and burn and build the evil empire without getting the boot somehow?

 

[jaguar99]

don't crawl, don't walk, don't run, catch a jet going the opposite way asap!

LOL! I couldn't have said it better myself. DON'T DO IT!

 

[joshril]

I would avoid all Torchmark companies that offer career opportunities...

 

[Corporate Death]

I would avoid all Torchmark companies that offer career opportunities...

Since when did AIL get involved with Torchmark?

I sold AIL back in 1992-1994. Made quite a bit of money. We used a free $5k Life Policy (Which any employee gets at any company) to get in the door, then used "Hour Power" to sell Health Supplements and Accidental Death and Dismemberment. Cheap, easy sell, and all based on one hour of wages per week. I'd sell life in amounts of NO LESS than $50,000, averaging $75k per sale back then.

MOST folks I went to see in Central PA were DYING to get this stuff because their health coverage was crap. I remember one guy asking if I had seen his neighbor through the woods yet, when I replied that I didnt, he called her, she came over, I sold her a supplement and a life policy. These folks made pallets or worked in a chicken slaughterhouse for a living. They needed anything they could get.

Anyway, it wasnt anything like the UA. I was only there for 10 months, did about $4-6k per month in commissions if I decided to work. Had a creepy manager. It was only me and him. I didnt want to have to hurt the guy, so I left.

 

[STIBROKER]

Since when did AIL get involved with Torchmark?

Torchmark Corporation

Major Subsidiaries

American Income Life Insurance Company​

Waco, Texas​

First United American Life Insurance Company
Syracuse, New York
Globe Life And Accident Insurance Company
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Liberty National Life Insurance Company
Birmingham, Alabama
United American Insurance Company
McKinney, Texas
United Investors Life Insurance Company
Birmingham, Alabama

 

[Corporate Death]

Torchmark Corporation


Major Subsidiaries

American Income Life Insurance Company​

Waco, Texas​

First United American Life Insurance Company
Syracuse, New York
Globe Life And Accident Insurance Company
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Liberty National Life Insurance Company
Birmingham, Alabama
United American Insurance Company
McKinney, Texas
United Investors Life Insurance Company
Birmingham, Alabama

Wow, I didnt know they went that direction. Course, it's been over 15 years since I worked for them or in any Insurance company. Just goes to show ya.

 

[xrac]

AIL is recruiting all the time. They contact union members and try to upsell them. Their counter part for individuals is United American...I believe that they are all part of Torchmark.
Forget the Jet...catch a flight on the space suttle

"American Income Life's executive offices are located in Waco, Texas. AIL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torchmark Corporation (NYSE: TMK), based in McKinney, Texas."

I worked for them for a time. The manager I had was a liar and a thief. They do recruit constantly and will take anyone who breathes. They use a free accident policy (ours was $1,000) to get the foot in the door. They play the union card real strong we even had a membership card to show. Part of our presentation was to ask for donations of canned goods to help other union workers either laid off or striking. Softened them up for the sale. We sold small dollar amounts of life (packaged as final expense) and accident coverage along with cancer policies. The prime market was the lower middle class down. It was not hard to do, I closed the first time I ever presented. The problem I had were as follows:

(1)They scheduled all of the appointments for us (usually five per day). Sometimes these were not good appointments with no shows and so forth and for that I blame the people overseeing the telemarketing.

(2)Our office had a large area to cover and they set appointments for me as far as 120 miles away. This meant about 4 hours of windshield time plus the time for the appointments. If you were doing appointments that far away you were putting in a lot of hours since we ran appointments five days per week. You could easily log 50 hours plus just driving and doing appointments not counting office time.

(3)Our appointments were almost all rural with tons of driving (with gas prices today that would be a killer). You didn't set the appointments so sometimes you found yourself driving back and forth because of the appointment order.

(4)Appointment were always ran in the evening except for Saturday mornings. The reason is these were unioin workers who mostly work day shift and you had to have both husband and wife home for the presentation. If you had appointments 2 hours away with the last appointment at 9:00 p.m. you could easily not be home before midnight or one o'clock. My wife got tired of that real fast.

(5)This is a Torchmark outfit and the Union card was only a gimmick although a very effective one.

(6)All you were in this position was just a peddler. Your were helping people a little bit but you weren't a professional who offered real solutions for real problems. When you ran across someone who had serious need of an annuity, or and IRA, or a large face amount policy you were out of luck.

(7)The manager at this office was a sleaze ball punk.

All in all American Income is not a place I would try to build a career. In the right office with the right management you can make some money and learn some stuff but there are a lot better places to start. If you can qualify I would look at one of the majors like MM, NWM, NYL, Metlife, or Guardian. If not there look at Combined or Western Southern. These are just the places I am familiar with I they are all better choices than AI.

 

[theinuranceguy]

There are just the places I am familiar with I they are all better choices than AI.

"L"

 

[Corporate Death]

(1)They scheduled all of the appointments for us (usually five per day). Sometimes these were not good appointments with no shows and so forth and for that I blame the people overseeing the telemarketing.

Agree with ALL of this. You described it perfectly, except for the above. We got lead sheets and had to make long distance calls to setup our own appointments. Easy sell to the folks who I saw and I made quite a bit of money (when I wasnt lazy), but your right, not a place to start a career.

 

[tryan326]

I worked for LibNat about a little over a year ago. I was there for about two years and never really made a decent income. The commission system isnt best but not the worst either but their agents have to bonus just make the same commission as a independent agent. Their products aren't at all competive you can usually sell someone a 30 year term with ROP for the price of their ART. If a clients is shopping around you can forget it and the marketing plan is BS. Torchmark's companies do pretty well in the deep south though so someone in that area might working for them a little easier. Probably b/c of name recognition.
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