Questions agents ask us

A non-captive life insurance agency — more commonly called an independent agency or brokerage — is one whose agents are not tied to a single insurance company and can place a client's policy with any carrier the agency is contracted with. A captive agent works for one carrier and can only sell that carrier's products, so the recommendation is bounded by the shelf rather than by what the client actually needs.

An independent agent compares underwriting, pricing, and product design across several carriers and writes the one that fits. United Services is an independent life insurance agency built on exactly that model — a non-captive brokerage where agents hold their own carrier appointments and choose the carrier for each client themselves.

The core differences are carrier access and ownership: a captive agent represents one insurance company, while an independent agent represents several and owns the book of business they build. Captive shops often provide a salary or draw, company-supplied leads, and structured training, but they pay a lower commission percentage, limit you to one company's products, and frequently keep the book if you leave.

An independent agent generally contracts at a higher commission percentage on the business they write, chooses the carrier and product for each client, and keeps their renewals — but they are running their own business, which means sourcing their own clients and covering their own overhead. Neither model is automatically better, and the honest tradeoff is structure and predictability on the captive side against autonomy and ownership on the independent side. United Services supports independent agents, so it suits people who want that autonomy and are prepared to run a business.

No. United Services is a licensed independent life insurance brokerage, not an MLM and not a pyramid scheme. The structural difference is where advancement comes from: agents move up the contract ladder on their own personal production, never on how many people they recruit, and there is no required downline, no buy-in, and no monthly fee.

If an agent chooses to build a team, the only compensation that flows upward is the spread — the difference between that agent's contract level and their team member's — paid on the business the team member actually writes. As a team member advances toward your level the spread shrinks, and once they reach your level it is zero. Nothing is skimmed off the top of anyone's business permanently, and every dollar in the system originates from a real policy sold to a real client rather than from recruiting.

Look for five things: real carrier access, transparent commission levels put in writing before you sign, ownership of your contracts and your book, genuine support after contracting, and no pressure to recruit. Ask directly — how many carriers can I write, what contract level do I start at and exactly what moves me up, do I keep my book and renewals if I leave, what is the release policy, and are there any fees, buy-ins, or lead purchases required?

Be cautious of an agency that will not show you the comp structure until after you contract, that ties advancement to recruiting headcount rather than production, or that charges you for training, software, or leads as a condition of joining. United Services is built to be agent-friendly in the way that actually counts — by answering every one of those questions in public: the contract ladder is posted, advancement is based on issued business, agents own their book, and there are no startup costs or monthly fees. If you are weighing which brokerage to work for, ask these of every agency on your list, including ours.

United Services agents can write with AuguStar, National Life Group (NLG), North American, and Athene. Together those carriers cover term, whole life, indexed universal life, final expense, and annuities, so an agent can match the carrier to the client instead of fitting every client into one company's product.

That is the practical advantage of being independent: the agent compares underwriting niches, illustration design, and pricing across carriers and places each case where it actually fits. Carrier availability, product features, and appointment requirements vary by state and are subject to each carrier's approval.

Commission at United Services runs on a published contract ladder that goes from 70% to 90%, and you advance on your own personal production. Agents start at the 70% level and move up as their issued business grows; recruiting has no bearing on where you sit on the ladder.

If you choose to build a team, your override is only the spread between your contract level and your agent's, paid on the business that agent writes. As they advance toward your level that spread shrinks, and once they reach your level it is zero — there is no permanent percentage taken off the top of anyone's production. These are contract levels, not a promise of earnings: actual commission depends on the carrier, the product, and your own production, and income is never guaranteed.

Yes. United Services contracts newly licensed agents, and you do not need an existing book of business or prior industry experience to start. New agents begin at the 70% contract level, get help getting appointed with our carriers, and advance from there on their own production.

If you are not licensed yet, the path is your state's life insurance pre-licensing course and exam, and we can point you to what your state requires. Agents coming from a captive carrier or an MLM-style shop are equally welcome — we will talk through where an experienced producer starts on the ladder before you contract, not after.

No. You can earn entirely on your own personal production and advance all the way to the top contract level without ever recruiting a single agent. Advancement is tied to issued business, so an agent who never builds a team is not capped below one who does.

Building a team is an option for agents who want to mentor and lead, never a requirement to get paid and never a requirement to move up. That is the clearest structural line between an independent brokerage and an MLM — in an MLM, recruiting is the only way up.

Reach out, have a short no-pressure conversation to confirm it's a fit, then complete carrier contracting and get appointed. The standard industry sequence is the same everywhere: hold an active state life insurance license, carry errors and omissions (E&O) coverage, submit contracting paperwork for the carriers you want to write, and become appointed once each carrier approves you.

There is no buy-in, no startup cost, and no monthly fee to contract with United Services, and processing time depends on the individual carrier and your state. The simplest place to start is the join page, where you can request the comp breakdown or book a short call, and we will walk you through the paperwork from there.

Yes — that is specifically the agent United Services was built for. Coming out of a captive carrier, you gain multiple carriers to write, a published 70% to 90% contract ladder, and ownership of the book you build rather than leaving it behind.

Coming out of an MLM-style shop, the changes are structural: you advance on your own production instead of on recruiting, you keep your commission at your own contract level with no permanent cut taken off the top, and there is no forced downline, no pyramid, and no buy-ins or monthly fees. The only override that exists is the spread between contract levels, and it is zero once an agent reaches your level. Bring the comp plan you have now and compare it line by line against ours. If ours isn't the better fit for your situation, we would rather you knew that up front than found out after you moved.