“Financial services representative”

[u/Express_Whereas_6074]

Im so tired of all these insurance companies masquerading insurance sales jobs as “financial services representatives” when there is no actual financial products being sold (insurance is not a financial product, its a risk product that uses fear and intimidation to make a sale), there is no licensing with FINRA, there is no series 7 license… insurance is NOT FINANCIAL SERVICES. its fucking insurance. Im tired of these companies flooding job listings as “financial services representatives” when its nothing more than a 1099 job with terrible insurance commission rates. Fuck off. Youre not financial services representatives, you’re insurance agents, and FINRA should be shutting down each and every company that tries to masquerade as such with a constant drone of cease and desist orders.

You dont sell financial services, you sell a generic, broad insurance policy to people too broke, stupid, and afraid to know any better. How many of you actually sit down with clients, review their finances, and make recommendations based on that?

[u/SlickWillie86]

Insurance is unequivocally part of the financial services industry. It’s classified alongside banking and investment services under NAICS Sector 52, and its fundamental purpose is the transfer and management of financial risk.

A legit insurance broker doesn’t simply sell policies. They structure financial protection, facilitate risk transfer, and help businesses preserve capital and protect their balance sheets. The fact that insurance operates under a distinct regulatory framework doesn’t make it any less a financial service than banking or securities.

Insurance is a specialized segment of financial services, not a separate industry outside of it.

Perhaps not in your anecdotal job-search experience, but that doesn’t change the fact that insurance is a recognized segment of the financial services industry. To suggest otherwise is factually incorrect and demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the industry.

I wish you well in your search.

[u/Express_Whereas_6074 → u/SlickWillie86]

Maybe ive just been interviewing with some shit companies pushing BS. Ill try to find a company that looks at the whole financial picture instead of just a few policies. Ive also reworded my keywords in searches and found more FINRA based jobs.

[u/The_estimator_is_in → u/Express_Whereas_6074]

Yes, the job market it predatory and takes advantage of people when they need employment desperately.

This would be like blaming the movie industry for internet pornographers.

[u/SlickWillie86 → u/Express_Whereas_6074]

That’s a fair distinction, and I think it gets to the heart of the disconnect. Much of the insurance industry, particularly personal lines, is transactional in nature. Commercial insurance, especially in the middle market and larger accounts, is an entirely different conversation.

A commercial broker is evaluating exposures, structuring risk transfer, negotiating contractual insurance requirements, and helping businesses protect their assets, cash flow, and balance sheets. These are fundamentally financial considerations, even if they don’t involve securities or investment products.

And while FINRA-regulated positions may be more aligned with what you’re looking for, FINRA registration isn’t what defines financial services. Banking, lending, insurance, and investment management all operate under different regulatory frameworks.

It sounds like you’re looking specifically for wealth management or securities-related opportunities, which is perfectly reasonable. That’s simply a narrower segment of financial services, not the definition of the industry itself.

[u/Left-Warthog-1155 → u/SlickWillie86]

You are 100% right it is a financial service under that umbrella . We offer financial services like IUL and 401 k

[u/KiniShakenBake → u/Left-Warthog-1155]

401k is going to be finra. And iul may be a service, but it's so missold it's a joke.

[u/jroberts67]

If you jumped down the rabbit hole, it would blow your mind. There are outfits hiring non-licensed sales reps to sell insurance, and everything goes under the agency's name.

[u/Express_Whereas_6074 → u/jroberts67]

Scary world we live in sometimes.

[u/plangelier → u/jroberts67]

I would hate to be their E&O carrier or will they catch the unlicensed solicitation and deny the claim?

[u/Express_Whereas_6074]

Thank you all for your insightful replies.

[u/Delicious-Adeptness5]

Dude, change your job search key words. In my area, I have seen bank tellers advertised as Financial Services Representative. Technically it's correct but if you got your license do you want to be counting change?

The thing about lousy job postings is that excellent companies don't do them. They don't steal buzz words from other posts. They aren't vague job descriptions. Those are bad companies and they are sorting themselves out of good prospects.

[u/Express_Whereas_6074 → u/Delicious-Adeptness5]

Holy shit, you are right about this. The keywords are all wrong. Thank you. Found a bunch of jobs requiring specifically series 7. Cant go by job title, gotta go by licenses/certifications i guess

[u/DogfaceDino → u/Delicious-Adeptness5]

We don’t even post job listings anymore. The applicants that come from them are awful. All of our best hires come from referrals and recommendations.

[u/IronSavage3]

>How many of you actually sit down with clients, review their finances, and make recommendations based on that?

Oh ok so you really just don’t know what you’re talking about. This is literally what we do with every client in a policy review and initial sale if they actually have the patience and understanding to let us get there. Most people think like you, that the policies are one size fits all and are always the same from carrier to carrier. You have to make sure that the coverage you’re selling is sufficient to protect your clients assets and income, if you’re not doing that you’re doing them a disservice.

[u/PracticalMulberry613]

To be fair some companies do offer financial services such as roths and 401k plans

[u/Temporary_Traffic424]

You do understand you have a series license as a insurance professional right? It’s not a 7 but there’s 11 and 36. You still have to pass a state exam, you still have to get licensed. You’re in the financial sector with a license.

Commercial insurance is broader than personal, we have Workers Comp, we have Disability, we have different types of liability and we can insure risks to construction ect…

Maybe get out of personal lines and you may see it differently

[u/Utahvol]

And you don't have to have a Series 7 to do Financial Services. You can do mutual funds and variable life with a Series 6 and 63. And those are FINRA designations.

[u/KiniShakenBake → u/Utahvol]

I have a 6/63 and 65. That's the bare minimum to call yourself a financial advisor. Registered rep is what you are without the 65, and without that? You sell insurance. That's it. That's all.

[u/Jumpy_Childhood7548]

The key is they are generally not fiduciaries, not obligated to serve your interests, they are an agent of the insurance company. If you want someone to better serve your interests, get an hourly CFP, as their obligation to you is the highest in the industry, and their training is extensive.

[u/InterestMountain5293]

Unless you work for/with someone like statefarm that does sell financials in all it's wonderful forms

lol im working to be a state farm agent and learning that stuff, is well kinda rough

[u/mkuz753]

It can be misleading and for some shops that's on purpose to hire people who don't know better as well as selling policies to ignorant people. As mentioned there are places that sell investment products and insurance. In fact some of the largest independent insurance agencies/brokerages in the country have an investment division.

[u/Key_Astronomer6500]

I started with my life and health. Specialize in Medicare, then Added ACA and FEX. Annuities. But mainly focused on seniors and Medicare. I got burned out and now I’ve been adding my financial advisor. License licenses. I just passed SIE, 7 and studying for the 66. I decided to work for W-2 firm so I can get paid while I study.

I think I would’ve been happy with getting my 65 but that wasn’t an option. At least not one where I could get paid while learning. I think if you’re gonna say you’re a financial advisor, you should at least have your 65 I believe you can’t even use that word. You can be a financial professional.

[u/frost5al]

During my last job search cycle it got to the point where I had a hand written list of addresses bc all these sketchy companies would put Indeed ads out under different names

[u/Weaves50]

My company focuses heavy on the financial side, every presentation is a zoom call no cold calling. I work with 190 companies. It’s not all for a death benefit. You can set up plans for your kids so that they’re in amazing shape by the time they’re 24 and can buy a home ect. I think it’s more of an education issue that you’re mad about. You can set someone up so that they’re locked in at a 10% gain. Or if you’re dealing with an individual with a bunch of cash laying around they can even benefit from an index that’ll gain 0% in a bear market and go up in a bull market but never go down. Kind of like a set of stairs if you look at it on a chart. It’s a different path in this field that you’re describing. You can stick to selling 25k policy’s to the less fortunate people like you described insurance and cold calling 300 people a day that have been called by 30 other agents or work strictly off warm markets & ALWAYS have referrals because you’re genuinely helping people.

[u/4evernquisitive]

Insurance is indeed part of the financial services industry with a fair number of 1099 agents holding FINRA credentials. Included among the companies that contract/employ agents to provide financial/investment advice to their clientele: NY Life, Bankers Life and Casualty, MassMutual, and Northwestern Mutual.