New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-27
Your Boys Life Work.
Wbat TRAIL If Be?

stenographers Tar more easily than he can
get good agents.
After proving himself for a while IN look
ing after people that come TO the Office.
your boy will probably be told 70 90 up
and see Mr. So-and-so who has displayed
symptoms Of desiring a policy. Then he
Will be sent 70 another man. and still an
other. the experienced general agent giving
him the chracter OF assignments best suited
20 develop new agent.
Then. one day. the boss will call your
boy into the Office and talk % him some
what in this fashion; John. it's about
time you began TO get out OF this Office rut
and go and DO things for yourself; so you
are fired from your Job as stenOgrapher-
and appointed agent. You go out and write
pOliciesr' Then the boss viii promise 70
Took after him for time. TN he gets
thoroughly into the run OF things 50 thar
he won't have TO worry over fnBnces-ane
your boy viii BE- launched as fun fedgsd
life insurance agent
What will he earn? Well il win depend
entirely upon himself Every man with a
family or relatives or anybody depending
upon him is a potential customer. and also
the Developments % the business have been
50 widely spread that various policies con-
tain investment features besides the insUr-
ance, such a. endowment policies. annui-
ties and the like There Is about every
possible variety or insurance 20 NJ every
need. and at such a wide range OF pre-
miums as 70 suit anybody. from a $40 a
week clerk or labOring man % a millionaire
On the general run OF policies your boy
Will get about 40 per cent commission on
the first years premium. and BY the time
he has got under full Roadway IN his early
rwenties he should write. without expect
lns anything big at ALL somewhere around
say. $4,000 worth OF business IN a year.
This insurance would cost the pOlicyholders
say. 5000 a year. OF which the agent would
receive from 5000 10 1880 or nearly so a
week This figure is conservative. and Is
being exceeded by hundreds OF agents
throughout the country. We will say that
your boy makes good only fairly. and in
the course OF fve 20 ten years shows that
he can earn in commissions on new bust
ness a pretty steady average OF anywhere
from S3OoO 10 SEQ or $500 a year. His In
come will be stin further increased by the
receipt OF per cent on all renewals OF
policies which he got in the first place.
This renewal commission Is paid for the
hrst ten years Of the life OF the policy
Meanwhile. he has proved hts stesdinsss
and reliability and the first thing he knows
will be told 20 organize or reOrganize a dis
trict that has not received much attention
Then he is a general agent. and organizes
his Ofice and engages solicitors. Districts
are arbitrarily formed by different COM
panies. according 10 the needs OF their busi-
ness, and may include a large region. such
as one or two thinly settled states. or such
- -
districts on Manhattan Island alone. When
a new general agent Is started out he Is
generally assigned 20 a comparatively IN
important locality. that ne may be tried
out with the least possible danger 90 the
company. and all the capital that he re-
quires IS enough % pay once rent. furnish
his Offices and buy postage stamps. All
necessary literature Will be supplied him BY
the company as a rule. In case a bond Is
required. he should have no difficulty IN
getting II from a surety company. with
the backing OF his own company. OF
course what money he needs % become a
general agent on he will have saved from
time 10 time from his earnings as an agent.
AS general agent he receives a commits
sion OF : 20 20 per cent on all business
written in his territory. no matter By
whom. and "a per cent on renewals for ten
years Succeeding here. he is sent 70 a
more important locality. where there Il
stiII greater business. Then his earnings
grow proportiOnately. until in such districts
as New York he will be getting from $1,000
a year up. and be stnl under forty.
The writer has 10 mind one unknown tn
surance man who went % New York from
the West ten years ago. representing
that vas not particularly promi-
nent In the East. and now his commissions
from renewals alone amount 70 $1,000
year
There Is no particularly definite promo
tion from here on. for your BOYS hnanciAl
ambition r. pretty likely % have bean real
lied. ne may. however. aspire 60 the man
aseFshie Of state OF group % states. ana