World Financial Group Review

Let me start by saying that I loved working with WFG ( World Financial Group) for the last four and a half years.  In this article I am going to give all of the hard working knowledge I gained from being a part of this company as well as the not so good things.

What Is World Financial Group

World Financial Group, previously known as World Marketing Alliance,  is a financial services company that provides a broad array of financial products such as Insurance, Annuities, mutual funds and investment advisory services.

wfg_logo

WFG is located in all 50 states, Canada and China.  They are owned by one of the largest financial firms in the business, Aegon.    WFG is also one of the biggest financial recruiting firms in the world, with nearly 10,000 recruits every month.

World Financial Group has been around since the early 1990’s and has grown considerably since its inception.  They started out as a group of four founders and multiplied into thousands of representatives.

What World Financial Group Taught Me

When I first got started with WFG I heard a lot of stories about the company.  Some were proclaiming it as a total scam and advised me not to get involved.  However I decided that even if I could just learn how to manage my money better it would be worth it.  In fact, that is the first thing they taught me.

The truth is you shouldn’t be giving financial advice unless you have your house in order first and that is what I did.  I got some much needed life insurance and set up a couple of retirement accounts.

Secondly, after getting started with WFG I learned to build great communication skills.  This skill taught me how to engage in conversations with people and win them over to my way to thinking.

Third, I learned how to run a business.  This was the major reason I got involved with WFG.  They taught me how start and run a successful business and the best part about it was they were there with me every step of the way.  With weekly and quarterly meetings I was always ahead of the curve with my business.

The Down Side To World Financial Group

During this  World Financial Group review my goal was to give you all of the great things I got out of this company but also give you the negatives as well.  It doesn’t matter what opportunity you look at whether it be WFG or some other financial company like Primerica they all have some down sides to them.

With every business comes expenses and WFG has a few of them.  There will be others but at this point I am just talking about the expenses for the beginners.  The first of them being the $100 sign up fee, $125 in Canada.  This fee is paid directly to the home office and will get you your code number that you need in order to get paid.

Second, WFG is entirely commissioned based.  There are no salaries, or hourly pay scales.  You get what you earn. However this is not entirely bad, my first commission with WFG was a check for $500 for a mortgage I wrote.  At the same end don’t expect to make money right away.  It took me around 5 months to get my first check.

Third, in order to get a commission you must get licensed.  This means you will have to dedicate some time and money to get all of this done.  Expect to pay around $1000 just to get the basic licensing and around 20 to 40 hours of state required time to get approved for your life insurance license.

Fourth, once you do get licensed you’ll have to start paying what is called E&O insurance.  Think kind of like malpractice insurance but just for financial professionals.  This will be something around $90 a month before you are able to reap the rewards of your commission check.  Needless to say you have to pay to play with WFG.

Finally, everything I have mentioned above is nothing compared to the amount of work you have to put in to see the result you want.  Expect to be putting in some long hours at the office and at appointments until you get on your feet.

Who Is The Right Person For World Financial Group

WFG has brought in many people from all different kinds of backgrounds.  However if you are thinking you need at least a 4 year financial degree and prior experience think again.  In fact, WFG would prefer people that have no experience and degree.

Second, you should be willing to accept the financial cost I mentioned earlier.  However, don’t get too worried if this is a concern for you.  I once knew a guy who took up a paper route to pay for all of his expenses.

Third, you will have to pass a background check.  This means if you have any kind of felony conviction you will probably not be able get involved with World Financial Group.

Finally, if you are able to follow some simple directions this may be an excellent opportunity for you.  However, just because something is simple does not mean it’s easy.  If you’re someone who is more of a rule breaker and like to do things your way this may not be for you.

How To Get Started

The easiest way to get started is if you know a friend in the business.  They would be able to get an interview set up for you and get you started.  However, if you don’t have that as an option you can find an office nearby and give them a call.

The easiest way to do that is go to the World Financial Group Website here. Next, in the upper right hand corner you will see the words, ‘Office Locator.’  Next to that click on the state you live in. If you live in Canada or another country you may have to call the home office.

wfg_21At this point a list of offices around that state will come up.  Select an office that is close to you and give them a call.   Ask them if you could attend their BPM ( Business Presentation Meeting)  This is a meeting usually held a couple times a week that explains more about the company and the opportunity available .  If you live in the city, offices will tend be close; however, if you live in the middle of nowhere you may have to do a little traveling to get there.  In fact, I had to drive an hour and a half to get to my office.

Now, there is a down side to doing it this way and that is that not all offices are created.  So when you do go to an office find out how successful they are.  Tell them you heard that World Financial Group has been a very successful company and you would like to know what kind of success they have had.

If they can’t give a straight answer move on.  Also look for plaques and trophies and other awards that office has won.  The evidence should be clear.  If they don’t have these things keep looking until you do find a good office.  If an office has a lot of success then there is a good chance you will too.

Chris

Reviewing

This post was recently featured in The Money Hacks Carnival by The Canadian Finance Blog.

Similar Posts

113 Comments

  1. Pingback: Money Hacks Carnival #71 - Canada Day Edition | The Canadian Finance Blog
  2. Thanks for the comment. WFG has treated me well and I hope it does for you.

  3. I got a call from someone asking me to come for an interview.(I’m currently looking for a job.) I went but it wasn’t really an interview, they kind of give a powerpoint presentation on WFG and what they do. Then at the end they ask you if you want to set up a meeting. Basically WFG is an investment type of company. You can either be a customer(they’ll help you with financial services like mutual funds, mortgages, insurance), or you can be an associate(starting your own business with their help). The company seems to be very large and what there doing seems legal, but yet something seems strange about it.

  4. World Financial Group is not like most companies. After working with them for almost 5 years I learned a lot of stuff. However they aren’t for everyone. The tough part with WFG is getting started but once you become established it gets easier. If you decide to check it out more and do the interview let me know how it goes.

  5. Not a scam but terrible people and bad information. Just out of college my wife and I thought we’d plan for the future. My father knew someone at his work who was a WFG agent and invited us to a meeting where a senior sales agent (Andrew Wellner, Orem UT) and his recruit told us of the wonders of the variable life insurance product. We sat there for 2 hours asking questions and they assured us that we could withdraw principal contributions after a year at no cost and made other promises about the product(we later found were untrue or misconstrued).

    After about a year and us better understanding what we had got ourselves into and actually getting hold of a prospectus (not given to us at the time we invested) I complained to Western Reserve Life about the misinformation the senior sales agent had given us. WRL contacted the sales agent who claimed he had never met us and sent us a letter disregarding our complaints and concerns. Needless to say we stopped making payments and have let the policy lapse.

    We lost about $3,500 which I consider a small amount to pay for a hard lesson learned. I would never recommend WFG or WRL as they are uneducated about what they sell and give poor customer service. I would recommend getting a subscription to Kiplinger’s magazine, you will get more out of reading that than anyone at WFG could ever offer you.

  6. I’m sorry to hear about your situation with WFG. That office should defiantly be investigated for fraudulent activities. I think it all depends on the office too. When I would go to conventions held by WFG you could tell some people had no clue to what was going on. Most of them just wanted to recuit sell and dump, which I think is a terrible attitude. However, the office that I worked out of might have recuited around two or three people a year.

    The thing is that each office is up to it’s own discretion on how it is to be run but they still have to abide by the laws of the SEC and Finra. I’m glad you brought this to my attention however I must say just because one office is bad doesn’t mean they all are.

  7. I don’t know how American WFG agents do it in the states, but us Canadian folks follow both company compliance and provincial regulations by the letter. The stuff that WFG Sucker mentioned in his comment shouldn’t even happen, and it’s just unfortunate how a couple black sheeps can discredit an entire company. For the example of the prospectus like WFG Sucker mentioned, it should have been given to the client right away or at least asap.

    Sorry you had to go through that. :S

  8. I agree Jamie, the office I worked out of had some very rigorous measures we had to pass. Compliance was tough but necessary. WFG recruits nearly 10,000 a month theirs bound to be a few black sheep in bunch. However it’s the branch managers job to police the office and stop situations like the one with WFG Sucker.

    Thanks for the Comment Jamie ; )

  9. To “WFG Sucker” — if what you’ve posted here is accurate, the agent’s name should be on your application for the life policy attached to the contract. No way to disavow knowledge of that. And it’s not too late to file a complaint with the Utah Department of Insurance (www.insurance.utah.gov). Stick to your guns about “misrepresentation” (not “misinformation”).

    And even better than that . . . send a **written complaint** to the agent, in care of the Supervising Principal at his WFG office, and also send a copy of the written complaint to FINRA (www.finra.org). Even if later found to be an invalid complaint, written complaints ARE NEVER REMOVED from a securities representative record. The good new there is that more and more firms are refusing to hire a representative with just one complaint in their file. You can still be pissed, but he’ll be scarred forever!!

    I’m a California-licensed agent, who teaches insurance law. Remember to use the term “misrepresentation” — because if it’s eventually found to be true, you will get back every penny you lost. Maybe even more.

  10. I agree Max this is a total case of misrepresentation. I might also add that the home office of the broker dealer needs to have all the information of the Rep on the client account form if this was a securities transaction and by law the Reps are required to give a copy of that form to the client. Also the Rep should have given him his card as well.

    Thanks for all of the great information Max.

  11. I am thinking about joining WFG I have a frent of a friend who is a QMD at a local office near by. Would this be a good thing to get into part time? How do you go about getting clients??

  12. Mike I’m glad to hear that you are thinking about joining WFG. I worked part time in WFG for 4 and a half years before leaving to take over the family business. Part time is the best way to start the business, don’t go full time until you are earning the income to prove it. As far a finding clients goes if you are someone who is open to talking to people all the time you won’t have any problem finding clients. Spread the word talk to friends and family and let them know you are getting started part time and that you just want to show them a few ideas you’ve been working with and that it will only take a minute of their time. It’s that easy.

    The thing you have to realize it that their is a learning curve that you have to go through and once you get signed up with WFG. It took me 6 months till I finally got licensed but it was well worth it. I figured if it didn’t work out for me I would at least learn a lot about how money works and how to run a business. Beyond that I made friends with a lot of people in the company some which I still talk to today.

    I hope this helps, let me know how it goes.

  13. Hey Chris, thanks for taking the time to repond back to me, what you said makes alot of sense and I think that after a couple of meetings with WFG I am going to give it a whirl. What is the earning potential working there? My Friend that has been working there for a couple of years said he makes over a 100k, what about part time? Thanks again!

  14. As far a earning potential goes you could expect to make somewhere in the ballpark of $30k to $40k part time. However till you get licensed you can’t get paid so don’t think about the money some much at first. Think of it kind of like an airplane at take off, when you first start out you’ll have to put a lot of work in at first to get off the ground. This will take some time but remember in any business you always start at the bottom of the ladder and work your way up. Once you gain some altitude though you won’t have to work as hard.

    The best advice I can give you is to listen to those that are successful and follow in their footsteps and do what they did.

    Good Luck!

  15. I was with World marketing Alliance 11 years ago, they changed there name to World Financial Group, it turned out to be a ponzi scheme, they wanted me to recruit people so they can take there money and make my friends mad at me, I went with it but luckily I didn’t get them into something that I wasn’t making any money in, I put in a few thousand dollars in there Western Reserve Life policy, eventually lost all that money and they kept asking me to put more money in it, they asked me to quit my job but I didn’t because I wasn’t making anything from them, they prey on happy people and try to take all there money and leave you broke if they can, they should close down this World Financial group soon, they brainwash people and they know there is a fool born everyday.

  16. Ed,
    I’m sorry to hear about your situation with WFG. I will have to agree with you their recruiting tactics can be a bit crude and over the top. I went to several conventions with them and it seems as if some don’t know anything about financial services. They were just told to recruit, recruit, recruit, which I feel is a bad way to run a business picking up new recruits and dumping them once they buy a product.

    The office I worked in brought one or two qualified people a year. The problem is some of the company is so hung up on recruiting that they don’t know anything else. I don’t think the entire company is bad but their are few bad apples that should definatly be eliminated.

  17. We live and we learn, they tell you about all those false dreams, the same thing that Madoff did to his people, World Financial Group and Western Reserve Life are a ripoff, if your in it please get out, it’s like flushing your money down the toilet, or giving it to someone that didn’t work for it.

  18. Ed, maybe that was the way things were back in the WMA days, but alot has changed since then.

    As an advisor, you should know that investment gains are never guaranteed, (unless it’s part of a built-in feature like the new IA Clarington Target Click Funds). If you lost money in WRL, I’m sorry but it’s all part of the risk that’s associated with investing. But you as the advisor (in this case, for yourself) have the responsibility to diagnose and prescribe the right solution for the right clients. In your WRL case, if you were not emotionally ready to accept the losses that may occur in investing, then you may have set yourself up with a product that is not appropriate for your specific needs/risk tolerance… so on so forth.

    As for people encouraging you to keep investing despite experiencing losses? Perhaps it was for dollar-cost averaging?

    Somehow, I doubt large (Canadian) financial institutions would knowingly associate with a fraudulent company that aims to “rip people off”. That wouldn’t do well for its own credibility would it?

  19. I couldn’t have said it better myself Canadian Guy. I don’t know how things were run back when WMA was in the picture because I got in around early 2004. Not once did I feel we ripped anybody off. We worked very hard to give are clients exactly what they wanted. Thanks for commenting the Canadians have always had a strong presence with WFG.

  20. Read about WMA and all the people that went to jail for this illegal scam, they changed there name to WFG, when I was at WFG and I still had my job, they told me to tell people that everything I have was all because of WFG, I went to there meetings and all the cheering, it was fake, they wanted me to get my friends and family involved in this pyramid scheme, do you know the definition of a pyramid scheme, if you don’t, I will tell you, it’s to take from other people and the top one percent gets all the profits, while the person that did the work gets points and a pat on the back, remember one thing if it sounds to good to be true, it is, I still have there phony life insurance policy, they don’t tell you the truth and when you lose all your money, they tell you to get lost. I’m warning people to stay away, if there is anyone that is collecting there money now from there life insurance policy, please leave a comment.

  21. Checkout the blogs for WMA, they went out of business and alot of there associates went to jail because of the company being a ponzi scheme, about 1,000 of them gave there clients fake insurance policys and Humbert Humphrey was the ring leader, when they went out of business they changed there name to World Financial group. This is a pyramid scheme, they want you to get people in it to take there money and they try to scam people into giving all there money to this to collect commission on hard working people, I went to there conventions for a few years and it’s always packed with people that are looking for the easy way out. I know some people that are brainwashed and there going to lose all there money soon from this Western Reserve Life insurance policy. I got taken for about 10K and it went down to nothing and you are left without a penny when it’s over. They asked me to quit my job and tell everyone how much I made from this pyramid scheme and I didn’t make a penny from this fake company, they tell you stay away from the banks and give them all your money, they took money out of my account without my permission, If there is one client that is retired and collecting from this place, please leave a comment, I’m happy that I got out of this and learned my lesson, if it sounds to good to be true, it is, and don’t get your family into it unless your sure it’s the real deal.

  22. To avoid having to retype what I’ve already mentioned before (because clearly, some people like to read what they believe and ignore everything else), I’ll just direct you to my last comment about credibility…”I doubt large (Canadian) financial institutions would knowingly associate with a fraudulent company that aims to “rip people off”. That wouldn’t do well for its own credibility would it?”

    I like to think that IA Clarington, Transamerica, AGF, Bank of Montreal, and TD are not ripping me off. I have a feeling the investment and insurance policies I have with these large financial institutions are not phony. Oh wait, what do you know… I got these from WFG.

    You’re forgetting that WFG is a brokerage. WFG doesn’t have a WFG insurance product, or a WFG mutual fund. Investers are not investing in products WFG created, they are investing in products that belong to WFG’s partners. Partners who are widely recognized, credible, and far from phony. The money is managed by portfolio managers within these institutions, not WFG associates.

    If you’re going to discredit a company, I would advise you to update what you think you know first. Just like my university professors always say, Internet blogs is not exactly a trustworthy source. I have a feeling Ed is lacking that kind of common sense…

  23. Good Luck in the future, I’m happy and have alot of common sense, do what you want, and find out later.

  24. Wow, what a dog fight! I feel we just have to do what we think is right and if Ed is happy where he is great, I wish him luck. Jamie, I’m glad you like the company and admire that you stand up for what you believe in, I know you will do well. If you get a chance every now and then update us and let us know how things are going, I feel this will be the true testament to showing your success.

    Till Then.

  25. While it’s not my intent to perpetuate an argument, but when if somebody is going to discredit what we do and call us phony, I’ve got to defend what we do. Like Christopher said, “not once did I feel we ripped anyone off.” What we do with our industry partners is legit, why would they work with WFG if WFG is ripping investors off?

    Heh, I have a feeling if I told my clients that Franklin Templeton is stealing their money, it’d raise a few eyebrows 😉

  26. If it sounds to good to be true, guess what, it is. Live by that rule and you will be richer and happier.

  27. You’re entitled to your opinion. But would you rather listen to something that’s too bad to be true?

    I’m sure people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Warren Buffett didn’t get rich by strictly following the rules. If you want common results, stick with your common routine. But if you want uncommon results, you have to be more than just average.

  28. Those are the exception to the rule, they are the fraction of a percent that did it right the first time, what you said is what they tell you in the beginning of getting into either WMA or WFG, don’t you want to help your family or friends with there money, of course we all do want to but in an honest and fair way. Have a good weekend

  29. Ed,

    I am also a WFG agent. Let me first clarify what happened with WMA. During the days of WMA, industry regulation and ovesight weren’t very good. A number of bad apples got into the organization. Does it mean that ALL of us are bad? No. As a matter of fact, in the past 5 months I’ve been in the company in San Diego, I haven’t really met anyone that raises eyebrows. We have 8 filters in the company to weed out the bad ones. With that in mind, WMA had to clean house years ago. So, how do you clean out bad agents in an entirely independent contractor organization? You restructure and deny renewals of the bad agents. That is why WMA changed to WFG so that we could boot out the bad guys and keep our reputation clean.

    Next, I’m sorry to say, man, but it sounds like you’re kind of jaded with life. I read stuff on other sites about “scam this” and “Ponzi that”, when in reality it’s just a bunch of regular employee-minded folks that are intimidated by the idea of running their own business. “I have to put money into my business? SCAM!” “You mean you won’t just pay me for showing up? SCAM!” “I have to keep learning stuff throughout my career? SCAM!” See what I mean? This is prevalent in the minds of folks that are just uncomfortable or not used to how running a business works, and the easiest, safest, most convenient response is to run away calling it a scam. Is it necessarily true? No, but at least the person backing away feels safe and vindicated knowing that he “exposed a bad organization”.

    Just search on FinRA and the SEC. WFG has the *fewest* complaints in the industry. I want you to know that we’re not mad at you, but instead rooting for you to win out in life. Ed, if you ever have any questions about insurance, savings, retirement, or anything else in the finance world, I want you to know that a true WFG agent will sit down with you 100 times and never charge you a dime for that advice. Go to http://www.wfg-online.com and look up the nearest office to you. Best of luck.

    Vasil

  30. Hi Ed,

    I know a company who would like to give you’all Life Insurance License work contract.
    Thanks,
    Alex

  31. I got an interview this morning, and paid 125 CAD for the background check. But I also found it is very suspicious that WFG does not have a clear criteria on your education background or employment history. It seems that it just wants to recruit, recruit, recruit and recruit no matter how well you are educated. Another problem i have is about the Multi Level Marketing. Is the way how WFG is operated a MLM? Is it legitimate?

    Another positive thing is that the people there appear to be very very nice. I am totally confused right now. I have signed up by now, and will have training this Monday morning, the first training. I was told that if I feel ready, I will pay 235 CAD to pass two exams to get the license.

    I am wondering Is it real business? How long would it take for me to get my first pay typically. I really don’t want to waste my time, and money if it eventually turns out to be a scam!!

    Thank you very much!!
    Jeff

  32. Jeff,
    First off WFG is not a scam. I worked with them for four and a half years and in that time I can defiantly tell you it is not a scam. The few they collect in the beginning is for the home office to get you set up in their system and do a backround check. I’ve toured the home office and they have over a hundred employees that have to get paid as well. In fact I if you get a chance the home office runs what’s a called red carpet day. This is were they let agents and new recruits come down and tour the home office for the day.

    The other fees for the insurance are normal. Originally, when I signed up I had to put my money in up front to start studying for my insurance and securities licenses. They didn’t do this get money from me they did it to get a commitment out of me. They want to know if I was serious or not.

    Finally, as far as the check goes it all depends on your work ethic. If you don’t put much into it your not going to get much but if you work hard and put the time in your results will be much better. I remember having nights were I wouldn’t get home till 11 pm but it was well worth the work. Just remember WFG is not a get rich quick business or MLM deal no matter what others say. Wfg is a reap what you sow business, if you work hard you will defiantly see some great things happen over time.

    Let me know how things go Jeff.

  33. Hey Chris,
    Thanks for your explanation. I trust WFG for now since I trust the person who interviewed me this morning. And you seems to be a trustable person too. I will keep updated.

    Jeff

  34. Like I’ve said, I highly doubt companies like TD, BMO, and RBC would willingly and knowingly tarnish its own reputation by partnering up with WFG. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise right?

    If you’re in Eastern Canada, I’ll see you around in January’s Kick Off! Cheers!

  35. Jeff, I would caution you to be careful, they will ask you to get people for them so they can make commission on your friends and family, you might not get your first cent for about a year, they do want you to recruit and tell them to give there money to them in the beginning. Ask them if it’s a job then why should you give your money to them? They have to take about 200 dollars from you so you can get there books and tapes about how to run your business. There is to much to say, I just want to wish you good luck. Ed

  36. Hi. Ed
    THanks for your kind reminding. I temporarily believe WFG just because the person who interviewed me is a professor/instructor of my university. I will see how things go. And I was told that I will pay 360 in total to get background check and the two exams I need to pass to become a representative. (125 and 235 separately) So, I will not put more money than 360 into it. If things goes well, I will be glad for that. If not, I will just pay 360 for the training and the license from the government (If I can pass the exams under my effort). So, if WFG turns out to be a not good place for a finance career, I will lose 360, some of my time. And I will gain a lesson, a training about finance from WFG, and a certificate also. That is not too bad.

    Anyway, I will give WFG a chance, maybe give myself a chance to believe it for the first. I will also be careful, so thanks your advice, Ed.

    I will keep an attention on this review.
    Jeff

  37. World Financial Group offers variable life insurance, annuities, mutual funds, and other financial products. World Financial Group has incurred penalties and fines from the National Association of Securities Dealers, or NASD, for misrepresentation and misconduct.

    The WFG uses multi level marketing, sometimes referred to as the “pyramid scheme”, which requires participants to recruit new members and pay their superiors a percentage of the sales they make. Critics claim that the business practices of this company amount to a MLM scam.

    Some former WFG employees claim that Agents are encouraged to lie to prospective customers about their qualifications and experience. Others allege that the company has illegally and intentionally failed to report up to 900 complaints of misrepresentation from its customers. Additionally, the quality of their goods and services is very much up for debate.

    There are lots of red flags concerning the World Financial Group. We recommend avoiding them altogether.

  38. Just let me claify one thing WFG is not a job it is a business opportunity. Hence when getting started with them you should be working a full time job till you do earn enough income to go full time. As far as the complaints YEP was saying I can’t say I don’t know anything about them but I do know that WFG isn’t the only company to get in trouble with the SEC or FINRA before. Just go to http://brokercheck.finra.org/Search/Search.aspx to see yourself.

    The nice thing about this tool is you can see if that brokrage has had any violations or not. If WFG were running a scam business FINRA would shut them down, and I just checked their status and they currently have no violations to report of.

  39. Hey Jeff, how is your job going with World Financial Group? Are they teaching you or asking you to recruit more people? The only way that this business could survive is with more people giving there money to the business, or did you say it isn’t for you, I wish you good luck and I hope your training is going good for you.

  40. Thanks Chris for the informative posts (and Jamie as well). I am in the process of joining WFG. Like Jeff said, I want to join to learn something about how to start a business, and how the industry works. Paying some money and spending some time up front just for the knowledge and experience is worth it. Of course I will always keep my eyes open for anything fishy that may come along.

  41. Zack,
    I’m glad to hear you’re taking a chance. I know exactly what you’re talking about. I was nervous as hell when I signed up with WFG, but once I got rolling it was great. I learned a lot of things about money, how to run a business, made a whole bunch of friends, and even got to talk to a few millionaires. Thanks for the comment and let us know how things work out.

  42. WFG is a big joke. It ruins your life and alienates you from family and friends. After my mother joined, she completely changed and became a psycho. They brainwash people in thinking they can make millions of dollars when it reality its a big pyramid scheme that losers with no education think they can make money. I hope the government goes after them and closes their doors for misinforming people about their investments. Every single one of their so called recruiters and marketing directors are liars and only want your money.

  43. WFG is not a scam, but their emphasis is on recruiting. Expect to start at a low 25% contract, and it won’t increase until you have three life apps and three licensed agents in your downline. While training expect to utilize your personal contacts to help you learn. However, you won’t be compensated. You eventually do the same to your recruits and so forth. Also, expect to be in rah, rah meetings at least twice a week. Furthermore, be prepared to be a little shady with inviting people to “see your new place of employment” and you want them to give their opinion. As far as the fees are concerned, 100 dollars is a little steep. I’ve been appointed by several insurance companies and I rarely have to pay a background processing fee. Feel free to join up with them, but just know what to expect. (as far as WRL is concerned, I love the indexed universal life product, but I think Aviva’s trounces it)…

  44. WFG is an Multi Level Company…Everything associated with MLM’s applies to WFG. The recruiting, the low percentage of success, VERY low percentages, motivational speakers, God first, family second, WFG third retoric. Knowing all that, in my opinion it’s the best MLM out there. One does not sell vitamins,tupperware, power juice. They offer financial services, and a basic financial education. If you join be ready to sacrifice all your extra time, one night of training, saturday mornings(in some offices) not including dialy contacts from your trainer.
    Have fun with your trainer or financial planner. Test him to see how much he really knows regarding financial products, surrender charges, policy loans, liquility. Note, Cash Value Life Insurance policies are Not the best product in the world as they will claim they are. The current recession prove that.

  45. Well said Jeremy, sounds like you’ve heard a lot of those Ed Mylett Speeches too. I think the company is great but don’t get caught up in all the rah rah. Instead just find what works and do it.

  46. Hey. Ed.
    Sorry for late reply. But Happy new year to you, and all the folks here for the discussion.

    I was kind of busy with my three tough finals of my master study from late Nov to middle Dec. So, after I “joined” WFG (I have not joined actually) in middle of Nov, I just went for training once. After the finals, I was back to touch with the guy who recruited me. He asked me to recruit as many people as possible while I have the training. But I feel more and more uncomfortable with the way the business is run. The only major way of making money is to recruit new people in your team, which will expand the pool of potential clients because the people you recruit might know some people who are interested in the products WFG provides.

    But to be honest, I am thinking of quit WFG for the moment since I feel I am not ready for this and my interest on WFG is gradually fading away.

    I am not sure that I can make money in this way. As Christopher said, joining WFG is like flying a plane. It takes your energy and even money (125CAD for double check and 235 for LLQP license). It is quite difficult in the beginning. I need to get 3 people to buy our products, which is too difficult for me, in 30 days and recruit 3 people in the same period to get the first promotion. I can’t get any clients, even in a long time, since I am new to Edmonton. And I am a full time student for now. It is impossible to make money when you are still in the lowest rank unless you find clients for yourself. It might be easy to make money when you are in higher rank, like an MD or a QMD. But it is not the very kind of job I need for now.

    Like I have said, I am not quite comfortable with the way the business is done for the moment. Although recruiting can expand the pool of clients, but I really feel somehow weird. Maybe I don’t know or understand what the finance world is like. Maybe a job with a basis salary plus bonus would be more suitable to me for now. If stays in WFG, I will never know when and how often I will be able to make money for doing this business in the beginning. I therefore, think a job with a stable, promised pay would be better for me for now, although it might not bring me much money.

    Now I am part-timing in a restaurant near my university. Although the pay is not good, but at least I know my salary would come every two weeks at a promised hourly rate. This is what I need–a job with promised pay; a job from which I can get paid at scheduled dates.

    I am thinking of quit WFG, as I said. Actually, I even have not joined WFG. There is a little bit of problem when I firstly signed the contract at the time the interview was conducted. I still believe WFG is a legitimate company. But I am not comfortable with the fact that it recruits at this large scale this frequently, and the fact that it does not place much requirement on its applicants to join it. Sorry for saying this, but this is exactly what I feel about it now.

    The only thing I felt sorry about is that I not only kind of wasted my time, but also wasted some time of the person who recruited me. He is a nice guy, a faculty of my university, with goals. I also wish him a good future with WFG. But I am saying goodbye to WFG for now, not because it is bad (but I am not saying it is good either), but because it is not my type of job. Goodbye for now. Maybe I would reconsider joining WFG in the future when I don’t need money urgently. Who knows.

    So if you are a person like me, think carefully since you are not going to be paid soon after you join WFG, but until you build up some down-lines below you.

    Need some fast money? GO consider other ways like a restaurant, not WFG.
    Jeff

  47. Somebody believe in WFG might think I am a loser. (I don’t mean I don’t trust WFG, at least I don’t think it is a scam.) Somehow I am a loser. I gave up not because I am a guy easily give up, not because I felt the difficulty then quit, not because I am a guy lack of persistence, but because I am a full time student need some instant cash to alleviate my current financial difficulty, and because I don’t feel good with the recruit strategy.

    I am a loser regarding WFG, probably.
    But I am not a coward easily giving up, definitely.

  48. I quit WFG as well so I must be a loser too. However like you I had other opportunities come along. I took over my parent business, which pays out far more than WFG ever did. I also didn’t like all the cost, with large E&O fees, paying to go to conventions or any other event it took a lot of money to do those things, money I didn’t always have.

    Was it a complete failure, no. I learned what it takes to run a business and how to deal with my own financial situations. I give you a lot of credit for trying this business is not for everyone. In fact the turnover rate with the company is huge. They recruit around 10,000 a month and maybe 1% to 5% stick around. Personally I was never much of a recruiter my self I focused on the product side of things more, selling insurance and investments. The truth is it’s a very competitive business that you have to be 100% dedicated to.

    Thanks for the great comments and thoughts.

  49. That’s right Christopher, way too many Ed Mylett speeche’s. The guy is powerful and inspiring.
    WFG hires great people. I’ve met lawyers, engineers, teachers, successfull sale’s professionals all with great work ethics. But being a MLM, they fall into the failure rate. That’s just the way MLM’s are. If one accepts that, you could make a decision to stay or go. Hang in there or cut your losses.

    Thank’s for this discussion

  50. Don’t get me started on Ed Mylet. It’s funny to see how some poor souls idolize him. I recently went to an event here in Anaheim, California, and it was part “church” meeting and sales pitch rolled into one. I think Ed is a good speaker, and he commands respect because of his success. However, he went out of his way to mention his Christian faith, but then proceeded to bash all the people that didn’t have their lives “put together.” Although I agree with his purpose of telling the truth (it hurts sometimes), it wasn’t necessary for him to essentially call people losers. I do not know whether Ed is a Christian or not, but don’t patronize the Christians in the audience, and then proceed to use “damn” or innapropriate jokes to win more recruits. Aside from this, he used emotional language and stories very well (people respond to emotion). I also liked the presentation of products and business opportunity. I am grateful for one thing; I stopped my affliation with WFG because I couldn’t imagine myself inviting my friends and family (all professional) to hear the rah, rah meetings and making sure they are becoming licensed etc. If you love to sell, then WFG is NOT for you. Their bread and butter is recruiting.

  51. If you want something you’ve never had, You have to do something you’ve never done. Either you are hungry enough………………….or not

  52. To continue on what Daniel said above…
    “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” -Einstein

  53. Pingback: How To Avoid Getting Ripped Off By Scams | Find Out Anything
  54. We live and learn, the right person is one that is a good con man, 95% of people are in it for your money and bank account, ask questions and don’t get ripped off, I learned my lesson, that doesn’t make you dumb but it makes you a stronger person. This company will fold eventually like WMA did, they just changed there name to world financial group.

  55. Be careful there is alot of scams out there, eventually World Financial Group will fold like World Marketing Alliance did and some people will be in handcuffs for insurance fraud, the country is in a hard time with the economy and people losing there jobs, people are desperate and they are out for themselves, be around honest people and always question people, keep strong.

  56. I’m sure their are a few bad apples in the company, it’s just inevitable with the size of the company to catch them all. WFG recruits nearly 10,000 people a month. Also WMA changes it’s name because Hubert Humphrey sold the company to Aegon. They then decide to change the name to World Financial Group.

    As far as the company being shut down, I really doubt it. I’ve been around many of their top leaders, taken tours of their home office, and been to their conventions and every year I was with them they were growing by nearly 30% every year. That’s impressive.

    Finally, I do feel if anybody is ripping someone off they should have their license revoked and be barred from the industry altogether. This not only goes for WFG but every other company other as well. Securities fraud is a serious violation and people who break the laws should pay.

    Thanks for your comments.

  57. I not really sure. It may have something to do with Aegon their parent company. It’s also has a lot to do with WFGs business model. When you join WFG you are starting your own business not getting hired to do a job.

  58. It is truly sad that when individuals do not succeed they look to blame and bash a company instead of just bowing out and saying it’s just not for them. Every business has a few bad apples in it that spoil the whole bunch but WFG as a company itself is not as bad of a picture as people paint. You have to try it for yourself. By individuals slamming WFG company only discourages others and they may miss out on their opportunity for success. How will one ever know if they do not try. Yes you pay fees but nothing compared to what you would paying for owning your own McDonalds. Wake up call, you need $250,000 cash on hand to just start the discussion process with McDonald’s Total Investment: $950,200-$1,800,000. WFG Licensing and online courses total $400.00, plus some organinzations reimburse you $300.00 if you complete the requirements in 30 days, do the math. I don’t understand people spend that money and marry themselves to McDonalds but cry about what has to be done in WFG. WFG is not for everyone we need people to flip our burgers and to sell us clothes but there are some that want to do WFG but those that were to hard headed to follow the system want to point the finger at WFG which is not fair to discourage others from their quest to become business owners. If your trainer or your leader fail you then i suggest that you find another and fight to win. Bottom line is you have to invest in yourself to become successful. If you want a free lunch or money to fall into your lap then WFG is not for you, but if you believe in yourself and have devoted work ethics, and you can duplicate yourself and others you will achieve you dream in WFG.

  59. I read comments of people saying they did not make money and the only way that happens in WFG is if you do not apply yourself or make efforts. I knew nothing about finaince and once licensed I made $2,000 my first month licensed. They say most businesses do not even make a profit for two years and with WFG after 3 or 4 months people are ready to quit. You just have to get out there and keep interviewing people for your business. If someone says no thye are not saying no to you they are just saying no not right now. If you have something and believe in what you have eventually it will turn around for you. It’s a struggle but in time you woll reap the fruits of your efforts. Again if you looking for a get rich quick opportuniity then no this is not for you. This business is regulated and filled with compliances because you are dealing with finances and I am glad they are in place to give people that sense of trust.

  60. Well said Darrell, I agree with you whole heartedly. Everything you said was right on. I just wish others could see the positive side to the business as well.
    I should also mention I left WFG in 2008 not because the business was a scam or a rippoff but because I was asked to take over the family business. It was a tough desicion. However, I have no regrets and believe World Financial Group is a great place for someone to get started in a finanical services career. They will teach you everything about money and running a business.
    Finally, I believe it is about one of the best business opportunities out there today, however the nay sayers will be back to leave more comments that this company is a scam. I believe those that say this haven’t truely given WFG a chance. I stuck it out for four and a half years loved it.

    Thanks for the comments Darrell.

  61. Everything has a surrender charge, that means you surrender all your money to them, be careful of what you read and be careful of people telling you that you can retire in a few years. More like they can retire on your money and your left holding the bag of empty promises!

  62. I keep reading about this financial education that one receives from WFG. Huh? Did I miss something here? Yes, you learn about the potential tax free retirement utilizing life insurance, but it’s only superficial. The truth is most WFG agents don’t realize how powerful the concept is. Add that with the tax free death benefit! Try leaving your 401k to your heirs and uncle Sam gets its cut! As I have previously written, wfg is not a scam or unethical. The “training” is more introductory in nature (as it relates to the products and benefits),while the bulk of the time training emphasizes recruiting. My sister n law purchased their western reserve life product (partly due to my brief affiliation with wfg), and I have never openly expressed negativity towards wfg or my upline.– I think, rather I know for a fact that other companies’ EIUL products are better, and it’s not even close. Of course, many of their agents are not aware or don’t care. Personally, I would feel guilty selling an inferior product to friends and family.

  63. It’s best to stay away from compound stock earnings and world financial group, I was in it a few years ago and they where telling me to lie to my friends about making money in this even though I didn’t make a penny yet, I believe that the government is corrupt here, and they are nickel and diming us with the taxes, trust your judgement and watchout for anyone that tells you that you can get rich in a year or two.

  64. Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump both recommend Network Marketing. They also recommend that you do your due diligence. Research the prospective company. Also, Robert Kiyosaki recommends that if you decide to venture in Network Marketing, to stick with it for at least 5 years. WFG is owned by Aegon. Aegon is a publicly traded company. That is probably why WFG is not public. A WFG agent is a sales-person that offers financial planning and insurance products. It is a very regulated business. Is it a scam? I don’t think so. I think it is an easy way to at the very least get you foot in the door in the financial planning industry without a lot of up front money. If you were to start your own financial planning office you would need to find office space, set up phone lines, set up answering services, set up fax lines, set up internet lines, buy office equipment, buy office supplies, buy office furniture, marketing expenses, business insurance, employees and more I’m sure. Can you imagine what all that adds up to? Thousands of dollars. Not to mention getting licensed and paying E & O. With WFG you pay $100 to get started. Now it is sometimes said that the $100 is for background checks etc… But from my experience it looks to me like it is used to set up your business with access to wfg-online, get your code number set up, background checks, and all the necessary bits and pieces to start your business. Many people ask, why does WFG charge for background checks? When applying for a job, an employer does not charge for a background check. Remember, WFG does not employ agents. All agents are Independent representatives for WFG. Network marketing is a tough business but if you stick with it, as Robert Kiyosaki recommends, it will be rewarding.

  65. I guess some people have a money tree some where, compound stock earnings gets 4 to 6 percent every month, and they don’t have anything to do with banks, doesn’t that sound like Madoff now, either money is being grown on a tree or coming from the sky somewhere. 🙂 🙂

  66. I went to one of there meetings and everyone was raw raw raw and said we would be making money, it sounded fishy and those other women were trying to get me into this WFG, the guys looked cute and where hitting on me, I needed a job and some help, I asked them questions about the company and they gave me blank looks. Then they asked me to find people for them, I just graduated from DePaul and have a degree in finance. The advisor told me if I gave her 100 dollars, I would be in and have a job, and could retire in 2 years. That really sounded to good too be true. I went to Oak Brook and I was questioning them why I had to give them money for a job. I want to call the SEC on them and see if this is a real thing or a scam.

  67. Sanj,
    Wfg pays on a commission only basis. Typical associates start out by getting paid 25% on the gross commission. So if the total commission was $1000 you would earn $250. I know that sounds low but if you do the work you’ll move up the ranks pretty quick. The Marketing Directors position pays around 60%, but they have other ways they pay as well like vacations, stock options, and awards.

    I hope this helps.

  68. Be careful sanj they told me I would retire at 24 years old, I graduated from DePaul and I found a real job and this WFG group will tell you anything to take your money, they ask you to pay 200 dollars and then you have to get people for them, but you wouldn’t get any money until you convince other people that your making money and they should give there money to you, try it but they say only .001% of the people make money, I think you might have a better chance of winning the lottery.

  69. “I think you might have a better chance of winning the lottery.”

    The odds is winning a lottery is one to 13,983,816 (according to CBC News). Unless my math is wrong, 1 divided by 13,983,816 is 0.0000000715. I guess the 0.001% chance of succeeding at WFG (as you claim) is much better than winning the lottery. 😉

    But all joking aside, the registration cost for starting at WFG is 100USD in US and 125CDN in Canada (which is silly now that CDN is on par with USD haha). Unless WFG is operating with a different currency that I’m not aware of, I’d say Priscilla’s been misinformed. And who’s the “they” that you speak of?

    I can’t vouch for individual branches and how they operate their business. As it has already been mentioned up there, there are bad apples in every company, big or small. It doesn’t mean the company itself is doing things wrong. Besides, if the big 5 banks in Canada are partnered with WFG, what does that tell ya? I have a feeling they’d have the resources and experience to be a much better judge of WFG’s credibility than a fresh college graduate. Make sense?

  70. Yes it is true WFG is not the be all end all but it is a legitmate business that is regulated. We in WFG wish everyone would join us but the truth of the matter is that we need people to wait on tables, work at 7 Elevens, and other work orientated facets. As you all know we have began a job or joined the military and said it wasn’t for me and eventually moved on to things that fit our lifes style. Now if Michael Jordan quit when he was cut from the Basketball in high school and quit because he felt it was not for him we would not know Michael Jordan today but he believed in himself and did not give up and became one of the greatest basketball players of all time. We can call on many countless stories like Michael Jordan but it would not make a difference because you have to believe in your own success. If successful people let obstacles get in their way or quit becuase it did not work right away we may still be in the dark ages. Yes, there are moments for the rah, rah because success brings motivation. You can sell in WFG but some like to build and building brings leverage like any other business structure built in this great country. You can sell but if you fall sick for a week your income falls but if you are leveraged then you fall sick you still have income coming in to help you get through your down time. I respect those who know and realize it’s not for them but those that blame and slander WFG for not being able to do WFG.

  71. I feel are not being fair to others who may want WFG as a business or see WFG as a vehicle to supplement their income and also help others. Nothing is perfect but you can always work towards perfection.

  72. These women are still calling me to join WFG, and some guys are trying to convince me to come back. I’m happy that there still interested in the business but it’s not for me and I wish everyone good luck and don’t lose your butt. 🙂 🙂

  73. Priscilla, all you have to do is instead of writing it here tell them that you appreciate the interest but WFG is not for you and that you don’t mind being their friend and value their friendship and they feel the same but you are just not interested in doing WFG. However, they may see something in you that you do not see yourself right now. In some cases it’s best to say I have tried then to say I have not. I have been doing WFG for nine months and all has been gains and zero losses. Priscilla it’s ones passion and belief in what one does is what makes a person successful because if a person can not sense ones sincerity then you can not sell or recruit anyone. In any case you do not believe at this time and may never so for you to try this yes it may not work in your current state of mind. As I said earlier the world needs people like you to do what you do because if everyone joins us then who will do the jobs we need done outside WFG. We believe in no families left behind so I respectfully hope that you were kind enough to let someone go over with you your Personal Financial Strategy so that you become like some Americans that fail to plan and then when they want to retire they can not because they failed to plan. It’s free to consult but at lease you know what direction to go in so that you win in the end.

  74. It’s funny people pay to go to college go for four years and bring in no income and don’t complain, why? Because they feel as though when they graduate they will achieve six figures one day, but what if doesn’t work out that way then what do you say, “oh college doesn’t work”, but wait some have graduated and making six figures so why say it doesn’t work? WFG is the same you pay admin fees and online courses the on the job training is free. It’s all in ones mindset if you believe in yoursef and your ability you can achieve. I love WFG because it challenges me to new levels that better me as a person and that I can provide a service to those families out there that need help of my services. I am not scamming or taking advantage of anyone however, I am giving families protection and security for their families. It really hits home when you deliver a benifit to a family that has delt with a loss and they look you in your face with tears and their eyes and hug you and say thank you and then a few months later they call you and say they would of been homeless or they don’t know what would of happen to their family had we not came and talked to them. That’s when you know what you are doing is good. It’s just not about making money and who makes money off of you it’s about helping those who don’t understand to understand. Tomorrow is promised to none of us, the end has no age or time it just happens and what we do is give peope that security to know that their families will be taken care of when that day comes for them.

  75. I’m reading all this stuff about WFG and it would seem that there is alot of dirty things going on here, my friend got into it a few years ago and lost 10K and he’s calling his advisor and they refuse to call him back, that surrender charge killed his insurance policy, if anyone is reading this please stay away and don’t lose your money in these economic times, watchout for all those associates that will lie and do anything to take your money.

  76. Darrell, don’t waste your time replying “Michael”, “Priscilla”, or “Todd”. It’s all the same person trolling this blog entry over and over again, month after month. He or [email protected] should be the last person to point fingers at WFG and calling its associates liars. Just look at what he’s been doing, pretending to be a woman, and now somebody else just to bring up the same old issues. And everytime, they all have a different story.

    Just do a google on edbear63 and you’ll find him trolling on other blogs and forums too… in addition to a profile on http://www.BlueCollarDates.com. ’nuff said.

  77. Thanks for mentioning that Jamie. WFG really is great company and how people can look past all of the fluff some people are claiming them to be. I worked with them for several years and got a heck an education in finance. Thanks for all your support.

  78. I am too an ex-WFGer. I, too, can vouch it’s not a scam, MLM, pyramid scheme as it appears to be. Those whom are ignorant or go in thinking it’s easy money and in the end get burned find something to blame other than themselves. I didn’t stick with it for 2 main reasons. It wasn’t for me. Though i gave it the best shot i could for 1 and half years of my life, countless of conferences, weekly meetings, training many people under my base and still being trained myself. Alas, I couldn’t go forward anymore. My own personal past didn’t allow me to get licensed no matter how hard my MD and CEO MD tried to work with home office to get it cleared. In the end, I took with me what i learned. I now have a JOB, (Journey Of the Broke) as some of you WFGers would call it, that is satisfying. I make three quarters of a 6 figure income which is 3 times the salary i was making before i came on board with WFG. I gained insight in running a business. I gained leadership. I gained a new social network group and my finances is ever so squeaky clean and strong. Thanks WFG and the team at Alviso under the strong leadership of Xuan. It was definitely the best 1 year and half of my life.

  79. Great comment Ed, I believe some people are quick to judge WFG even thought they’ve never tried it themselves. I wish the licensing would have worked out better for though. I had a rough time with it as well but was able to get my life and health series 6 and 63.

  80. Pingback: smallbiz-tips.com » 2 Business Opportunities You Should Look Into
  81. Hello everyone,
    My fiance and I recently started our business with WFG. We were “recruited” by a friend that we have known for several years. I can’t say for sure how I feel about the business because its’ only been less than 2 weeks. There were times were I thought it was a scam, but I trust my friend. I was really happy about this business and was hoping to *educate* and help many families. I can’t help but to feel naive… I think I might have made a decision too soon, it almost seems that the objective of WFG has been shifted to sales and recruiting. I want to feel that I am booking appointments to educate the families. Instead I feel that when I book appointments my trainer is pushing for a sale or to get a recruit. Maybe I am completely missing the point. This is why I’m still on the fence! I know that I have to be recruiting and making sales to make income! So that I can pay off the membership fee, course fee, licence fee, E & O fee, convention and flight fee in Las Vegas (looking foward to it) that I have added or will add to my already existing debt @_o that I was hoping to pay off with WFG? lol. I guess I’m just looking for some reassurance that I will get somewhere in this business with my fiance, and will be able to truely help people instead of just taking their money or turning them into recruits and taking their money then hoping they stay or become sucessful..

    Thanks

  82. I have worked with WFG for 3 and a half months now and I am now working for another company with regular hours. I have made more money in a week with a traditional 9-5 job than I have in the months I spent at WFG.

    The positive aspects I find in WFG are the opportunities to improve your business skills like knowing how to own your own business, networking, selling, and presenting. I wouldn’t go so far to say WFG helps you learn about finances because you learn that through a third party paid from your own bank account not through WFG. Their training is based more on prospecting for clients and recruits (writing down and calling your top 25 list or contacting people in your warm market) than learning about the financial products and basic insurance technicalities. Their training can get repetitive at times and it can be a complete waste of your time.

    The negative aspects I found with WFG are the constant lies and the encouragement of going against your personal ethnical boundaries. When I was first recruited, they told me all I needed was a life insurance licensed in order for me to get paid. Months later, they told me that in order to make real money and sell the majority of the products; I needed to get my Series 6 license too. They also never told me I needed to pay for additional courses for me to get paid. There are so much hidden fees they don’t tell you about. Another lie is their disbelief that this opportunity isn’t about sales when in reality, all they do is sales. They sale to to people who buy the products and they sale to people who buy the business opportunity. Lastly, it makes me laugh when the liars at WFG get mad when I tell them their team building is basically pyramid building. When you recruit people under you and encourage the people under you to recruit some more, than it is building a pyramid or an mlm not team building. In a pyramid, the team goal is helping each other get promoted and earn a higher commission level than helping families through selling financial products.

  83. Pingback: 5 Money Making Ideas To Help You Make It Through A Tough Economy
  84. The problem with WFG is its sold as an opportunity to make alot of money and be very rewarding. With that said so are most careers. What I didnt like about the presentation is I felt things and information were being kept from me. Nobody wanted to answer questions most of us have when investing or looking for work. Thats what sent me away and the endless array of former dishwashers and housewives and etc.etc. that sugddenly are doing better than the best brokers on wall street. The secret is those peoplw would be succesful at whatever they do because they have the drive to win in their heart.

  85. I just want to say that if my father Stephen Nwaogwugwu can be in this business after 4 years, coming from being a taxi driver and a foreigner from africa, and learn this system and change my families life 4 years ago,
    Why can’t you?
    I just turned 18 and i’m Im studying for my license and going on the field with my dad to learn the business in more detail and unless you guys go to meetings, you will never really learn what WFG is.
    They give all people, something to believe in.

  86. Pingback: Getting Started In Financial Services | Itudia Blog
  87. Hey, guys. I’ve been an agent for about 17 months now. I read Chris’ article months ago, but I’m glad it’s floureshing. All-in-all, I’d say that those who HAVE gone through the WFG program aer about on point: it’s not a pyramid (you’d have to do your own homework to delve into that meaning), it is your own business with mentors, you’re not going to make six figures overnight, and if you sit around and think about taking action of course you won’t make money.

    For those knocking it, I suggest you schedule a lunch meeting with a marketing director and get your answers cleared up before hitting the blogs. Your baseless comments without getting your predispositions cleared up has a disastrous effect of blowing out our next potential CEOs. How would you like it if you started a business and someone hit the blogs saying that you guys are a scam without really getting to know you? How much business do you think you could do with that kind of crap floating around out there.?

    For those considering going in or you’re sitting on the fence, just dive in. Honestly, I’d make an effort to get to know the qualified marketing director (QMD) quickly, if not also your team’s CEO. These folks not only have been around the longest and can answer all your questions, but you as a new trainee taking the initiative to meet higher leadership puts you on the radar. Just dive in, be coachable, and know that you won’t be a bazillionaire in your first year. It may take some uncomfortable self improvement, some realization that the person you were or the “friends” you previously had may not be the best in the world, and learning that true success requires some serious remapping of your mentality.

    I wish you the best of luck from the San Diego office!

  88. Pingback: How Financial Companies Can Empower Structural Growth | Small Minority Business Community
  89. Pingback: Money Hacks Carnival #71 – Canada Day Edition – Canadian Finance Blog | Credit Wise Info
  90. Pingback: How To Get Started In A Financial Services Career | See You At The Top
  91. I am just starting with WFG. It’s been interesting because when I went in the first interview, I had no idea what they do, or anything. Why is it that they don’t just explain what it is instead of just rambling on whatever? I’m going to give it a shot to see if it’s the right job for me. Any advice would be great.

    Thanks!

  92. Max,
    I’m glad to see you’re giving WFG a shot. Here a few simple things to help you get rolling. First do exactly what your trainer ask you to do. They will teach you how the business works. Second, stay consistent. If you’re starting out part time contact at least 5 people a day for 5 days a week. Staying consistent with your work is the only way you’ll get constant results in your business. Finally, stick with WFG for at least a year. Most people tend to give up before they really fully understand the business, so stick with it for at least a year and if you don’t like it after that you can honestly say you gave a shot.

    I hope this helps.

  93. if you’re going in thinking it’s a “job”, you’re in for a disappointment.

  94. I would like to know the real and current difference between WFG and Primerica. Which sells a better product. Which one is more costly to the new marketer. What are the current costs for each company for an entry person in the first year. Primerica only sells term while my understanding is WFG sell whole life or term, is that true? Primerica sells auto, home, mutual funds, some form of health ins, legal and a few others. What does WFG actually sell to the consumer currently (3/8/2012). You can get your securities license with Primerica is the same possible with WFG? You can own your own Bay shop (office) with Primerica, can you do the same with WFG in that you own it and could sell it or pass it on to your wife or children? Does anyone have the above answers.

  95. Rich, those sound like some excellent questions, I will try to give the most info I can however I haven’t worked with WFG since 2008.

    – Which sells a better product. Which one is more costly to the new marketer? Primerica sells their own life insurance policies from what I know and they only sell term. On the other hand WFG sells term, whole life, indexed universal life, and even variable universal life. I’ve sold almost all of these and will tell you that term is almost always the cheapest route to go however it all depends on the client and their needs. On top that WFG markets other companies products, for example, I sold a lot of life insurance with Western Reserve Life, Pacific Life, just to name a few. In the end I feel WFG is better because it offers more options to the consumer rather than Primerica who only believes in term.

    – What are the current costs for each company for an entry person in the first year? As far as I know their is only a $100 entrance fee, and I think in Canada it’s $125. It’s a one time fee.

    – What does WFG actually sell to the consumer currently (3/8/2012). With WFG you can sell anything from life insurance, health insurance, auto insurance, mutual funds, annuities, to even investment adviser services. As far as mortgages go I’m not sure the company they had doing mortgages went under around the time I got out of the business.

    – You can get your securities license with Primerica is the same possible with WFG? With WFG you can get a securities licenses which I strongly suggest. In fact you you will want to get several licenses, your series 6 will allow you to sell mutual funds, and variable insurance products, a series 63 which will allow you to sell out of state, a series 26 which will allow you to run your own office, and a series 65 which will allow you to provide investment adviser services.

    – You can own your own Bay shop (office) with Primerica, can you do the same with WFG in that you own it and could sell it or pass it on to your wife or children? You can pass your office onto someone else in WFG but they will need to have to meet the proper license requirements?

    I hope this helps if you have other question just let me know.

    Chris H.

  96. Christopher,
    You seem to be very responsive to all negative comments about WFG, especially since you “used” to work part time for them for 4 years. So my question is this, what do you do now and why don’t you work for WFG anymore? It seems strange that a non WFG agent would take the time to respond to every negative comment on these reviews.

  97. Hi, Ryan, that’s a great question. There are really two reasons I don’t work with WFG anymore. The first being I took over a family business that I’ve now been running for the last 10 years. The second is because it was more work than I wanted to do. Don’t get me wrong its a good business opportunity but you have to be willing to put in the hard work and call people relentlessly. If you can’t do that you will likely have a tough time succeeding. I hope that helps Ryan.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

fifteen + one =