How to Become a Sun Life Financial Advisor in the Philippines

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Updated: April 22, 2024

Are you interested in becoming a Sun Life Financial Advisor in the Philippines? If yes, then some of the things you would like to know might be: how to apply online, what are the benefits, what’s the job description, and how about the salary (do we have one)? Lastly, how much is Sun Life’s agent commission? Don’t worry, I’ll talk about these.

But before that, let’s talk more about statistics.

Why be a financial advisor?

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), about 4.3%, or more than 5 million Filipinos, were unemployed in 2023. Furthermore, the underemployment rate rose to 12.3%, equivalent to 8.5 million. If you add them up, that’s 13.5 million Filipinos in dire need of a dependable source of income.

As per the Insurance Commission (IC), the insurance penetration rate in the Philippines is only 1.68% versus the global average of 6.7% in 2022. It means that there are still several Filipinos out there that you can educate about the importance of life insurance.

In short, you get to earn additional income by helping others get life insurance, which is an important tool in nation-building.

For example, I joined Sun Life as a part-timer. After 8 months, I decided to make it a full-time career. And I can say, there’s no looking back. I’ll share more of my story later.

Get to know Sun Life?

Sun Life is the first and oldest (129-year-old) insurance company in the Philippines. As of 2020, the company has more than 5 million clients. So if you are up for the challenge of helping others, you are in the right place.

READ: Sun Life Remains the Top Life Insurance Company in the Philippines

Sun Life was established in 1895, three years before the Republic of the Philippines was founded. So, Filipinos can enjoy the humanitarian benefits of insurance.

7 Steps on How to Become a Sun Life Financial Advisor

I’m glad you are interested in becoming a Sun Life financial advisor. Keep in mind the steps and procedures of regular employment are different.

Nonetheless, I can guarantee that it will be worth it.

Here are the steps on how to become a Sun Life Financial Advisor in the Philippines:

1. Connect to a Sun Life Unit Manager

Are you excited to be a Sun Life financial advisor?

The first step is to connect with a Sun Life unit manager like me. So if you want to join Sun Life and be part of my growing team, just fill out the form below. 

Just remember, this is not your regular job.

You’ll be dealing with money from people you may not even know personally. So we must get to know you, especially since you’ll be part of our team. We will also ask you to upload your updated CV or resume for the same purpose.

Once you submit the form, you confirm that you have read and understood this article.

After that, we will enroll you in the online training and invite you to the #LiveBrighter portal (an online application portal wherein you upload your requirements).

2. Career Orientation

The next step is to attend a career orientation. It can be any combination of a phone call, Zoom meeting, or face-to-face forum.

Sun Life conducts several career orientation forums all over the country every month. So there will be one near your location.

If you join my team, I’ll call you immediately for a career orientation. Here, I discuss the benefits of being a Sun Life financial advisor (more of how it can help you), set your expectations, the process (how we can move forward), and you can ask questions.

It’s the most important step because this is when you have to decide if this is the right career for you.

3. Pay the Examination Fee

As mandated by the Insurance Commission, a license is necessary before you can sell life insurance plans. There are two licenses you need to secure: traditional and VUL.

So you must pay Php 2,020 for the two licensure examinations held online, at the Insurance Commission, or in a remote location (Sun Life BGC Centre).

I expect you to settle your examination fee immediately. You can pay it by sending it to Sun Life’s bank account.

Bank: Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)
Account Name: Sun Life of Canada (Phils) Inc
Account Number: 0993015679

Don’t forget to screenshot your payment as proof and send it to me.

4.a. Online Training

If you decide to continue, you will be enrolled in the first online training, which is a requirement by the Insurance Commission before you can take the licensure examination.

There are 2 trainings you must complete. The first one is called Insurance Concepts. Then the second is the Sun Life Training Course (SLTC).

You can finish each training session in 1 or 2 days. (This is an on-demand online training, so you can do it at any time of the day.)

Once completed, you’ll receive a certificate. By then, we can now ask for an examination schedule.

4.b. Completion of Requirements

Finally, Sun Life can now process advisor applications online.

By the way, you’ll receive an email about your online application portal (called #LiveBrighter Portal) on the same day of your enrollment in the online training.

So you can do them both in 2 weeks.

In the #LiveBrighter portal, you will:

• Encode basic information about you
• Upload requirements
• Answer medical (for insurance benefit purposes) and personality questions.

Here is the list of requirements:

• soft copy of the ID picture (preferably in the yellow background)
• Latest Income Tax Return (ITR)
• TIN Card or any BIR document indicating TIN
• Proof of SSS (any record showing SSS number like payslip, company ID, E1, etc. except UMID)
• Payment of Exam Fee (Php2,020)
• Insurance Concepts Training Certificate
• NBI Clearance
• Photocopy of clearance from employer (if currently unemployed)
• Permit to Sell from management (if government employee)
• Photocopy of Exam Results
• Licensing Fee (Php3,030)
• NBI Clearance hardcopy
• SLTC training certificate
• 2 Documentary stamps to be affixed on CA forms
• 2 (Trad & VUL) filled out and “notarized” with documentary stamp Certificate of Authority (CA) Forms.

The Insurance Commission releases the exam results in 1 to 2 weeks. You can use this time to complete the requirements.

5. IC Licensure Examination

You’ll have to take and pass the licensure examination by the Insurance Commission. It’s a 50-item test per license, and the passing mark is 70%.

Don’t worry.

There is a review session so you can pass the exam on your first try. It will be a waste of money and time if you fail.

I bet you don’t want that.

6. Contracting and Coding

Good news!

You can now sign the contract online. It will be sent to your email.

Once you understand the benefits and guidelines of the company, you can now sign the contract.

By then, we can request your code.

The advisor code serves as your identity in Sun Life. You use it in every transaction you have while representing the company.

7. Protect and Serve

Once you get your code, you can now formally offer life insurance plans to your family, friends, or anyone.

Don’t worry, your unit manager will train, guide, and accompany you until you can do it on your own.

Job Description of a Sun Life Financial Advisor

I bet you only thought that your responsibility ends with selling insurance. You are more than that. I must say, it’s just one of your roles as a financial advisor. To help you visualize the work. Here is the Sun Life Financial Advisor’s job description.

1. Sell Life Insurance Products

As a Sun Life financial advisor, you’ll earn money by selling insurance plans. So you must allocate a portion of your time to your selling activities. But you don’t have to spend 8 hours of your day to get appointments. For example, I spend 2 hours on Mondays setting appointments for the whole week.

2. Servicing Existing Clients

Would you agree that happy clients are more likely to get additional plans from you or refer you to family or friends?

How do you make them happy?

Just make sure you are with them when they need your assistance with their plan. Maybe they need to update payment details, address, or marital status, or they want to make fund withdrawals or file a claim. Whatever it is, you must make sure you are there for them. You are their financial partner for life.

3. Attend Training and Seminars

While this is not a must, you should aspire for excellence. Don’t you want to give the best service to your clients? You can only do that if you are knowledgeable about the products you are selling and how to service them.

Confidence comes from knowledge. Your clients will appreciate having a knowledgeable financial advisor. At the end of the day, confidence will build trust, which is essential to your client-advisor relations.

4. Join Monthly Meetings

You must attend monthly/bi-monthly branch meetings set by the branch. The schedule is pre-determined for the whole year, so you can plot it on your calendar.

Why is attending a branch meeting important?

The branch invites successful financial advisors to inspire you to work even harder. They will also share ways on how you can replicate their successes. And lastly, you must be informed of the latest happenings in Sun Life, like new products and award recognition.

Who knows if you are one of those being recognized?

5. Work With Your Unit Manager

Lastly, while you work mostly on your own, you must be able to update and communicate with your unit manager. Remember, your goal is part of the goal of a team, our branch, and Sun Life. We all work together to bring it to fruition.

So remember to always talk with your unit manager about your concerns, goals, and challenges. You can also celebrate your wins together.

What are the qualifications to be a Sun Life Advisor?

The qualifications I’m looking for in an advisor must empower the team. So before you fill out the form below, please assess yourself to see if you’re fit for my team.

Some are non-negotiable, so we will transfer you to another unit manager if necessary.

So here are the qualifications I’m looking for:

• 25 to 40 years old
• Living (willing to work) in NCR
• Open for additional job
• Reachable via messenger, text, call, etc.
• A college graduate is preferable but not needed
• A former student leader is a PLUS
• Management experience is a PLUS
• Sales experience is a PLUS

7 Benefits of a Sun Life Financial Advisor

As a Sun Life Financial Advisor, it offers you more than just a job—it’s an opportunity to become a trusted partner in guiding others towards financial security.

Here are the 5 benefits of a Sun Life Financial Advisor:

1. Earn Unlimited Income

There’s no monthly salary for a Sun Life financial advisor. It’s commission-based, which means that you’ll get to earn based on your productivity.

It might scare you at first since there is no steady source of income. But fret not, because if you look at the brighter side, it means that you are not tied to a fixed income.

In your corporate job, no matter how much effort you put in to produce exceptional output, you’ll receive the same paycheck every single time (unless you get promoted).

Here are some of my milestones in Sun Life:

I bought my first car using my earnings as a Sun Life advisor. I needed this to better serve my clients. Now, I’m looking forward to buying my dream car.

I earned my first million. Most advisors will say that they bought a car, started a business, made their first million, and so on when they joined Sun Life. I guess it’s possible if you’re working hard for a great company.

It’s genuinely a fulfilling job when you can get the things you deserve.

2. Flexible Time

For part-timers, you can work in your free time. So it could be after work. Others do it during lunch breaks, while in transit, or during holidays or weekends.

As they say, time is money. That’s why it is up to you how you’ll spend your time on something productive.

For full-timers, who is tired of waking up daily at 4 am to prepare for 8 am work? How about the ever-stressful traffic from home going to your office? I know it’s frustrating to brave EDSA to arrive late at work. 

But once you join Sun Life, you’ll not be required to wake up early. In other words, you can rise from bed at 9 am and still be productive. 

(But of course, if you can still wake up at 4 am, that’s even better.)

3. Enjoy Professional Growth

Sun Life offers financial assistance to further your competency. The company also provides free training and seminars, so you can be confident in answering your client’s questions. 

Regardless of age and tenure, if you perform well, you can be promoted. 

I’ve seen someone as young as 22 years old promoted to unit manager, making him the youngest unit manager in Sun Life’s history. 

Who knows if you’re next in line?

4. Get Rewarded for Your Efforts

Don’t you love to be recognized for your hard work?

No matter how big or small the battle, Sun Life knows how to recognize it through simple prizes like jackets, certificates, cash incentives, medals, and trophies to something you couldn’t afford to imagine, like your dream vacation like a trip to Boracay, Bohol, Japan, the Caribbean, etc.

On top of that, Sun Life is very generous in giving bonuses you won’t usually get by working in an office setup.

Our picture while enjoying our all-expense-paid trip by Sun Life for three (3) days and two (2) nights in Shangri-La Boracay.

We did not even spend a centavo on this trip on food, transportation, and accommodation.

5. A Business of Helping Others

What I truly love about being in this career is the power vested in us to change the lives of our clients. 

Commission, incentives, and bonuses are just like icing on the cake. Above all, nothing beats the happiness that comes from securing a family.

The simple “thank you” that we receive is motivation that keeps us going no matter how challenging it might get.

Always remember this: financial advisors’ work is not just about selling life insurance and collecting payments. But to be integrated into the journey of clients toward financial freedom.

6. Create a Steady Stream of Income

While the work of a Sun Life financial advisor is purely commission-based, you can still create a steady income. You can do it by having consistent activities.

For example, if you can get 3 clients per month, you are bound to earn about P50k monthly income. There’s no guarantee that your sales activity will translate to this amount. However, your chances of hitting it increase with the level of hard work you put in.

So if you want to create a higher amount monthly, then you must also increase your activity. When you make it a habit, you are on your way to achieving a steady (or nearly steady) source of income.

7. A Legacy You Can Pass On

Have you ever noticed how many Sun Life Financial Advisors have spouses or children who are also working as financial advisors? You can easily spot one if you know a more senior advisor.

The reason is simple.

Because this is one, if not the only, of the works you can pass on from generation to generation. You can pass it on to your kids as your legacy.

If you have spent, let’s say, 20 years in Sun Life, by then you’ll have a tremendous list of clients that you nurtured. Once you want to retire and enjoy your hard work, you can pass on your clients to your kids (or anyone in the family).

Your kids will earn once your existing clients avail new plans from them. In this system, they will have a market-to-resell plan, a never-ending source of income.

So, are you ready to set up a legacy for your kids?

Sun Life Advisor Application:

Are you ready to jumpstart your career at Sun Life?

Your opportunity awaits, as we’re seeking dedicated individuals to join our team as Sun Life Advisors.

It’s your chance to make a meaningful impact and build a rewarding career.

Fill out the form below, and we’ll contact you within 24 hours.

Sun Life Advisor Application

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Learn More About Our Team

Our team is called “Acqua di Gio Unit.” You may watch my YouTube video to learn why I picked this name.

Who is Ton?

In Sun Life they call me Ton, an electronics engineer and the founder of TheWiseGuyPH. 

I joined Sun Life in the hope of creating more income for the growing needs of my family since my father died in 2015.

I am one of the youngest successful financial advisors in one of Sun Life’s Branches in Makati, despite being timid, lacking the right market to offer my services, and having no sales experience.

You may wonder how I made it, right?

It’s simple. My need during that time is more significant than my fears.

So I just did what I had to do. 

Shy? I joined several activities and communities where I practiced my social skills. 

No market? I created my own through Facebook and Google marketing. 

No sales experience? I read books, watched sales techniques on YouTube, and enrolled in several workshops to upskill myself.

And if I’ve done it, you can too.

You might surpass me, and I’ll be happy to be part of your success.

Meet Our Team

Our team is composed of engineers (just like me), accountants, hoteliers, salespersons, professors, government employees, etc., who are hard-working and very passionate about helping others.

*****

Disclaimer: I am a proud Sun Life Financial Advisor who can help you in your journey towards financial freedom. However, my posts only reflect my personal views and opinions.

Ton Suan

Ton is an electronics engineer, financial blogger, insurance agent, and a certified investment solicitor. A multi-awarded financial advisor with clients ranging from lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants, business owners, company directors, and OFWs to minimum wage earners had sought advice from him in achieving lifetime financial freedom.