financial advisor

financial representative

financial planner

financial professional

customer service representative

MassMutual

I started at MassMutual Capital District out of college and worked here for about 2 years. This is an insurance sales position that pays on commissions only. If you don't grind and put yourself out there, you won't make any money. As far as life insurance sales gigs go, this MM agency is going to better than the Northwestern Mutuals and NY Lifes of the world culture-wise. The GA is fantastic. He has an open door policy and is very willing to help you. Understanding and supportive in every way. 

As with every start to an insurance sales career (and an aspiring financial advising/planning career), you need to build a solid network, have confidence in your client-facing skills, and get a little lucky. Already knowing high-net-worth people who actually will benefit from large and expensive whole life insurance policies is very helpful almost to the point of being crucial. Making significant income is going to be difficult otherwise. 

You'll also have to fight moral dilemmas as you work and learn more about the industry. While whole life is what will get you paid the most as a new producer, it is mainly suited for high-income individuals and families, and better in smaller doses (if any) for everyone else. MM has excellent, but pricey disability and long-term-care products too that you can be confident in promoting. A savvy prospect will easily find other carriers for these at lower premiums. While you'll have access to other carriers, you will get paid significantly less and will not earn the bonuses MM gives its new reps, which are very generous. A conflict of interest that can't be ignored if you want to succeed. 

The initial sales training under the management team during 2018 was excellent and focused not only on closing transactions, but also developing client relationships and finding referral sources. There are weekly training sessions, and MMs knowledgable wholesalers frequently come in to educate us. You'll do your first couple of cases with an experienced and successful producer, with whom you'll split the commissions. This agency has many great and competent senior producers to choose from, which is a big strength. After 1 or 2 deals, you want to get out on your own as soon as possible and avoid leaving any more money on the table. Focus on hitting your numbers because those benchmarks will be your main point of stress early on--even if you have to write policies on yourself. (Which most people do anyway, even the senior producers). 

The management team under the GA changed in 2019. It was a negative shift in culture and more focused on transactions, prospecting numbers, and micromanagement. The agency adopted a wirehouse and boiler room mentality from then on. The conference room where weekly meetings are held turned more into an interrogation room every Monday and Friday. Many agents were treated with contempt in a group setting and feedback from managers was consistently condescending, with some agents getting openly laughed at. By hitting your numbers you can avoid being on the bad end of this, but even then I was not always comfortable. When you miss your numbers you'll hear about it, and if you hit your numbers, you'll be probed and questioned because it's frequently assumed that you're lying about something. For my situation, had one of the significant policies I produced at that time been a MassMutual product and not a different carrier that was better for the client, I'm sure I would have been treated differently. In short, the fun of working there just got taken away. 

Turnover is extremely high. In my two years at the agency, there must have been over a dozen new reps that did not last more than the first 3 months, sometimes the first week. That's going be the case anywhere. It's notable however that the more successful producers in their first two years, including one that ended up qualifying for an incentive conference in 2020, were all hired and trained initially by the old management team. I cannot imagine that that has changed since I left in January this year. The cubicle floor became empty, and the energy was lost. When I announced in advance to the sales managers that I would be starting a new position in 2020, I might as well have been dead. I never heard from them again. Unfortunate, but not surprising. Again, their boss, the GA, is excellent and was very supportive of me. Hopefully some new hires in that area can right the ship. 

Overall, I was able to scratch myself over the six-figure mark including bonuses in about 2 years of work. I took me about 4 months initially to get my first case closed, but I think anybody is capable of doing better than that. Work here to get valuable sales and client-facing experience, and then move on to a more stable position if possible. I got my 6, 63, and 65 while I was here, and I was able to leverage this experience to work with an independent RIA where I could act as a fiduciary, rid myself of quotas, be more holistic, and be in line with what younger generations are looking for in an advisor. 

I would not continue a financial planning practice under a life insurance company's umbrella, and I would not start out at this agency in the state that I left it. I had some great months here, and I had some months where I earned nothing or very little. C'est la vie in this industry. Finding the right manager and mentor is the most important aspect for a young guy starting out, and I could not see that coming from here in the long-term. Whatever hand you end up getting dealt, you can work hard here and make the most of it. 

I worked on the Corporate side of MassMutual which is totally different from a field or agency position, so please keep that in mind.  Mass's field jobs such as agent, broker, sales manager, agency manager are very loosely controlled by corporate.  Mass's Sales Distribution is run by general agencies and they are like mini companies, so there are good ones, average ones and some that are terrible.  As they interview you, you interview them to make sure you like the culture and the people.  Management styles and the culture will vary by agency and location.  In the corporate office, compensation and benefits were great.  Mass has a formal Performance Evaluation Process that is standardized for all employees but they grade on a Bell Curve which means everyone can not be great even if you think your performance is, you are going into that Bell curve no matter what.  That said, over all their system of evaluation is basically fair because it is conducted universally with all employees alike under the same rules.  Vision and Mission are well spelled out.  Teams work well together and I have met and worked with some outstanding people and leaders!   Mass has some really, great, great people!  This is true especially of Underwriting; very top of the line people with great expertise who are also just good people! My bosses were all female and top of the line.  The relationship between the Field and the Corporate office could get very political and much more so than that of other companies. That is the negative.  My bosses incorporated a lot of leadership development and recognition into the program of which I have used some of the ideas in my career with my own teams. During the 3 years I was there, the company was going through a re-organization.  I performed very well but people were losing their jobs left and right around me.  This made things more stressful as we had to do more with less and there was an uptick in politics too!  Over all, senior leadership was very strong and the company came through it.  My role was on the path to eventually be eliminated and I tried transferring to another role or department but there were none to be had for me or any of my associates.  So, when my numbers were the highest, I left the company regrettably but did not wont to be eventually laid off.  Today, the role does not exist but the function is centralized in the corporate office.   Key to remember, is that all things change.  Have as much fun as you can when you can and learn as much as you can.  You will be much happier doing that and what you learn can be a stepping stone to something greater in the future!  Over all, I think Mass is a great Company with good people, good culture, good products and a good brand!  I greatly value my work experience there and would never trade it!  I highly recommend Mass Mutual as a Great place to work!

I worked at MassMutual for 6 years in customer service and other roles. From the very beginning leadership was cold and disconnected and only looked at numbers and average handle time being the biggest push in that call center. As CSR, you are controlled and told when to go to the restroom and lunch break. It was the longest 2.5 years of my career. I worked hard enough to join another team and things seemed promising when once again the numbers were the driving factor, and besides my efforts to prove that I was an asset, I was denied a raise several times due to there were many changes [called the MM Way and "True Case management"] where new radical ways of doing work was affecting the way we worked. I spoke to HR come to find out I wasn't the only associate who had concerns of the new workflow affecting our production. When we spoke up, management did not listen because they were too concerned their precious Underwriters would leave. We can't have that.

I continued working hard and networked with different leader and other organizations till I found a job I thought was finally a good career change in the Customer Experience Organization. I was made many promises, and given multiple accolades for my good and teamwork. Little did I know that they would focus on a team in Boston....I was in Springfield. I was told multiple times that I was needed in Springfield because it was the main office and I work alongside the Boston team. That was a lie. They brought a certain VP to lead the CX Organization and that's when the job eliminations hit the entire company. I worked with key teams within the company, and after a mere 9 months into the role, they walked me to HR to let me know I had 30 days to leave. So this role was created and I applied because of my experience and I was hired but there was no long term plan for this role. Had I known this, I would've stayed in my previous role.

I was never able to secure a role and my time with this deceiving organization ended. I wish to never see that cold and disconnected leadership ever again.

My overall experience with MassMutual has been great! Networking is easy, people are friendly. They have great programs to join while in the company. Not to mention that they have everything you could ever want in the building such as huge cafeteria that you can get almost anything to eat in. Dry cleaning, store, hair dresser, barber, car insurance, credit union, any postal needs, etc. Not to mention education. Very pro education. Co-workers are great and so were the customers that I was able to help.

The problem is management. Most of my managers have been good but then you run up against some who you question should be in the job in the first place. So you always feel like your walking on eggshells. There are occasions where management could also hold you back when they should be pushing you to get ahead. Oh side note HR is for there for the managers not the employees.

Then you occasionally have to worry about the mass layoffs they do. how they come up with who goes and who stays is ultimately the managers call but if you have that questionable manager, good luck! 

They say there is a strong work life balance and maybe there is in other departments. Not the department I was in with the stress. people on the team literally crying every other day because your chewed out for things that are out of your control. You want to do a great job and you do it for the customers. You do it and have the backs of your colleagues. You do it for the love of the job, because ultimately Mass Mutual is a great place. Our team rarely ever took 15 minute breaks. Often worked through lunch or took short lunches because there was never enough time to do it all.

First let’s start with the good things cause too often I feel it’s easy to complain about the bad things in a workplace. First, it’s work from home which I love. Second they pay very well and have good benefits such as medical, 401k and a pension. There are programs in place for their employees and you can take advantage of them if you’d like. Now for the issues that I ran into while working here. First of all this is a hard job there is so much information it’s impossible to know everything, but the helpline is a great tool if you don’t know what to do. I loved my schedule when I started here but then the shift bid came and I hate my schedule now. It made it to where I could no longer attend my therapy sessions. I reached out to management and HR about trying to work around it. I had to fill out forms and after everything was said and done best they could do was give me an hour lunch for my sessions and then I would have to go back to work. Supposedly they pride themselves on the work life balance for their employees. Turns out that was a lie. Systems freeze all the time and you lose all your notes and tracking. Ever since the company switched from internet explorer to Microsoft Edge NOTHING WORKS!!! And the best IT does is tell you “yeah it freezes, it happens”. No fix it I just lost 7 policies worth of tracking cause it froze! All your hard work gone just like that with nothing to show for it and no solution. Then I got sick and tested positive for Covid, this was my first time having it and I was vaccinated. They still wanted me to work because I could while working from home cause I couldn’t “infect anyone.” This was the last straw for me. I was running a fever for three days and they wanted me to work despite having a doctors note. I’m resigning and will never recommend working for this company to anyone ever. Stay away.

There are multiple product lines and business unites within the company. If you put your time in you do have the opportunity to post to other positions; it helps to know someone and develop your own business knowledge. However, in addition to life, disability, annuity & retirement, there are other product lines as well as non-product based roles to be filled. There's a lot of growth potential if you find your passion and the blessing of a supportive management and skillset.
The work/life balance, supported by the right team manager, is an unforseen benefit. The health insurance plan falls a little short of satisfactory but the other benefits, including benefits for spouse/family are worth the money. The company places a lot of value on education and supports those initiatives with educational reimbursement programs. There are some instances where employees who have advanced lose touch with the product/service/business knowledge they SHOULD have and subsequently are receiving bloated pay for ordering other people to solve their problems. On the flip side, there are individuals in service positions that refuse to evolve with the times yet the company lets them hang on. Layoffs are a mystery; some experienced/necessary employees disappear while inadequate employees get promoted or moved to other positions. Provided you find the right niche and develop your skill you can advance and be successful. The technology budget is subpar and the company simply doesn't put enough effort into keeping up with the technological times.

You must come into this job at least one of two things. A lot of money saved up or access to money which you can burn to stay afloat until you get done with your tests and get some money undermanagement. Or access to a bunch of rich family friends and direct family which will invest money with you and mass mutual and you can use to sell products to.  Other than that you will have not enough money to survive independently for the first year or you will run out of people that you know to sell to. You can try reaching out to random people and cold calling if you can book appointments management does help you very much in closing sales however the only person truly looking out for you is your manager everyone else will be dismissive but might give you a pep talk.  Overall you could be successful but the first couple years it takes to get in on your feet is extremely brutal and the company offers absolutely no help other than advice and training your financing this whole thing aside from basic things which you will have to start paying for after 1 year like a desk and phone. don't think all FA jobs are like this some firms finance your first couple years push you so you can be on your own eventually but this job just pushes you and leaves you out to dry. 


As a recent college graduate, sometimes while applying for jobs can feel like a huge grind. Lots of rejection because you don't have any experience. So when MMutual hits you back and wants to talk to you, you can feel like the bell of the ball. When they show you pay estimates of what you could do in your firs year, you're blown away! Then you get told there's no base salary. Then if you do take the job you end up calling friends and family to set appointments and talk about life insurance. There are better ways to build business development skills in the financial services industry than working here. If you think you'll be doing high level personal financial planning here, you won't. Don't be flattered by getting an interview or offer here. Don't be fooled by the best company to work for ratings on the internet. Most people I knew in my tenure were in and out in less than a year and much worse of financially because of it. My manager personally was excellent, a great coach and we still keep in touch, but it wasn't for me. People will tell you that if you can't hack it, it's because you can't sell which simply isn't true. I'm in a commissioned base role now and over 1/2 my pay last year was in commission. This organization doesn't care if you succeed or not, since they're only hiring you for what you can do for them and your network and potential ability, and only have to pay you if you sell product.

I worked for Mass for a couple of years, initially starting when the company was still Metlife. The admin assistant position is perfect for a young professional just starting their corporate america career...daily processing of new life applications, follow up for said applications, data entry and typical office assistance. They offer holidays off, paid vacation/sick time, awesome benefits if you're FT and are also flexible with school schedules within reason.

As far as downsides go, I will say that you will have to deal with egos/attitudes from advisor's from time to time...and management had a tendency to make the job a bit more stressful than it needed to be. You'll be working with daily deadlines, so if pressure isn't something you work well under, this is not the place for you. Keep in mind this could all be location specific, but that seemed to be the general consensus for most of the Southern California offices. Also, its definitely not a modern/start-up office culture that seems to be the norm now, so if you're looking for the laid-back, creative/collaborative work environment, again this is not the place for you.

All in all, a great position/company to start with if you're looking to get your foot in the door of the corp world, but couldn't see myself there for the long run.

Working at MassMutual offers a strong balance between professional growth and personal development. The company promotes a mission-driven culture focused on helping clients secure their financial futures, which can be deeply rewarding. One of the standout benefits is the comprehensive training and onboarding programs, especially valuable for those entering the financial services industry. MassMutual invests heavily in its advisors and employees, offering resources and ongoing education that help build confidence and competence.

The work environment is professional yet supportive. While it is a performance-driven organization—especially in roles related to sales or advising—those who are self-motivated will find ample opportunity to succeed. Leadership is generally accessible, and many teams have a collaborative culture.

However, certain positions, particularly on the sales/advisory side, can feel like running your own business. Compensation is often commission-based, which might be a challenge for those needing immediate stability. Success here requires resilience, strong networking skills, and a long-term mindset.

Overall, MassMutual is a solid choice for individuals passionate about finance and helping others, who are willing to put in the effort to grow within the company. For the right person, it can be both a lucrative and meaningful career.

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