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Insurance Agent / Financial Planner

Stable

Finance

Advises clients on insurance, investment and retirement planning, licensed under Bank Negara/LIAM/FIMM frameworks. Commission-based with income scaling strongly with a client base built over years.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

FinanceBusiness

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA finance or banking office

  • Mostly indoors
  • Sitting for most of the day
  • Dealing with customers or the public

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

Pay in the private market

Monthly pay from fresh grad to mid-career, from the salary guide cited on this page.

Entry

Private
RM2,000 – RM3,500

Mid-career

Private
RM6,000 – RM12,000

Government pay isn't shown: we haven't yet sourced the SSPA civil-service salary tables, and we won't estimate them.

Job demand outlook

Stable

Steady, reliable demand: a consistent number of openings.

Your readiness

How your current SPM subjects line up with this career.

Add your SPM grades to see how ready you are for this career.

Add my grades

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Quick answers

How do you become an Insurance Agent / Financial Planner in Malaysia?

Routes after SPM that lead here include TVET and Asasi / Foundation.

Can I become an Insurance Agent / Financial Planner straight after SPM?

Yes. This career can be started with a certificate, diploma or TVET training straight after SPM, without a degree.

What should I study to become an Insurance Agent / Financial Planner?

Related fields of study: Finance and Business. SPM subjects that help most: Business, Economics, English and Additional Mathematics.

How much does an Insurance Agent / Financial Planner earn in Malaysia?

Published figures put starting pay at RM2,000 – RM3,500 a month, and RM6,000 – RM12,000 with experience (source: Industry practice: LIAM/FIMM licensing framework, Jan 2025).

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks.
  2. 2Sell various types of insurance policies to businesses and individuals on behalf of insurance companies, including automobile, fire, life, property, medical and dental insurance, or specialized policies, such as marine, farm/crop, and medical malpractice.
  3. 3Explain features, advantages, and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans.
  4. 4Perform administrative tasks, such as maintaining records and handling policy renewals.
  5. 5Seek out new clients and develop clientele by networking to find new customers and generate lists of prospective clients.
  6. 6Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries.
  7. 7Confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy.
  8. 8Interview prospective clients to obtain data about their financial resources and needs, the physical condition of the person or property to be insured, and to discuss any existing coverage.
  9. 9Contact underwriter and submit forms to obtain binder coverage.
  10. 10Select company that offers type of coverage requested by client to underwrite policy.
  11. 11Ensure that policy requirements are fulfilled, including any necessary medical examinations and the completion of appropriate forms.
  12. 12Monitor insurance claims to ensure they are settled equitably for both the client and the insurer.
  13. 13Develop marketing strategies to compete with other individuals or companies who sell insurance.
  14. 14Calculate premiums and establish payment method.
  15. 15Plan and oversee incorporation of insurance program into bookkeeping system of company.
  16. 16Inspect property, examining its general condition, type of construction, age, and other characteristics, to decide if it is a good insurance risk.
  17. 17Attend meetings, seminars, and programs to learn about new products and services, learn new skills, and receive technical assistance in developing new accounts.
  18. 18Install bookkeeping systems and resolve system problems.
  19. 19Explain necessary bookkeeping requirements for customer to implement and provide group insurance program.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Solicitor
  • Bond Writer
  • Debit Agent
  • Sales Agent
  • Burial Agent
  • Pension Agent
  • District Agent
  • Estate Planner
  • Insurance Agent
  • Sales Associate

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BusinessDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service94%
  • Sales and Marketing92%

    BusinessEconomics

  • English Language82%

    English

  • Mathematics72%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Law and Government71%

    History (Sejarah)

  • Transportation69%

Skills to build

Attention to detailIntegrityCommunication

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsEvery day
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

33%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

On Malaysia's official shortage list

TalentCorp and ILMIA's Critical Occupations List, evidence of a real hiring shortage in Malaysia right now.

Matched to a related occupation on the list, not this exact job title.

Financial and Investment Advisers · Shortage indicators met: 7/12

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 24 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

23 of 24 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM1,000 – RM1,453

9 of 24 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM1,000 and RM1,453 a month. Many print none.

Minimum CGPA asked

3.00 to 3.50

Stated in 4 adverts. Others did not state one.

SPM results asked

up to 5 As

1 advert asked for A grades at SPM, so some doors are partly decided before university.

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Insurance Sales Agents

Source: Industry practice: LIAM/FIMM licensing framework · as of Jan 2025

Check the salary figures yourself:LIAMFIMM

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org