Twenty-three years into her journey with Pru Life UK, multi award-winning financial advisor Jo-An Darlene Chua-Yu has grown to become the president and CEO of her own insurance agency — a full-time job that enables her to serve her clients, mentor a new generation of industry professionals and, at the same time, live her dream of being a hands-on mother and wife.
By Kenn Anthony Mendoza
Photography by Rap Yu
Long before she became one of Pru Life UK’s top advisors and agency leaders, Jo-An was a student from the Ateneo de Manila University who was trying to find her place under the sun. And in doing so, she came across a path that, unbeknownst to her back then, would lead her to where she is right now.
“I was 19 years old when I joined Pru Life UK. At that point in my life, I was looking to explore opportunities, not really knowing if I’d succeed in them or not,” recalls Jo-An, who, back then was also aiming for certification as a charted financial analyst. Enterprising even at a young age, she also wanted to hone her skills in sales, while she was completing her internship in a bank.
With this in mind, she entered the life insurance industry, which she deemed as a solid starting point to gain some experience. “The opportunity that Pru Life UK presented at that time wasn’t really clear to me yet, but it was able to provide a source of income, which I, of course, enjoyed,” she admits.
However, the allure of corporate life proved stronger to Jo-An at the time, prodding her to pursue various positions in the telecommunications and BPO industries, while working with Pru Life UK on the side. Despite doing well after more than a decade in the corporate world, Jo-An would soon realize that life had other plans for her.
“I found out that we were pregnant in 2011. At that time, I was working for an IT company. I didn’t want the lifestyle I had as a project management professional at that time. I wanted more time for my family,” says Jo-An, who finished her final project for her former firm in August 2011, and gave birth to her first child just almost a month after.
Like many would-be moms, she wanted to have time to build core memories with her family. “By then, I’ve been part of the insurance industry for about 11 years already. I’m very familiar with its ins-and-outs, products and services,” she says. “I also knew that it could provide me with the flexibility and freedom that I didn’t have before, which will help me spend more time with my family, especially my kids, who will only be young once.”
A rewarding decision
More than a decade after going full-time with Pru Life UK, Jo-An has no regrets. According to her, the decision to pivot provided her with three things: independence and freedom over her time, unlimited earning potential, and the ability to positively impact her clients’ lives.
“Being a financial advisor was a game changer for me. It provided me with income that I can use to save and invest. It gave me freedom to spend on the things that I want without being dependent on my partner. It allowed me to support our families’ goals and aspirations. It nurtured my entrepreneurial spirit and taught me a lot of valuable life skills,” she explains.
Over time, Jo-An also started to understand the importance of her profession — one that went beyond income and independence. “It really makes you feel like you’ve made a difference when you hand over a check to a client, at a time that he or she needs it the most,” she says.
This was most apparent during the time of the pandemic, when she and her team of advisors would assist and process their clients’ claims left and right. “That shows you the nobility of the profession, which makes it even more rewarding emotionally,” Jo-An tells PeopleAsia.
Her passion and hard work has not gone unnoticed. Over the past decades, Jo-An has bagged the President’s Club recognition four times, became a Master Star Club Awardee for her 12-time Star Club qualification, and was also included in Pru Life UK’s “Top 10 Producers of the Year” for five years. Recently, she also became part of the 25- Star Life Club Pro Qualifier, after turning in the right numbers for 75 months without fail.
Jo-An also holds the distinction of being an 11-time Qualifying and Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), with eight Court of the Table (COT) and one Top of the Table (TOT) qualification. “MDRT is an international seal of excellence in the life insurance and financial services sector that proves you have done your job right for the year and you’ve secured enough lives,” she explains.
Her own president & CEO
After years of excellent and consistent output, Jo-An was offered an opportunity to set up her own agency by Pru Life UK in 2017. A year later, Spark Amber Life Insurance Agency opened its doors in Greenhills, San Juan. “The beauty of the life insurance business is that I get to represent Pru Life UK, which is a Fortune 500 company, through my agency, without having to spend millions,” she says.
From having an initial team of around 200 financial advisors, Spark Amber now has around 500. She runs the company alongside her husband, Willison Yu, who is a certified trust and estate planner and a certified estate planning practitioner — thus making the agency a reliable partner when it comes to estate planning. “The only permanent things in this world are death and taxes,” she reminds. “Proper financial planning can help sort out inheritance issues to ensure families don’t quarrel over the distribution of assets.”
Jo-An further underscores that life insurance is also a must for high-net worth individuals, noting they are more prone to certain risks since they have more assets and liabilities to their name. Business owners, after all, must pay debts, even after they pass away. This includes assets that they tried to acquire through paying in installments — which may not have been completed at the time of their demise. “Life insurance covers them to ensure that these assets do not become a liability to their families if something happens to them,” she explains.
The lady CEO also adds that life insurance boils down to risk management, especially when breadwinners get incapacitated through sickness, disabilities, or worse, their untimely demise. “It’s not how big or small the coverage is but whether this is enough at the time you may need it,” she points out. In fact, many of her clients already own some form of life insurance plans, which eventually proved to be lacking, after being reviewed by a professional advisor.
Securing Filipino families
As financial advisors, Jo-An and her colleagues advocate to educate Filipinos on how to leverage the benefits of life insurance. “Insurance is not the greatest of investment per se, but it could turn into the greatest form of investment at a time when you need the money the most. Life insurance acts as a safety net or cushion to give you peace of mind during difficult times,” she says.
The Spark Amber team also works hard to ensure that every client, regardless of budget, is able to secure their family’s future. “One of Pru Life UK’s many initiatives to promote financial inclusion is the Pulse app, where we offer affordable, bite-sized insurance products to families no matter their economic background,” she shares.
Jo-An has her eyes set on further expanding the business and sharing her passion, purpose and profession to more individuals and business owners, especially women.
She describes how the organization has honed its partners by enriching their skills through trainings, seminars and other mentorship programs — effectively turning each insurance agent into a knowledgeable financial advisor.
“Gone are the days when an aunt or uncle insurance agent would sit you down and refuse to leave until you’ve signed up for a plan,” says Jo-An.
She shares that agents are trained to walk into their client calls prepared, not just with their generic sales pitches, but with a clear understanding of what each specific client needs, based on his or her lifestyle, business, risk factors and everything in between. She also encourages members of her growing team to listen and pay attention to their clients’ needs, so that they, too, may come up with sound financial advice.
“I think the industry is shifting from being transactional to being professional. We’re not just selling a piece of paper. As cliché as it may sound, with a drop of ink and a stroke of a pen, we’re able to guarantee a more reliable future for our clients and our loved ones,” she says. “We look forward to welcoming more business partners to share this noble profession with. Nothing is more fulfilling than being able to celebrate life while making a positive generational impact to families and colleagues.”
Pru Life UK is home to over 40,000 digitally empowered insurance agents, making it the largest life insurance company in the Philippines. To know more about Pru Life UK, go to www.prulifeuk.com.ph and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. You may also visit www.sparkamberfinancialgroup.com, e-mail joinus@sparkamberfinancialgroup.com or follow @joandarlenechua or @sparkamberagency on Instagram.
