Mutual vs. Stock Companies

When choosing a DI carrier, it is important to consider the differences of a publicly traded stock company and that of a mutual company.  It comes down to who is considered first.  The primary purpose of a publicly traded stock company is to make a quarterly profit for the investors.  The policyholders are merely customers.  With a mutual company the policy owners ARE the owners of the company.  A mutual company's primary purpose is to uphold the promises to the policy owners who own the company, not make a profit for the company's many private investors.   A mutual company can more easily manage long term promises since short term thinking of investors is not a concern for management.