Sean Chao — broker, veteran, neighbor.

I started in insurance in 2018, opening my own Allstate brokerage in Washington, D.C. The work taught me something simple and uncomfortable: a captive agent can only quote what the home office allows. Sometimes that is the right answer. Often, it is not.

In 2020, after returning from a U.S. military deployment to the Middle East, I closed the captive office and went independent. Today, Chao Insurance is a small, deliberately personal brokerage serving families and small businesses across Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.

I hold lines of authority in property, casualty, life, and health. At this time, I am actively writing new policies in life insurance only — including indexed universal life — where the difference between a well-designed policy and a poorly designed one can be measured in decades. For property, casualty, and health, I provide expert advice and refer to brokers I trust.