Best Life Quote

Best Life Insurance Companies

Best Life Insurance Companies

Written By Doug Mitchell

Doug Mitchell, CLU holds a BA degree in Finance from Auburn University as well as having obtained a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from The American College in Bryn Mahr, PA.  Doug has spent close to 30 years in the insurance and financial planning industry and has held licenses to sell securities, long-term care insurance, health.  Doug is also a financial blogger addressing the topics of life insurance, annuities and retirement income planning.

Holly Mitchell  &

Holly Mitchell’s background in life insurance insurance goes back to 1985 when she worked for her father who was a New York Life agent. Holly has a marketing degree from Auburn University and has had a life insurance license since 2008. In addition to advising life insurance for customers all around the country, Holly is our website fact checker.

Rob Pinner   &

Rob Pinner is the founder and CEO of Pinner Financial Services servicing all 50 states. Rob started his insurance career in 2002.

Louis LaBash

Results-driven and innovative life insurance professional with 30 plus years of life insurance industry sales and marketing experience. Recognized as a pioneer in the field, leveraging phone and internet channels to exceed personal sales of over $100 million during the first decade of the 21st century. Creator of a highly effective intuitive IUL life insurance sales software that facilitated the sale of millions of dollars of indexed universal policies by numerous life insurance agents. Proven track record as a Managing General Agent (MGA), Life Agent, IUL Life Insurance Sales Software developer, and leading-edge creator of insurance marketing tools, educational content, and delivery systems.

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As an independent broker, we are constantly growing our stable of insurance policy providers.  Today we work with over 40 life insurance companies. While they are all good – we wouldn’t work with them otherwise.  Here’s a list of our Top 10 Best Life Insurance Companies.

There are about 750 life insurance companies in the US today. How in the world do you know which company is the best for you?

That’s why we’ve created this list.

Top 10 Best Life Insurance Companies

Haven Life Fastest Term Coverage
AIG Best For Breadth of Coverage
Banner Low-Cost Term Policies
Transamerica Best For No Medical Exam
Mutual of Omaha Best For Customizing with Riders
Lincoln Best For Breadth of Services
Prudential Best For Military Families
Protective Best For Price and Variety
Brighthouse by MetLife Best For a variety of policies
VOYA Best For Permanent Policies

All of our Top 10 best life insurance companies consistently deliver the lowest life insurance rates available.  They also maintain the highest ratings as providers.

While we may recommend one provider over another depending on a client’s specific needs, age, health, and budget, we’d still be looking first at the players in this list.

Haven Life

haven lifeHaven Life is completely changing how we buy life insurance and has been listed as our number one pick for the best life insurance companies.

As a company, Haven Life is not very old, but they are a part of MassMutual, which has a long and rich history. MassMutual was started over 160 years ago.

They aren’t new to the insurance game. What makes Haven Life so different?

They have taken the life insurance process and made it all digital. Customers can buy life insurance online. There is no need to go into an insurance office, call an agent, or take a medical exam.

The goal of Haven Life is to make the life insurance buying quicker and easier. The founder of Haven Life had to wait for weeks to get life insurance, but he knew it could be better.

If you want an affordable no-exam life insurance policy that you don’t have to wait a month to be approved for, Haven Life was made for you. However, if you’re looking for a whole plan, skip on to the next company – Haven Life only sells term.

How does it work? You go through their simple application, which you can complete on a phone, they use their InstantTerm process, which gives you approval in minutes.

AIG Direct

aig direct life insuranceThe oldest insurance company in our list is AIG Direct. They’ve provided life insurance policies for some 160 years, paying out $34 billion in claims along the way!

Not only are they A-rated but they also offer an open-door policy for applicants with diabetes and other pre-existing conditions. And, they offer great rates.

Another reason we like AIG Direct is that their weight classes tend to be much more favorable than most other top life insurance companies.

If you’re on the border of a higher weight class with one company, you may save thousands with American General.

That’s why we’re giving AIG Direct a strong #3 on our list of the best life insurance providers nationwide.

Banner Life InsuranceBanner Life Insurance has been around since 1949. They were originally called GELICO, and you may have guessed it:

They were once in-laws with GEICO, that company with the funny little British-accented Gecko mascot.

In 1981, Legal & General bought GELICO which led to the name change to Banner Life Insurance.

With more than $456 billion in active life insurance policies, Banner Life is no small potato, and that may help explain its consistent A+ rating by A.M Best and its competitive rates as a top life insurance company.

Banner sells two kinds of policies:

  • Term Life Insurance
  • Universal Life Insurance

Both of these can give you the flexible protection you need. Banner’s Universal Life Insurance, “First Step” policy gives you some flexibility in your insurance protection.

Transamerica

transamerica life insurance company

Aside from their A+ rating, and generally great rates, we put Transamerica on our list because they are one of the few providers to offer the option of having a term life insurance physical exam or having no physical exam at all.

Of course, choosing the latter will generally increase your rates, and that’s why many people choose to have the exam.

That said, it’s nice to have the option. It opens the door to people who are concerned about their privacy or the likelihood that they will be turned down for coverage.

With a legacy that goes back almost 110 years, Transamerica serves over 14 Million customers and is one of the country’s oldest providers.

Transamerica has every type of life insurance policy out there:

  • Term Life Insurance – with or without an exam
  • Final Expense Insurance
  • Indexed Universal Life Insurance
  • Whole Life Insurance

One of the benefits of shopping with Transamerica is you can compare all of their policies side-by-side on their website.

Mutual of Omaha

mutual of omaha life insuranceMutual of Omaha offers a wide variety of policies, along with a diverse array of riders to help customize your coverage.

You can add long-term care, disability insurance, critical illness insurance, and much more to your policy.

Mutual of Omaha is a great choice for anyone looking to get additional protection with their life insurance plan.

The company’s website simplifies the process of choosing a plan, getting a quote, and applying for coverage.

Applicants with a pre-existing medical condition can probably get a better deal somewhere else, though.

Lincoln Financial Group

lincoln financial life insuranceAs a leader in the financial services industry, Lincoln Financial isn’t known for its life insurance plans.

Still, the company has some of the best life insurance policies on the market.

Lincoln offers all the traditional options for life insurance, and it has some unique options such as its LifeGuarantee UL and the Lincoln Life Reserve.

As a financial services leader, Lincoln specializes in plans that include an investment component.

They sell a no-exam term conversation policy and a level premium guarantee for term plans.

The no-exam term conversion requires you to qualify based on your health and other factors, but if you qualify, it’s an excellent option for coverage.

Prudential

prudential life insuranceYou’ve seen their commercials, but that’s not why they made our list.

Marketing aside, Prudential is a great company that can boast an A+ rating from A.M. Best, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, or should we say the tip of the rock?

Along with competitive rates; Prudential offers something very few companies do: full insurance coverage for our armed service men and women overseas in combat. They also offer non-smoker’s rates to people who chew tobacco.

Why does this matter? Rates for smokers are significantly higher than non-smokers rates.

Protective

Protective life insurance
Protective Life boasts credentials similar to Banner Life’s, but Protective Life has been in the business since 1907.

It has more than $427 billion in life insurance policies in force, an A.M. Best A+ rating, and some of the lowest life insurance rates around.

Protective Life sells a variety of plans including:

  • Basic Term Plans
  • Universal Life
  • Variable Universal
  • Whole Life

Brighthouse Financial by MetLife

metlifeMet Life now known as Brighthouse Financial holds more policies than just about any other company in the United States, and they’ve been in business for over 140 years. The independent rating agencies like them as much as we do!

MetLife offers just about any kind of life insurance policy you can imagine. Anything from a traditional term insurance policy to a variable life insurance plan.

They also have annuities that you can buy if you’re looking for other financial products.

While every applicant is different, MetLife typically has some of the best rates for their life insurance coverage.

Voya America Equities

Voya Life InsuranceVoya America Equities life insurance products are underwritten by ReliaStar Life Insurance Company of New York (Woodbury, NY) and Security Life of Denver Insurance Company (Denver, CO).

They are an agency that distributes life insurance products from the above 2 underwriters.

Voya America Equities, Inc. has been distributing life insurance policies since 2014, and before that, they distributed policies as ING America Equities, Inc. since 1993. They also offer other financial products under “Voya Financial.”

As you may have guessed from its name, Voya specializes in the more complicated permanent life insurance policies that include an investment component. You can buy directly from them but that can only be done by phone.

While Voya Life Insurance doesn’t offer 30-year term life insurance policies, they do provide great rates for customers looking for 10 year term to 20-year terms. As a big brand that takes service seriously, Voya enjoys an A rating from A.M Best.

Best Life Insurance Company Ratings

It’s hard to talk about top insurers without mentioning their ratings. All our providers, for example, have earned high marks from the life insurance rating agencies. After a while, all the As and A-pluses start to sound repetitive.

But we keep pointing them out because ratings should influence the provider you choose because independent rating agencies get an inside look at each insurance company, and their grades can tell us a lot about a company’s strength and stability.

This matters to you as a shopper because all the time you spend looking for the right policy (and all the money you spend on premiums) will help your family only if the insurance company you chose is strong enough to pay the claim when your family needs it.

A company that has earned an A or better is usually financially strong and well-managed. Such a company is more likely to be there when you need it than a company that has earned a B or lower.

But, each of the four independent rating agencies has its own grading scale, so if diligence is your thing — and why shouldn’t it be with something as important as life insurance? — You should get to know a little about the rating agencies and their scales.

Company Rating Scales

For Example:

  • A.M. Best’s top rating is A++. Its lowest rating is F.
  • Fitch uses a scale of AAA down to D.
  • Moody’s rates on a scale of Aaa to C
  • Standard & Poor’s rates companies from AAA down to D.

This seems simple enough until you start comparing companies that have been rated by different agencies.

For example, an A+ is A.M. Best’s second-highest classification while the same A+ is Fitch’s fifth-highest grade.

If this is too much nuance for you, just remember that you can always play it safe by staying away from companies that have Bs or lower.

Other Ratings To Think About

The four rating agencies offer a valuable inside look at an insurance provider’s strength and stability, but you can also learn a lot from people who don’t have that kind of access: a company’s customers.

Customer reviews on sites such as Trustpilot, Facebook, and many others can tell you a lot about how a company treats its customers. Keep in mind that not every customer leaves a review, so you may be getting a skewed perspective. But if you see the same trends appearing in a lot of reviews, you may want to take it seriously.

For a more measured analysis of the way a company does business, you can check with the Better Business Bureau which rates life insurance companies based on customer experiences. The Better Business Bureau grades life insurance companies from A+ down to F, and your city may have a local BBB office if you’d like to learn more.

Types Of Life Insurance

Not all insurance providers sell every type of protection, so before digging into our Top 10 life companies and choosing the company you’d like to partner with, let’s find out what kind of coverage you need.

Best Life Insurance Companies for Term Life Insurance

If life insurance coverage were a car, term life would be your basic model — the one without leather seats, power windows, or a moonroof. Term life gets you coverage without all the bells and whistles.

With term life insurance, you buy a policy that lasts a specific period of time, and during that time you have coverage.  After the term period ends you have to either convert your policy to a permanent one or reapply for a new term policy.

Term life policies are usually more affordable than the more permanent policies and we’ll go into that below. They also let you buy a lot of insurance when you need it — say, when your kids are young and financially dependent — then buy less when your term expires and you no longer need as much coverage.

Best Life Insurance Companies for Whole Life Insurance

Whole life coverage can remain in place throughout your life, and part of the premiums you pay fund an investment-type product that has a cash value. You can use this value to pay future premiums, to borrow against like you would any other asset, or to cash out later in life.

Because they last so long, and because of this added cash value, whole life policies usually cost more than term life policies. If you’re older, the cost is even higher since the insurance company likely has less time to collect your premiums.

Best Life Insurance Companies for Universal Life Insurance

Like whole life, universal life insurance is permanent and accrues cash value. But unlike a whole policy, universal life offers some flexibility in your coverage amount and your premiums during the life of the policy. As your life changes, you can change your life insurance coverage to match your needs.

Best Life Insurance Companies for Burial Insurance/Final Expense Insurance

Burial insurance (sometimes called final expense insurance) can pay for funeral expenses and other final bills that you may leave behind.

It is attractive for people who don’t need a lot of life insurance but would like to prevent their loved ones from having to pay for their funeral and unpaid bills.

These plans are much smaller than the average life insurance policy. Different insurers have different coverage limits, but most cap out around $25,000 in coverage.

Best Life Insurance Companies for No Exam Life Insurance

No exam life insurance is exactly what it sounds like, life insurance without the medical exam.

This is an attractive product if you have medical problems that would make a medically underwritten policy too expensive.

But if you’re young and healthy, you’ll probably pay more for less coverage with a no-exam policy since underwriters won’t know about your good health.

Best Life Insurance Companies for High-Risk Categories

The 10 companies we’ve listed have strength, stability, and a strong reputation — all qualities you’d want in a life insurance partner. But life insurance is personal, so it’s important to consider your specific needs before deciding on a company.

After all, insurance underwriters consider your health, your family’s health history, your occupation, your driving record, and many other factors in order to decide whether they want you as a customer.

If you’re young, in perfect health, and have no pre-existing conditions, then you won’t have to look far for affordable life insurance. Most of us aren’t this ideal applicant, though, so we like to match our clients with companies that are most likely to treat them favorably.

Best Life Insurance Companies for Smokers

People who smoke comprise the biggest category of high-risk applicants: millions of smokers buy life insurance every year. Some companies triple their rates for smokers, so finding a company that doesn’t increase rates as much can save you thousands.

One of the best companies for smokers is Banner Life. They offer more affordable smoking rates than other companies. Yes, you’re still going to pay more, but you should still get the lowest rates possible for someone who smokes.

Best Life Insurance Companies for Diabetics

Underwriters also place people who have type-2 diabetes into a high-risk category. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, the life insurance quotes you get could be all across the board.

One company that tends to offer the lowest premiums for diabetics is American General. We mentioned them above for their lenient weight classes, but they are also a great choice for anyone with diabetes.

Best Life Insurance Companies for Applicants Who Are Overweight

Your body mass index is another key factor in your insurance application. If you’re overweight, you could be placed in a higher-risk category and, as a result, pay higher premiums.

As we stated above, American General has been known to place applicants who are on the borderline between two weight categories into the category that favors the applicant.

If you’re in this situation, be sure American General is on your list of companies to consider.

Life Insurance Basics

With all the bills you already have to pay, it’s understandable that a lot of people would rather avoid buying life insurance. It’s just another monthly bill you have to pay, right?

Yet every year we hear stories of families that have unexpectedly lost a loved one. They are devastated, and on top of that, they have no way to pay all the bills left behind.

The basics of life insurance are that it offers an affordable way to protect your family from financial pain if you die and are no longer there to provide.

How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

When you’ve decided which company works best for you, it’s time to start thinking about your coverage.

There’s no one-size-fits-all life insurance plan, and that’s a good thing. You should customize your coverage to meet your specific needs and your budget.

These issues should help determine the size of your policy:

  • How much debt would I leave behind? Do you have a mortgage or other large debt? If so, you can use your life insurance coverage to help your loved ones cover that expense.
  • How many people rely on your salary? If your spouse and children depend on you financially, your life insurance policy should reflect that so your loved ones can continue paying the bills while adjusting to life without you. If your children are grown, you may not need a policy that’s as large as someone with young children.
  • What about future plans? If you plan to pay for your children’s college by saving money over the next 15 years, for example, but you die unexpectedly before you can save the money, your life insurance coverage could provide those funds.

Here’s a general rule of thumb: Unless it’s to pay strictly for final expenses, most financial experts suggest that your life insurance

Getting the Best Rates for Life Insurance

We all want to save money whenever we can, and life insurance is no different. You can still get quality coverage while keeping your premiums affordable.

Compare Rates from the Best Life Insurance Companies

Start by comparing rates. Each company prices its policies differently.

A company that offers the best deal on a 10-year policy may not offer the best rate on a 30-year policy.

So be sure to get quotes from several companies because the first quote you see will not likely be the lowest quote you can get.

Compare Health Ratings

Also, insurance companies base their rates on your health and other factors, but they don’t all go about it the same way.

So if you receive a sub-standard rating with one company it doesn’t mean you’ll receive that rating with every company on your list.

Yet another reason to get and compare several different quotes.

Lower Your Risk

If you can lower your risk, do so! Smoking, for example, raises your insurance premiums because it’s so bad for your health.

So, if you could kick the habit, you could pay less for insurance while simultaneously improving your health.

But if you haven’t quit yet, we can still help you find quotes for smokers.

Similarly, shedding a few pounds can keep some extra bills in your wallet. Getting regular exercise and getting on a healthy diet will work wonders for your health and your premiums if you’re shopping for a new policy.

So while you’re comparing companies, you can work on lowering your cholesterol, your blood pressure, and your weight by exercising and making better food choices.

Then, when you get your medical exam that’s required to finalize your coverage, underwriters can place you in a better category which leads to better rates.

But we know that doesn’t work for everyone. If you’re obese and want to know if you can qualify for life insurance, let us answer what questions you may have.

Buying Your Policy from the Best Life Insurance Company

Let Best Life Quote help. We aren’t your typical “Jake from State Farm” company. We’re independent insurance advisors.

If you are ready to start comparing quotes, use our life insurance calculator on this page.

It’s our goal to help you find the best life insurance company with the best rates and customer service.

Doug Mitchell, CLU

Doug Mitchell, CLU

Doug Mitchell, CLU holds a BA degree in Finance from Auburn University as well as having obtained a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from The American College in Bryn Mahr, PA. Doug has spent close to 30 years in the life insurance and financial planning industry and has held licenses to sell securities, long-term care insurance, health. Some other notable items about Doug: Top of the Table Million Dollar Round Table member (MDRT). (MDRT is a global, independent association of the world’s leading life insurance advisors) | Premier Partner with Lincoln Financial and Cabinet Member | Served two years as President of the Auburn/Opelika Association of Financial Advisors | Life Millionaire status at Horace Mann Insurance Company and was awarded the Life Agent of the Year Award | New York Life, Executive Council Member | Currently serves as President of Ogletree Financial, a life insurance General Agency. | Doug is also a financial blogger addressing the topics of life insurance, annuities and retirement income planning.

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