By age 65, it is likely that you have already purchased a life insurance policy, and it’s possible that you are looking to extend that policy (if it is term life insurance).
If you are one of the many Americans without life insurance coverage at this age, there’s still a good chance that you need it.
After all, many people still have mortgages, debts, or dependent family members that need to be taken care of, should a death occur within the next few decades.
Seniors Can Get Life Insurance at Age 65 or Older
Fortunately, you have more options for life insurance than you think at age 65 (hint: your choices are not at all limited to the AARP or Colonial Penn and it’s guaranteed acceptance policy!)
We work with over 30 of the best life insurance companies at BestLifeQuote and have years of experience helping people get the policies they need.
When you’re getting married, and you have your first kid, the need for life insurance is obvious. When you’re retired or getting close to it, it’s not as obvious anymore.
Why Do Seniors Need Life Insurance?
At 65, do you still need coverage? How much should you buy?
First of all, yes, you probably need life insurance. Your policy may not be as large, but you still need some protection.
If you don’t know how much life insurance to buy, figuring it out is easy. You just have to add a few numbers together.
How Much Coverage Does a Senior Over 65 Need?
First, how much will a funeral/burial cost? Regardless of any other expenses, these are ones you’re GOING to have. The average funeral can cost $10,000, but most people spend less than that.
After you’ve added up those costs, what about other debts? You may not have a mortgage loan, but you might have other bills sitting around. Your family needs the money to pay off whatever bills you have.
One additional factor you may want to consider in all of this adding is charitable donations. A lot of the applicants we talk to want to leave behind money to one of their favorite organizations.
Life insurance is an excellent tool for anyone wanting to give back to their community after they pass away.
Once you’ve added up these three categories, you should have a pretty good idea of how much life insurance you should buy.
Regardless of how much the total comes out to be, there are options for you.
Policy Rates for 65-Year-Olds
The cost of a term life insurance policy at age 65 may not be as much as you think. Here are a couple of examples:
A 65-year-old woman in good health looking for a 20-year term worth $100,000 is likely to be offered:
- Protective Life: $79/month
- Banner Life: $80/month
- Genworth Financial: $81/month
- Transamerica: $83/month
- Prudential: $92/month
A 65-year-old man applying for a 15-year term worth $250,000 is likely to be offered:
- North American: $145/month
- Protective Life: $149/month
- Banner Life: $149/month
- Genworth: $149/month
- SBLI: $151/month
Converting To Permanent Coverage
If you are 65 or older, you may have already considered permanent life insurance. After all, you don’t know exactly when your time will come, and for all you know, you could live on for a long time!
Permanent life insurance coverage ensures that no matter when you pass, your loved ones will get a payout to help them cope with any expenses left behind or even just to help your dependents maintain their lifestyle.
The great news is that if you choose the right kind of permanent life insurance coverage, you’ll end up paying a lot less than other kinds of policies, like Whole Life (an expensive permanent coverage option).
We, therefore, recommend Guaranteed No-Lapse Universal life insurance. Essentially, what this kind of policy does is guarantee that you will have coverage for the rest of your life. As a bonus, it also costs far less than other permanent life insurance options, and the death benefits remain level.
Guaranteed No-Lapse Rate Examples
To give you a better idea of what kind of rates you can expect with this kind of policy, we’ve come up with a few examples based on real-life scenarios:
- George is a 65-year-old man looking to get $125,000 in coverage. He is in great health, so he qualifies for Preferred Plus rates. He is therefore offered policies with monthly rates between $221 and $260.
- Mary is a 65-year-old woman with some outstanding bills who would like at least $150,000 in coverage to make sure they are taken care of so the burden is not on her family when she dies. She is also in excellent health and does not smoke, so she qualifies for Preferred Plus rates. She is offered policies that range between $217 and $271 a month in payments.
- Jen is 66-years-old and would like just $100,000 in coverage. Her health is very good, though not excellent, so she qualifies for Preferred rates instead of Preferred Plus. For a $100,000 policy, the rates she is offered range between $149 a month and $189 a month.
What About AARP Life Insurance?
As you probably already know, the AARP exists solely to serve senior citizens.
Now, this organization even offers term life insurance coverage to those who qualify. These are no medical exam senior life insurance policies, which may be beneficial to many. While this all may look great at a glance, the truth is that the AARP is a wonderful organization in many aspects, but it falls a bit short as far as term life insurance goes.
Here are just a few of the reasons why:
- Policyholders are limited to only $50,000 or $100,000 in coverage, no more.
- Rates are not level and actually, go up every five years.
- Healthy people will end up paying more than they would elsewhere.
Every year, we talk to a lot of seniors who have bought or are considering buying an insurance plan from AARP. There is one simple reason AARP is so popular for insurance – marketing dollars.
If you’re 65-years-old or you’re getting close to retirement, then you’ve probably received TONS of pieces of mail. You might be getting phone calls and probably some e-mails. You’ve seen the commercials.
AARP spends a lot of money getting their name out there. They’ve done a good job of it.
Find Affordable Life Insurance For Seniors
As a 65-year-old life insurance applicant, you’re going to pay more for life insurance coverage versus what a younger person is going to pay, but there are several ways that you can get more affordable insurance premiums.
Making some changes could drastically increase your chances of getting approved for an affordable life insurance policy.
Are you a senior interested in getting a great term life insurance policy? When you’re ready, feel free to contact us at 800-712-8519 for a quote or use our quote form on this page to get instant life insurance quotes.
Carol says
Can a wife purchase life insurance on her husband? How does that work, and how do you apply for it?
Doug Mitchell says
Hi Carol,
You can purchase life insurance on your husband. He will need to approve of it and be involved in the process. I sent you an email.
Tillie Sim says
Hi!
I am 68 years old and in good health (non-smoker). I am interested in a lifetime plan for my grandchildren.
Please advise.
Zoe says
I just turned 65 and am in great health. I am an exercise physiologist and stay very active. I would like to get a lifetime plan; never had one before but want to leave my grandchildren some $. Living in CA can be costly.
How much would a plan like this average? I am looking around and want a ballpark before I actually get a quote.
Thanks
Doug Mitchell says
Hi Zoe,
A lifetime plan would be the ideal life insurance policy for making sure that you leave a financial legacy to your kids and grandkids. If you are in perfect health and do not smoke, a $100,000 policy will run around $150 – $160 per month. In order to give you an accurate quote, I would need some more information from you. I will send you an email with some initial quotes and then we can adjust them to your needs. Feel free to call me directly at 1-800-712-8519.
Theresa Mundy says
Hi I’m a 65 yr d female looking for life insurance. I’m in good health, non Smoker . I’m thinking of maybe 50,000.00 if possible.
Doug Mitchell says
Theresa,
We have several options. Could you give us a call at 1-800-712-8519?
Thanks – Doug
PATRICIA POELKER says
I barely have enough life insurance to cover my funeral. At 77 years old do I have a choice with any insurance company to purchase additional coverage. It seems 75 is the limit to get insurance.
Doug Mitchell says
Hey Patricia – we can insure you up to age 85. Give us a call at 1-800-712-8519 and we can help you.
melissa says
Hello there, i am looking to get a quote for my father he is 67 years old and has COPD , can i get someone to call me back or email me.
thank you!!
Doug Mitchell says
Hi Melissa,
I didn’t see your phone number. Please call us at 800-712-8519 for a quote.
Mary Lou Clayton says
Hi I’m looking for a life insurance quote for a 79 year old female who does not smoke other than diabetes,non insulin, she’s in great health. She is on a limited income of Social Security and would like to buy a policy for 30000 up to 50 depending upon the monthly payment.
Doug Mitchell says
Yes, we can help. Give us a call at 888-552-6159.
Kat says
Hi, I am 66 and have had term life insurance for 15 yrs, at least. The term is 70 yrs old. I was considering changing to whole life. I am healthy, never smoked and exercise. Would it be a good idea to change after paying for that many years?
Doug Mitchell says
Yes, we can help. Give us a call at 888-552-6159.
Carlos Takano says
Liran,
Right now my wife, 69 years old and I, 70 years old just recently, are paying $650.00 and $1,400.00 per month respectively for a $1,000,000.00 life insurance.
Can we get a cheaper quote? Both of us are non smoker and regularly excise and have check up every 6 month.
Regards,
Carlos Takano
Liran says
Hi Carlos – I’m sending you an email now with more information.
V. Gilbert says
I would highly suggest that you read the fine print of your policy – most policies are automatically dropped to $15,000.00 coverage once the policy holder reaches the age of 72. That is why I do would not get any high coverages as I am over 65.
Doug Mitchell says
Carlos – Thanks for your response. Those policies that drop to $15,000 are usually group life insurance. We only offer policies that do not decrease at age 65.