Best Life Insurance Companies

Final Verdict

When looking for a life insurance company, it’s important to find a provider that has a strong and stable history, offers a full gamut of insurance options, and gives the added support and resources, including articles and calculators, to help you make an educated decision. 

Prudential Financial checks all these boxes and even makes it convenient by allowing you to quote policies online for up to $250,000. Of all the companies we reviewed, Prudential can fulfill the life insurance needs of more people when compared side by side to the competition.

Compare the Best Life Insurance Companies

Guide to Choosing the Best Life Insurance

Selecting a life insurance policy can be a difficult decision, especially if you've never done it. Before you get started, it helps to understand not only the different options you have, but some basic terms and criteria so you pick the right policy for your circumstances.

What Are the Different Types of Life Insurance?

Life insurance comes in many different forms from short-term contracts to lifetime coverage. The best life insurance option for you depends on your financial goals, health status, age, and a variety of other factors. 

Here’s a quick overview of each type of life insurance, and who it is best suited for:

• Term. Term policies offer temporary life insurance coverage for a fixed length of time. Most policies range from five to 30 years in length and typically offer a high death benefit for a lower premium. Term is best for young, healthy individuals looking for low-cost coverage.
• Whole. Whole life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance designed to cover individuals for their lifetime. Policies may accrue cash value that earns interest and can be borrowed against on a tax-free basis.
• Universal. Universal life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance, offering flexible benefit amounts and premiums. Policies may accrue cash value that can be invested for additional growth, and borrowed against on a tax-free basis.
• Indexed. Indexed life insurance is a type of universal life insurance that allows individuals to invest the cash value accrued within the policy in market indices (such as the S&P 500) for tax-deferred growth. The cash value balance can be borrowed against on a tax-free basis.
• Guaranteed issue. Guaranteed-issue life insurance policies are a type of permanent life insurance that offers guaranteed approval for a small amount of coverage, regardless of the applicant’s health status. No medical exam is required for approval of coverage.
• Final expense/burial. Final expense life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance designed to cover end-of-life expenses, such as funeral and burial costs. These policies are typically smaller amounts, and many offer coverage with no medical exam required.
• Annuities. An annuity is an insurance contract designed to provide a steady income stream in retirement. Annuities are typically funded in a single lump sum, or with multiple payments during the accumulation phase. Payouts start at the “annuitization” phase and vary depending on the details of the contract.

Life Insurance Terms You Need to Know

When researching life insurance policies, you’ll want to know a few terms to understand exactly what is included in the policy.

• Face value. The face value of an insurance policy is the amount of money your beneficiaries would receive should you pass away while the policy is in force.
• Death benefit. The death benefit is the same as the face value of the policy, which is the payout upon death to your beneficiaries. Policy death benefits may be reduced if any payouts are taken from the policy due to an accelerated benefit provision or if any withdrawals or loans are taken against the cash value of a policy.
• Cash Value. Some life insurance policies use a portion of the premium to accrue cash value within the policy. This cash value can earn a fixed amount of interest, or be tied to an investment index for more growth. The cash value is tax-deferred savings and can be borrowed against on a tax-free basis.
• Riders. A rider is a life insurance policy enhancement that offers additional benefits or custom coverage options to the insurance policy. This may include coverage for a spouse or children, additional payouts for accidental death, or the ability to access policy funds early. Rider fees are typically billed as a small percentage of the policy premium or as a flat annual fee.

Who Needs Life Insurance? 

Life insurance is designed to protect your assets and pay your obligations should you pass away. A few reasons you may need life insurance include:

• You are married
• You own a house with a mortgage
• You are the sole provider for your family
• You want to cover funeral and burial expenses
• You want to build tax-deferred cash value
• You want to supplement your retirement income
• You own a business
• You have large debts

This is not an exhaustive list of reasons for life insurance, and most everyone benefits from having some type of life insurance coverage.

How Much Life Insurance Should I Get?

The amount of life insurance coverage you should carry depends on a few factors:

• Your age
• Your debt obligations
• Your income
• Years until retirement
• Your family

Many financial professionals recommend coverage of at least 10 times your annual salary as income replacement but you may need more or less, depending on your circumstances. For instance, if you have a large mortgage and are the sole breadwinner for your family, you may opt to get more than 10x coverage on yourself. Or this may be a simple final expense policy that covers end-of-life costs.

Here’s a quick example of how to determine how much life insurance coverage you may need:

John has a wife and three kids. He makes $100,000 per year as the sole breadwinner, and they carry $500,000 in debt ($450,000 mortgage and $50,000 in auto loans). John has decided to get 10x his salary in term life insurance coverage, plus another $500,000 to cover their debt obligations. Term coverage allows him to obtain coverage for a specific amount of time (say, 20 years), for the lowest monthly cost.

How to Choose the Best Life Insurance

The best type of life insurance is the one that fits you and your family. This includes understanding how much coverage you want, and what the money would be used for if you pass away. You will also want to consider whether you want temporary or lifetime coverage. You may want lifetime coverage, but then learn that term policies would save a significant amount of money, as well as cover you for the highest risk years (more debt, more familial obligations).

Finally, figure out what you can afford. Most policies change a monthly or annual premium, with additional costs for riders. If you are looking for a low monthly cost, term policies may be a better fit, but if you want to use your insurance policy to grow your wealth, a whole or universal life policy may fit the bill (though it is more expensive). Compare costs between term and permanent policies to find what fits best in your budget.

For example, a 30-year-old man with a 20-year $500,000 policy will pay an average of $27.69 a month.[1] A 30-year-old man with a $100,000 whole life policy will pay $89 a month, payable to age 99. This is more than double the cost of term life while providing less coverage, but covering you over a longer and more risky time of your life.[2]

To get the best life insurance policy for your situation, and one that fits your budget, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Decide what kind of policy you want: term or permanent.
• Step 2: Figure out how much coverage you need and how long you want to be covered. If you’re buying a term policy, figure out how long of a term you need. If you are looking to purchase a permanent life policy for lifetime coverage, figure out how the cash value component fits in your overall financial plan. You may want to talk to a financial planner about what makes sense for you and your family.
• Step 3: Talk to a life insurance broker and ask them to pull quotes for the type of life insurance you’re interested in. If you're not sure whether to choose term or permanent life insurance, ask the broker to get quotes for both kinds.
• Step 4: Compare quotes from different providers and choose one that meets your requirements and fits your budget.
• Step 5: Schedule a medical exam if necessary. If not, apply for and wait to be approved for the policy.

Remember that it’s OK to get several different quotes to find the best policy. Do your research, ask questions, and/or speak with a financial or insurance professional if necessary. 

Methodology

Our life insurance methodology is comprehensive. In order to compile our list of the best life insurance companies, we researched and evaluated more than two dozen different life insurance companies. We gathered data (both qualitative and quantitative) about each company, including ratings for financial strength (using independent ratings from companies like AM Best), customer satisfaction scores (using J.D. Power ratings, BBB complaints, and independent customer reviews), as well as pricing and customer experience.

Our review process gave preference to companies that offered online quoting tools and transparent pricing. We also looked at the functionality, such as online forms and customer portals, offered by carriers for customers to manage their policies and file claims online. Companies that offered multiple forms of customer service, such as phone, email, and live chat through their websites, also received ratings boosts.

Lastly, we looked at the individual offerings available—types of policies and riders offered, as well as additional products and services, such as investment options—from each of the companies we reviewed and assessed the relative strengths of each. Of the companies we considered, those that offered numerous types of policies (e.g., term, whole, universal), riders (e.g., living benefits, waiver of premium, return of premium), and other services were given higher ratings, as we believe these companies are better positioned to help individual customers find the life insurance coverage they need.