CUNA Mutual Group Life Insurance Review

Pros Explained

• Guaranteed issue policies are available: If you’ve struggled to get life insurance because of your health, a guaranteed issue policy can be a useful solution. With TruStage, you can get up to $20,000 in coverage if you’re between 45 and 80, and you cannot be denied based on your medical history. 
• No medical exam required: While other life insurance companies require applicants to undergo a medical exam and have bloodwork done, CUNA Mutual Group does not. No medical exams are required for TruStage life insurance policies. 
• 30-day refund policy: With some other insurers, you may have just 10 days to change your mind and get a refund. With TruStage, you can decide to cancel your policy and get a full refund as long as you cancel within 30 days of your policy’s issue date. 

Cons Explained

• Limited coverage amounts: There are some insurance companies that allow you to purchase $10 million or more of coverage. Unfortunately, CUNA Mutual Group’s coverage maximums are much lower. The highest amount you can get is $300,000 for a term life policy.  
• Premiums increase as you age: TruStage’s premiums for term life policies are based on five-year age bands. As you age into the next band, your rates will increase. 
• No riders available for life insurance: With most insurance companies, you can add riders to your policy to get additional coverage or to purchase insurance for family members. However, CUNA Mutual Group and TruStage do not allow you to add riders to your policy. 

Available Plans

With CUNA Mutual Group’s TruStage program, you can purchase term or whole insurance. None of its plans require a medical exam, and you can apply for coverage entirely online. CUNA Mutual Group offers three life insurance options.

Term

Term life coverage is temporary and is a popular choice because it’s relatively inexpensive. Typically, you can choose a term between 10 and 30 years, but CUNA Mutual Group’s term life option works differently. 

With TruStage’s term life insurance, you are covered until you reach the age of 80. Your premiums start low but increase as you age into higher age brackets. The maximum amount of coverage you can get is $300,000. 

Whole

Unlike term life coverage, whole life insurance lasts for your entire lifetime. When you purchase a whole life policy through TruStage, your rate is locked in and will never increase. You can get up to $100,000 in whole life coverage. 

Guaranteed Acceptance

If you’ve had trouble qualifying for life insurance, TruStage’s guaranteed acceptance policies are a way to get some coverage. It lasts for your lifetime, and you cannot be denied based on your medical history. The maximum amount of coverage available is $20,000, and you must be 45 to 80 years old to be eligible to purchase a policy. 

Available Riders

With most life insurance companies, you can add optional insurance riders to your policy to get additional coverage, access your benefits early, or insure a spouse or child. CUNA Mutual Group doesn’t offer any riders, but members of its partner credit unions can get free accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance. 

With AD&D coverage, your family will get a death benefit if you pass away during a covered accident, such as a car crash. If you also have life insurance, AD&D policies give you an additional death benefit on top of your life insurance plan’s amount. 

Customer Service

Instead of applying for coverage through an insurance agent, CUNA Mutual Group allows you to purchase life insurance entirely online. You can get quotes, select your coverage amount, and submit your application through the TruStage site. 

If you have policy questions or need to contact customer support, you can call 833-374-1541. TruStage’s call center is available Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. CST and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

You can also send an email using the contact form, make payments, update your beneficiaries, and download policy documents through the website. 

Complaint Index

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) collects all customer complaints about insurance companies. Comparing the number of complaints to the companies’ sizes, the NAIC issues complaint ratios to help customers evaluate potential insurers. 

The industry standard complaint ratio is 1.0. An insurance company with a ratio above 1.0 received more complaints than is usually submitted for a company of its size, while a company with a ratio below 1.0 received fewer complaints than expected. 

In 2021, CMFG—the company that issues policies sold through CUNA Mutual Group's TruStage program—had a 0.51 complaint ratio. That ratio is low, indicating that CUNA Mutual Group received fewer complaints than is typical for a company of its size. 

Third-Party Ratings

CUNA Mutual Group has a good reputation in the insurance industry. In 2021, AM Best affirmed the A (Excellent) Financial Strength Rating of CUNA Mutual Group and its subsidiaries. A high rating from AM Best indicates that the company is financially sound and able to meet its policy obligations. 

The CUNA Mutual Group’s TruStage program was not part of the 2021 J.D. Power U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study. As part of the study, researchers evaluated 21 top life insurance companies and gave them rankings based on price, customer service, and life insurance plans.  

Cancellation Policy

Life insurance companies have a free look period of 10 to 30 days. Customers have 10 to 30 days after their policies are issued to review their documents and cancel their coverage for a full refund. The exact length will depend on the company as well as state regulations. After that, there may be surrender charges or cancellation fees. 

CUNA Mutual Group’s TruStage program is at the more generous end of the spectrum. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you decide that you’re unhappy with your coverage within 30 days of its issue date, TruStage will give you a full refund of all premiums paid. 

To cancel your policy, contact TruStage at 833-374-1541. 

Price

CUNA Mutual Group allows you to get quotes for TruStage life insurance policies online. You can use your information to get personalized rates and submit your application through the website. 

CUNA Mutual Group’s pricing is similar to what other companies charge that don’t require medical exams. Its term life policies are more expensive than other companies’ options, but that’s likely because its coverage lasts until you are 80 instead of a specified term. 

Like other insurance companies, CUNA Mutual Group requires you to select “male” or “female” when applying for a life insurance policy. Being nonbinary doesn’t disqualify you from getting life insurance. However, you should be aware that most insurance companies haven’t updated their underwriting processes to reflect a current awareness of gender issues. 

Competition

CUNA Mutual Group’s TruStage program allows you to buy whole or term life coverage online without a medical exam. However, its coverage amounts are very limited, and its term life options may be pricey. 

If you’re looking for higher benefit amounts and more options, consider Ethos. Like CUNA Mutual Group, Ethos sells directly to customers through its website, and you can apply for life insurance entirely online. Ethos’ policies are issued by other life insurance companies, such as Ameritas and Legal & General America. They may offer some of the same policies as TruStage as well. However, with the other offerings from large carries you get more coverage options.

Ethos stands out from CUNA Mutual Group because of its coverage options. You can get up to $2 million in term life coverage, and you can choose a term of 10, 15, 20, or 30 years. Because Ethos’ term life policies have specific terms, its term plans may be less expensive than CUNA Mutual Group’s plans.

Methodology

Our reviews of life insurance companies are based on a quantitative methodology that analyzes each insurer's stability and reliability, customer service, claims experience, diversity of product lines, and cost. We compare the terms of each type of policy offered—including available coverage amounts, optional riders, and premium payment options—with that of other major life insurance companies. Lastly, we look at how the company is rated by third-party organizations to determine its reliability and overall reputation.