Lisa A Koosis
Medical Claims Specialist
Lisa worked as a medical claims specialist for five years, adjudicating claims, developing appeals training programs and liaising with insurance auditors. As a full-time freelancer, she now completes work that includes writing and fact-checking life and health insurance content for a variety of online publications.
Articles by Lisa A Koosis (60)
Group Life Insurance Through Associations - A Guide
You do not need an employer to get group life insurance: professional, fraternal, and membership associations offer group term and whole life plans to members with simplified underwriting and group pricing. It is a practical route for people without workplace coverage, though group coverage alone is rarely enough for a family's full needs.
Living Will vs Living Trust - What Each Does and Costs
A living will and a living trust solve two different problems. A living will is an advance directive that records your medical treatment wishes if you cannot speak for yourself. A living trust is a legal entity that holds your assets during life and passes them to beneficiaries without probate. Most complete estate plans include both, alongside a last will and durable powers of attorney.
Collateral Assignment of Life Insurance - How It Works
A collateral assignment of life insurance gives a lender a priority claim on your policy's death benefit until a loan is repaid. SBA lenders routinely require it when a business depends on the owner. The lender is repaid first from the death benefit if you die with a balance outstanding, your beneficiaries receive the remainder, and the assignment is released once the loan is satisfied.
Million Dollar Life Insurance - Cost and How to Qualify
A million dollar life insurance policy is standard planning, not a luxury, for households replacing a solid income: coverage of 10 to 15 times annual income puts many families squarely at seven figures. Healthy applicants find level term at this size surprisingly affordable, insurers verify income to justify the amount, and accelerated underwriting now approves qualifying buyers for $1 million or more with no medical exam.
Life Insurance for Estate Planning - Taxes and Trusts
Life insurance is one of the most flexible tools in estate planning: the death benefit passes to named beneficiaries income tax free and outside probate, and it can pay estate taxes and settlement costs, equalize inheritances, and fund trusts. With the federal estate tax exemption at $15 million per person for 2026, most estates owe no federal tax, but state estate taxes and liquidity needs keep coverage central to many plans.
Life Insurance Dividends - How They Work and Your Options
Life insurance dividends are a share of a mutual insurer's favorable results paid to participating whole life policyholders. Dividends are not guaranteed, but carriers like MassMutual, Penn Mutual, Guardian, and Foresters have long track records of paying them. Policyholders choose among five uses: take cash, reduce premiums, leave them to accumulate at interest, repay policy loans, or buy paid-up additions that compound coverage and cash value.
Single Premium Life Insurance - Pay Once, Covered for Life
Single premium life insurance (SPL) is permanent coverage purchased with one lump-sum payment instead of ongoing premiums. The policy is guaranteed paid-up from day one and builds cash value immediately, which makes it a wealth transfer tool for people with idle savings. The tradeoff is tax treatment: nearly every SPL policy is a modified endowment contract (MEC), so lifetime withdrawals and loans are taxed earnings-first with a penalty before age 59 and a half.
Life Insurance Waiting Periods - Graded Benefits Explained
Most fully underwritten life insurance has no waiting period: coverage is effective the day the policy is in force. Waiting periods belong to guaranteed issue and some simplified issue final expense policies, which phase in the death benefit over the first two to three years, typically refunding premiums plus interest if death occurs from natural causes during the graded window. Accidental deaths are usually covered in full from day one.
Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) - How It Works
Private placement life insurance (PPLI) is a variable universal life policy offered privately to accredited investors and qualified purchasers. Inside the policy, premiums flow into insurance-dedicated funds spanning hedge fund and institutional strategies, growing tax deferred with an income tax free death benefit. PPLI demands large commitments, strict diversification, and hands-off investor behavior, which limits it to high net worth planning.
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) - How It Works
An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) is a non-amendable legal structure that owns a life insurance policy so the death benefit stays outside the insured's taxable estate. The grantor funds premiums with annual exclusion gifts, beneficiaries receive Crummey withdrawal notices that qualify those gifts for the $19,000 annual exclusion, and at death the trustee collects and distributes the benefit under the trust terms.
Allstate Life Insurance Review - Sold to Everlake in 2021
Allstate, famous for auto and home coverage, no longer underwrites its own life insurance. It sold Allstate Life Insurance Company and related annuity businesses to Blackstone-managed entities in 2021, and those operations were renamed Everlake Life. Existing Allstate life policies remain in force and are serviced by Everlake, while Allstate agents today refer life shoppers to third-party carriers.
World Financial Group Review - How the WFG Model Works
World Financial Group (WFG) is not an insurance company: it is a Transamerica-owned distribution agency whose associates sell life insurance and financial products, frequently indexed universal life, through a multi-level marketing structure. The policies WFG sells are real, issued by Transamerica and partner carriers, but the recruiting-driven model and IUL-heavy sales mix mean buyers should compare independent quotes and scrutinize illustrations before signing.
Companion Life of New York Review - Mutual of Omaha Arm
Companion Life Insurance Company of New York is the New York-licensed carrier through which Mutual of Omaha serves New York residents. Because New York requires a separately licensed entity, New Yorkers buying Mutual of Omaha's well-regarded term and final expense products receive policies on Companion Life paper, with the same underwriting philosophy and the backing of the Mutual of Omaha organization.
Fabric by Gerber Life Review - Term Life for Parents
Fabric by Gerber Life is a digital life insurance brand aimed squarely at young parents, offering term policies with accelerated no-exam underwriting for qualifying applicants, plus free extras like online wills and family finance tools. Policies are issued within the Gerber Life family, part of Western & Southern Financial Group. Fabric fits busy parents who want solid term coverage and estate basics handled in one sitting.
Genworth Life Insurance Review - No New Policies
Genworth Financial no longer sells life insurance. The company suspended new sales of traditional life insurance products in 2016 and wound down its remaining life and annuity sales in the years that followed, refocusing on long-term care insurance and its Enact mortgage insurance business. Existing Genworth life policies remain in force and continue to be serviced, but shoppers looking for coverage today need to compare active carriers.
Kemper Life Insurance Review - Small Whole Life Policies
Kemper Corporation remains active in life insurance through its Kemper Life business, even after exiting its preferred home and auto lines in 2023. Kemper Life descends from the home service tradition: small whole life policies aimed at working families, historically sold and serviced by local agents. Coverage amounts are modest and per-dollar pricing is high compared with term, so the products fit final expense needs more than income replacement.
Nassau Financial Review - Annuities and Phoenix Legacy
Nassau Financial Group, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, is best understood in two parts: a growing fixed annuity business sold through agents, and the servicing home of legacy life insurance blocks, most notably the former Phoenix Companies policies it acquired. Consumers encounter Nassau either as annuity shoppers or as holders of older Phoenix-era life policies now serviced under the Nassau name.
Sentinel Security Life Review - Final Expense Specialist
Sentinel Security Life Insurance Company, founded in 1948 in Salt Lake City by funeral directors, is a senior-market specialist selling final expense whole life, Medicare supplement plans, and fixed annuities through independent agents. Its New Vantage final expense line uses tiered acceptance so tougher health histories still find offers. Shoppers should verify the carrier's current financial strength rating as part of any purchase decision.
Primerica Life Insurance Review
Primerica is an A+ rated (Superior) life insurer founded in 1977 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia. It sells term life insurance exclusively, no whole life or universal life, through a network of more than 140,000 licensed representatives, built around the Buy Term and Invest the Difference philosophy. Coverage is solid and the company is financially strong, but policies are only available through a Primerica rep and pricing is often higher than broker-sold term.
Prosperity Life Group Review - S.USA and Shenandoah Life
Prosperity Life Group is an insurance holding organization whose carriers include S.USA Life Insurance Company and Shenandoah Life, known for simplified-issue term and final expense whole life sold largely through independent agents. The group substantially increased its scale by acquiring National Western Life in a $1.9 billion merger completed in July 2024. Prosperity products suit shoppers who want simplified underwriting at modest face amounts.
National Western Life Review - Now Part of Prosperity
National Western Life, the Austin, Texas insurer founded in 1956 and long controlled by the Moody family, was acquired by Prosperity Life Group in an all-cash merger valued at about $1.9 billion, completed in July 2024. The company's life insurance and annuity obligations continue under Prosperity's ownership. National Western historically emphasized annuities and universal life, with international life business as a distinctive niche.
MetLife Life Insurance Review - Individual Sales Ended
MetLife, founded in 1868 and one of the most recognizable names in American insurance, no longer sells individual life insurance to consumers. It spun off its U.S. retail business as Brighthouse Financial in 2017; existing retail policies are administered by Brighthouse, while MetLife continues to be a leader in group life insurance offered through employers. Shoppers who come looking for MetLife individual coverage today should compare current top-rated carriers instead.
Americo Life Insurance Review - Mortgage Protection Focus
Americo Financial Life and Annuity, headquartered in Kansas City with corporate roots tracing to 1906, is one of the biggest names in agent-sold mortgage protection term life. Its shelf also includes final expense whole life (the Eagle series) and universal life, all built around simplified, no-exam underwriting and independent agent distribution. Americo fits homeowners approached about mortgage protection and final expense buyers, though comparing against level term always belongs in the process.
SureBridge Insurance Review - Supplemental Health Plans
SureBridge is a supplemental insurance brand, not a life insurance company: its accident, critical illness, hospital, dental, and vision products are underwritten by The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company, part of the UnitedHealthcare family. Supplemental policies pay cash benefits for covered health events, which complements but does not replace life insurance. Shoppers who landed here looking for death benefit protection should compare term life carriers.
United Home Life Review - Express Issue No-Exam Policies
United Home Life Insurance Company, an Indianapolis-based insurer affiliated with United Farm Family Life, specializes in Express Issue simplified products: no-exam term and whole life with tiered acceptance that reaches tougher health histories, including options marketed to applicants declined elsewhere. Face amounts are modest and per-dollar pricing reflects the easy underwriting, making it a niche tool rather than a primary family-coverage carrier.
Bestow Life Insurance Review - No Longer Selling Policies
Bestow, once a leading direct-to-consumer no-exam term startup, no longer sells life insurance to the public. The company pivoted to providing underwriting and policy technology to insurers. Term policies Bestow sold were issued by North American Company for Life and Health (a Sammons company) and remain fully in force. Shoppers who liked Bestow's instant no-exam experience have strong current alternatives, led by Ethos.
Colonial Penn Life Insurance Review
Colonial Penn is an A rated (Excellent) life insurer founded in 1968 in Philadelphia and owned by CNO Financial Group. It is best known for the heavily televised $9.95 per unit guaranteed acceptance whole life program for ages 50 to 85, which asks no health questions but pays a graded benefit in the first two years. The catch every shopper should understand: a unit is not a fixed amount of coverage, and the same $9.95 buys less coverage the older you are.
Liberty Bankers Life Review - Final Expense and Annuities
Liberty Bankers Life Insurance Company, headquartered in Dallas, is a growing insurer focused on simplified-issue final expense whole life and fixed annuities sold through independent agents. Its final expense line uses tiered acceptance so applicants with tougher health histories still find an offer, and its SIMPL-style simplified products emphasize fast, no-exam decisions.
Madison National Life Review - Group and Worksite Carrier
Madison National Life Insurance Company, founded in 1961 in Madison, Wisconsin, has been a subsidiary of Horace Mann Educators Corporation since 2022. It is not a retail consumer carrier: its business centers on group life, disability, and specialty worksite coverage, historically strong in the education sector. Individuals encounter Madison National through employer benefits rather than personal policies.
Sagicor Life Insurance Review - Product Lineup Changes
Sagicor Life Insurance Company, the U.S. arm of the Caribbean-based Sagicor Financial group, remains in business but discontinued the products this review originally covered: its Sage Term with instant Accelewriting no-exam underwriting, its universal life, and its no-exam whole life. Existing policies remain in force. Shoppers drawn to Sagicor's fast no-exam underwriting should compare current alternatives such as Ethos and Corebridge Quick Issue.
Voya Life Insurance Review - Exited Individual Life
Voya Financial, the retirement and benefits company formerly known as ING U.S., no longer sells individual life insurance. It stopped new individual life sales in 2019 and completed the sale of its in-force individual life block to Resolution Life in 2021. Existing Voya and legacy ING/ReliaStar policies remain fully in force and are administered through Resolution Life. Shoppers looking for coverage today should compare current top-rated carriers.
Principal Life Insurance Review - Exited Retail in 2021
Principal Financial Group, the A+ rated Des Moines insurer founded in 1879, no longer sells individual life insurance to retail consumers. After a 2021 strategic review, Principal exited the U.S. retail consumer life market to focus on retirement plans, asset management, and business-market insurance such as key person and buy-sell coverage. Existing retail policies remain in force and serviced. Business owners can still buy Principal life products through the business channel.
Transamerica Life Insurance Review
Transamerica is an A+ rated (Superior) life insurance company founded in 1904 in San Francisco and now part of the Aegon group. It is one of the highest-volume term life carriers in the United States, best known for its Trendsetter term series with living benefits, competitive final expense whole life, and indexed universal life. Transamerica fits budget-focused term shoppers and applicants who want living benefit riders without a premium surcharge.
Fidelity Life Review - RAPIDecision Term, Now Part of iA
Fidelity Life Association, the Chicago-area insurer founded in 1896 and known for its RAPIDecision product family, became part of Canada's iA Financial Group through the 2024 acquisition of its parent, Vericity. RAPIDecision term issues quickly with partial coverage up front, a distinctive hybrid: a portion of the death benefit starts immediately while the remainder can depend on completing underwriting. It fits shoppers who want coverage in force fast.
Great Western Life Insurance Review - Exited the Market
Great Western Insurance Company, a Utah-based final expense specialist, no longer sells new life insurance policies. Existing policies remain in force and continue to be serviced. Final expense shoppers today should compare active specialists such as Mutual of Omaha and Aetna's Accendo brand, which offer similar simplified-issue burial coverage.
TruStage Life Insurance Review
TruStage is the consumer brand of CMFG Life Insurance Company, an A rated (Excellent) insurer founded in 1935 as CUNA Mutual to serve credit union members and rebranded TruStage in 2023. It sells simplified term and whole life directly online with no medical exam on most products, plus guaranteed acceptance whole life. Face amounts are modest and pricing reflects the convenience, making TruStage best for smaller, fast policies rather than large family coverage.
AIG Life Insurance Review - Now Corebridge Financial
AIG no longer sells life insurance under the AIG brand: its life and retirement division became Corebridge Financial, which went public in 2022 and completed its separation from AIG. Policies continue to be issued by American General Life Insurance Company, rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best. Existing AIG life policies remain fully in force, and the product shelf, led by Select-A-Term with its 18 term-length choices and the QoL living benefit riders, continues under the Corebridge name.
SBLI Life Insurance Review
SBLI (The Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts) is a mutual insurer founded in 1907 through the efforts of future Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis to give working families honest, low-cost life insurance. That mission still defines it: SBLI concentrates on competitively priced level term with an accelerated underwriting program that lets many applicants skip the medical exam, plus whole life for permanent needs.
John Hancock Life Insurance Review
John Hancock is an A+ rated (Superior) life insurance company founded in 1862 in Boston and owned by Canada-based Manulife since 2004. Its signature feature is the Vitality wellness program, which discounts premiums and pays rewards for healthy behavior, and its Aspire program is purpose-built for people living with diabetes. John Hancock sells term, universal life, indexed UL, and variable UL.
Lincoln Financial Life Insurance Review
Lincoln Financial Group is an A rated (Excellent) insurer founded in 1905 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with the life business written through The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company. It is best known for TermAccel, a lab-free accelerated underwriting term product, the LifeElements term series, and a deep bench of universal, indexed, and variable universal life products used in estate and business planning.
Prudential Life Insurance Review
Prudential Financial is an A+ rated (Superior) insurer founded in 1875 in Newark, New Jersey, writing individual life through Pruco Life Insurance Company. Prudential is the carrier brokers turn to for complex health histories: it is known for favorable treatment of well-managed chronic conditions, was the first major U.S. carrier to underwrite applicants living with HIV, and famously offers non-smoker rates to occasional cigar smokers who test nicotine-free.
American Amicable Life Insurance Review - No-Exam Term
American Amicable is a Waco, Texas insurer with roots to 1910 that specializes in simplified-issue products sold through independent agents: no-exam term (including its Term Made Simple line), final expense whole life, and mortgage protection coverage. Underwriting relies on health questions plus database checks, making it a practical placement for applicants who want to skip the exam or carry moderate health histories.
Columbian Mutual Life Review - Acquired by JAB in 2025
Columbian Mutual Life Insurance Company, a New York insurer with roots to 1882 known for final expense and simplified-issue coverage, entered rehabilitation under the New York regulator after financial strain, and in November 2025 JAB Insurance agreed to acquire Columbian and its subsidiary, taking the company out of rehabilitation. Existing policies continue under regulatory protection. Final expense shoppers today should compare active specialists.
Costco Life Insurance Review - Protective Member Program
Costco's life insurance offering has been a member benefit program providing term life insurance through Protective Life, with pricing perks for Executive members. The coverage itself is standard Protective term, a strong, competitively priced product, with the Costco wrapper adding member conveniences. Program availability and terms can change, so members should verify current details through Costco Services, and every shopper should still compare two or three carriers before buying.
Family Life Insurance Review - ManhattanLife Group Carrier
Family Life Insurance Company, founded in 1949 and today part of the ManhattanLife group of companies, is a niche carrier known for mortgage protection term and simplified-issue whole life sold through independent agents. Its products emphasize easy underwriting and agent service rather than rock-bottom pricing, making it one of several reasonable placements in the simplified-issue segment.
William Penn Life Insurance Review - Banner's NY Sister
William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York is the New York-licensed carrier of Legal & General America and the sister company of Banner Life. Because New York's insurance regulations require a separately licensed entity, New Yorkers who want Banner's famously sharp term pricing buy the equivalent policies through William Penn. Products mirror the Banner shelf: competitively priced OPTerm level term with conversion options.
Life Insurance for Smokers - Cigarette, Cigar, Vape Rates
Smokers typically pay 2 to 3 times more for life insurance than non-smokers, but the details matter enormously. Cigarettes, vaping, and chewing tobacco are usually priced at smoker rates, while occasional cigar smokers can qualify for non-smoker rates at select carriers if they test nicotine-free. Quitting changes everything: 12 months tobacco-free earns non-smoker rates at many carriers, and the best classes open up after 3 to 5 years. Because tobacco rules vary more between insurers than almost any other factor, carrier selection is the difference between overpaying and a fair price.
Life Insurance After Retirement - Do Retirees Need It?
Most retirees no longer need life insurance once paychecks stop and children are independent, but four exceptions matter: a spouse who depends on your pension or Social Security income, outstanding debt such as a mortgage, estate liquidity and final expenses, and a pension election without a survivor benefit. Premiums rise steeply with age, so the decision is really a needs test: if nobody would suffer financially from your death, the premium usually serves you better elsewhere; if one of the four gaps applies, right-sized coverage still earns its keep.
Life Insurance With Epilepsy - Rates and Approval Guide
You can qualify for life insurance with epilepsy, and you will not be automatically declined. Underwriters price epilepsy on four factors: the type of seizures, how frequent and recent they are, whether the cause is idiopathic or symptomatic of another condition, and how consistently you follow your treatment plan. Applicants who have been seizure-free for two or more years on stable medication can approach Standard rates, while recent or frequent seizures lead to table ratings, and simplified or guaranteed issue policies backstop the harder cases.
Life Insurance for Diabetics - Type 1 and Type 2 Rates
You can get life insurance with diabetes, including type 1 and type 2. Well-controlled type 2 diabetics with a recent A1C under about 7.5 often qualify for Standard rates, type 1 diabetics typically receive Standard to table-rated offers depending on control and complications, and guaranteed issue coverage is available to anyone the traditional market declines. Because diabetic underwriting varies more between carriers than almost any other condition, comparing multiple insurers is the single highest-impact step.
Life Insurance for Cancer Patients and Survivors
Both cancer patients and cancer survivors can get life insurance; the right product depends on where you are in treatment. During active treatment, guaranteed issue policies (no health questions, 2-year graded death benefit) and employer group coverage are the realistic options. After treatment ends, traditional term and permanent policies become available following a waiting period of roughly 1 to 10 years that varies by cancer type, stage, and treatment outcome. Some low-risk cancers, such as basal cell skin cancer, are insurable almost immediately.
Life Insurance for Overweight People - High BMI Rates
Being overweight does not stop you from getting life insurance. Carriers price weight using height-and-weight build charts rather than BMI alone, and most overweight applicants land between Standard rates and a few table ratings, each adding roughly 25 percent to the premium. Outright declines for weight alone are rare and generally limited to the most severe cases. Quitting nicotine, regular doctor visits, documented weight loss, and no-exam alternatives all improve the outcome.
Sleep Apnea Life Insurance - Rates With CPAP Treatment
Sleep apnea does not automatically raise your life insurance rates. Mild apnea treated with documented CPAP compliance can qualify for Standard rates and sometimes better, moderate cases typically land at Standard to mild table ratings, and severe or untreated apnea leads to heavier ratings or a postponement until treatment is established. Completing the recommended sleep study and demonstrating consistent treatment are the two decisive moves an apnea applicant controls.
Life Insurance With Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia
Many people with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia can still qualify for life insurance. Underwriters price these conditions on stability: consistent treatment, medication compliance, hospitalization history, work status, and time since the last acute episode. Long-stable, well-managed cases can reach Standard rates, moderate histories receive table-rated offers, and graded death benefit whole life plus guaranteed issue policies guarantee a path to coverage for histories that traditional underwriting declines.
Life Insurance With Depression or Anxiety - Best Rates
A depression or anxiety diagnosis does not prevent you from getting life insurance. Applicants with mild, well-managed symptoms controlled by therapy or a single stable medication routinely qualify for Standard rates, and lenient carriers will consider better classes. Severity is what moves pricing: hospitalizations, multiple medications, missed work or disability claims, and any history of suicidal ideation push offers into table ratings, while simplified issue and guaranteed issue policies remain available for tougher histories.
Life Insurance for People With HIV - Coverage Options
People living with HIV can qualify for life insurance in the United States. A small but growing number of carriers now offer fully underwritten term and permanent policies to applicants with well-managed HIV, generally meaning consistent antiretroviral therapy, an undetectable viral load, and stable CD4 counts. Everyone else retains two no-health-question paths: guaranteed issue life insurance and employer group coverage. Disclosure is mandatory when asked; misrepresenting HIV status can void a policy during the contestability period.
Guaranteed Acceptance Life Insurance
Guaranteed acceptance (also called guaranteed issue or GIWL) life insurance approves everyone with no medical exam and no health questions. Coverage is limited to $2,000 to $25,000 per policy, and most policies have a 2-year modified-benefit waiting period during which natural-cause deaths return premiums plus interest rather than the full face amount.
Accidental Death Insurance
Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance is a supplemental policy that pays a tax-free lump sum if the insured dies in a covered accident or suffers a specified dismemberment. Premiums are low because the insured event is statistically rare, and underwriting is fast because there is no medical exam.
No Medical Exam Life Insurance
No medical exam life insurance is a policy that skips the paramedical exam (blood, urine, vitals) and uses accelerated underwriting instead. Coverage ranges from $25,000 to $3,000,000, with approvals returned instantly to within five business days.
Join a Group That Offers Life Insurance
While group life insurance policies have been declining for the last decade, it offers various benefits you can’t find in individual life insurance policies.