The Insurancy Blog
Insights that make insurance simple
264 expert guides, company reviews and original studies. Written and reviewed by licensed insurance agents.
Category:All articles264
Company ReviewsProsperity 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsPrudential 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsSagicor 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsSentinel 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsSureBridge 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsTransamerica 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsTruStage 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsUnited 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsVoya 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsWilliam 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Company ReviewsWorld 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceSleep 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceLife 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.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jul 2026
Life InsuranceDecreasing Term Life Insurance: How It Works and Cost
Decreasing term life insurance is a term life policy whose death benefit drops on a fixed schedule over the life of the policy, typically aligned with a declining obligation like a mortgage payoff or business loan. Premiums are usually level, not decreasing, despite the falling death benefit. Decreasing term is much less common in the U.S. retail market than level term because the premium savings are typically small and the buyer is exposed to a coverage shortfall if the underlying obligation is paid down slower than the schedule assumes.
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jun 2026
Life InsuranceTerm vs Whole Life Insurance: Key Differences and Cost
Term life and whole life are the two main categories of life insurance in the United States. Term life provides coverage for a defined period (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 40 years) at the lowest possible cost per dollar of death benefit. Whole life provides lifetime coverage with a fixed premium and accumulates cash value over time but costs 5 to 15 times more per dollar of death benefit. Term life is the right choice for roughly 90 percent of buyers; whole life is the right choice for a smaller set of buyers with permanent insurance needs (estate planning, special-needs dependents, lifetime income replacement).
Brian Greenberg•Updated Jun 2026