Life Insurance
For the people who count on you. life.
Term, whole, universal — without the sales pressure. Compare rates from 30+ carriers without giving up your phone number.
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What are you insuring?
Where to start
Three paths through life
Calculate how much you need
The '10x your income' rule is a starting point, not an answer. Real sizing comes from listing your obligations and subtracting what your family already has.
Find the cheapest term policy
Term insurance is the math-correct answer for 90%+ of buyers. The cheapest term carrier varies by age and health profile.
Understand the product types
Term, whole, universal, and IUL aren't competing products — they're different products for different situations. Here's when each makes sense.
How we think about life insurance
Buy term when you're young and healthy. Almost always the right answer.
Life insurance is the most aggressively-sold consumer financial product. Whole life, universal life, indexed universal life (IUL), and variable universal life are marketed as "tax-free retirement" and "be your own bank." Most of these pitches don't survive contact with arithmetic.
For 90%+ of consumers, the correct answer is term insurance. A healthy 35-year-old can buy $1M of 20-year term for $30-$50/month. The same coverage in whole life would cost $700-$1,200/month. The premium difference, invested in a 401(k) or Roth IRA, almost always produces better outcomes than the whole life cash value.
Where we focus: finding the cheapest term carriers for your profile, sizing coverage to your actual obligations, explaining when whole and universal make sense (narrow cases), and warning about the products that look like investments but aren't.
Explore life guides
Everything you need to choose well
How much do I need?
Walk through obligations vs. existing assets. Sample household calculation, term length sizing, and the 'breadwinner replacement' math.
Types of coverage
Term, whole, universal, and IUL explained. When each makes sense — and when it doesn't. The honest version, with math.
Underwriting & discounts
Premium is locked at the rate you qualify for at application. Here's how to optimize your rate class — the largest 'discount' in life insurance.
Cheapest carriers
Banner Life, Pacific Life, Protective, Lincoln, SBLI — who consistently competes on price for healthy applicants under 50.
By state
Free-look periods, guaranty association limits, and state-specific market characteristics in 10 major states.
Life FAQs
Term vs. whole, exam vs. no-exam, beneficiary mechanics, what happens if you outlive your term — the questions everyone asks.
Carriers we've reviewed
The 6+ carriers competing for your business
Independent reviews of the major life insurance carriers — ratings, pros, cons, and where they actually win vs. where they don't.
Haven Life
Haven Life is a fast online term life insurance backed by MassMutual with instant decisions for most applicants. Below, QuoteYeti's editoria…
Ladder
Ladder is a flexible online term life that adjusts up or down with your needs without re-underwriting. Below, QuoteYeti's editorial team bre…
Ethos
Ethos is a fully online term life with no medical exam for most applicants and instant approval. Below, QuoteYeti's editorial team breaks do…
Policygenius
Policygenius is an independent online broker that compares quotes from 20+ top life insurers in one place. Below, QuoteYeti's editorial team…
Banner Life
Banner Life is a competitive term and universal life from a strong financial parent (Legal & General America). Below, QuoteYeti's editorial …
Bestow
Bestow is a 100% online term life insurance with no medical exam and decisions in minutes. Below, QuoteYeti's editorial team breaks down whe…
In-depth reading
Life insurance, explained
Long-form guides on the decisions that actually matter — written for buyers, not search engines.
How life insurance underwriting actually works
The medical exam, MIB report, prescription history, MVR, and how carriers assess your application. Understanding the process helps you optimize your application.
02Convertible term life insurance: the option most people don't use
Most term policies allow conversion to permanent coverage without new underwriting. This is the most valuable feature in life insurance that no one talks about.
03Indexed Universal Life (IUL): what the agents don't tell you
IUL is heavily marketed as 'tax-free retirement' and 'be your own bank.' Here's how the product actually works — and the cases where it makes sense vs. doesn't.
04When to buy life insurance: timing is the largest discount
Premium is locked at the rate you qualify for at application. Here's how to think about timing to lock in the cheapest possible rate for life.
05How much life insurance do I need?
Sizing life insurance to your actual obligations.
06Life insurance beneficiaries — primary, contingent, and revocable
How to designate beneficiaries correctly and avoid the most common mistakes.
Life insurance by state
State-specific rules and rates
Life insurance is regulated state by state. Rates, requirements, and available carriers vary dramatically. We've broken down the 10 largest markets.
Common misconceptions
What most people get wrong
Myth Whole life is the safe, conservative choice.
Reality Whole life is expensive insurance plus a slow-growing savings account, sold together at a premium. For middle-class families, term insurance plus a separate retirement account almost always wins on math.
Myth I should buy life insurance through work — it's free.
Reality Employer life insurance is typically 1-2x salary and disappears when you leave the job. Treat it as a supplement, not your primary coverage. Buy your own term policy that follows you between jobs.
Myth IUL is 'tax-free retirement' with no downside.
Reality IUL has cap rates that can change, cost of insurance that accelerates with age, and high fees. The illustrated returns rarely materialize as advertised. For most buyers, term plus a Roth IRA produces dramatically better outcomes.
Myth I should wait to buy life insurance until I have more money.
Reality Every year you wait roughly raises your premium by 8-12%. A healthy 30-year-old pays half what a 40-year-old pays for the same coverage. Buy young. Buy healthy. Lock in the rate.
From The Dispatch
Reading list, curated
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Dealers push gap insurance hard at signing. Lenders bury it in the loan. Your insurer offers it cheap. Here's how to decide if you need it — and where to actually buy it.
Frequently asked
Life insurance, demystified
Term or whole life — which should I buy?
Term for almost everyone. Whole life makes sense for narrow situations like estate planning for high-net-worth households, special-needs trust funding, or specific business succession arrangements. For most consumers, term plus a separate retirement account is better.
How much life insurance do I need?
List your obligations (mortgage, debts, kids' college, income replacement) minus your existing assets (savings, employer life, Social Security survivor benefits). The difference is your need. Typical answer for parents of young children: $1M-$2M of 20-30 year term.
Should I get the medical exam?
Yes, if you're healthy. Fully-underwritten policies cost 10-30% less than accelerated underwriting / no-exam policies. The exam takes 30 minutes and is free. Savings compound over 20+ years.
What's convertibility and why does it matter?
Most term policies let you convert to permanent insurance during the term without new medical underwriting. If your health changes mid-term (cancer diagnosis, heart disease), convertibility lets you lock in permanent coverage at rates based on your original underwriting. Underused but valuable.
Can I get life insurance with pre-existing conditions?
Usually yes, though rates may be higher. Different carriers underwrite the same condition differently. An independent broker can shop your application across multiple carriers to find the friendliest underwriting for your profile.
What happens if I outlive my term policy?
Term insurance ends when the term does. You don't get a payout. You can convert to permanent coverage (if your policy allows) or buy new coverage — but new coverage at older ages is much more expensive.