Nationwide Life Insurance Review

A Solid Company Overall

Nationwide doesn’t have the century-plus history that some of its competitors boast—but it comes close. The company was founded more than 95 years ago as Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company in Columbus, Ohio, where a law at the time required at least 100 people to pledge to become policyholders before the company was formed.

The first agents with Farm Bureau Mutual were actually able to secure more than 1,000 pledges, and on April 12, 1926, the company officially opened its doors and began first selling auto insurance to Ohio farmers. Fire insurance followed as the second product offered and helped the company expand its reach outward to a dozen states and Washington, D.C.

In 1966, Farm Bureau Mutual changed its name to Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (or as most customers today know it, simply, Nationwide). By 1965, Nationwide had a presence in 32 states from coast to coast. Today, Nationwide is a Fortune 500 company with more than 30,000 employees and an instantly recognizable brand name.

The company remains loyal to its roots in Columbus, where it was instrumental in bringing the city its first professional sports team, the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, by building Nationwide Arena adjacent to its offices at One Nationwide Plaza. The arena sparked tremendous growth in Downtown Columbus, creating what is now the thriving Arena District.

Nationwide is rated A+ by A.M. Best, an indicator of the company’s financial strength and commitment to consumers, and has also become a mutually owned company (meaning its policyholders are shareholders in the company). From the Nationwide website:

"Our core values help us stay true to being More Than a Business: 

• We value people
• We are member-focused
• We act with honesty and integrity
• We trust and respect each other"

Big Ad Spend

We all see and hear countless insurance ads every day, Nationwide being among the most recognizable of them with the “On Your Side®” jingle. Insurance giants are constantly jockeying for brand recognition and market share in advertising. Nationwide is competing with the best of them thanks to the eigth largest ad spend among U.S. insurers.

The problem with a large ad spend like Nationwide’s is that it can trickle down to customers’ wallets. Insurance Business Magazine published an article titled, “Auto insurers blasted for inflating rates with astronomic advertising budgets.” The article did not mention Nationwide specifically, but made some alarming points. J. Robert Hunter of the Consumer Federation of America told the magazine:

“It drives rates up since every penny of the ads is built into the rates. Also, lobbying expenses and other such anti-consumer expenses are in the rates in all states except California. It’s hard to argue that advertisements don’t take up a significant portion of a carrier’s revenue.

According to S&P Global, Progressive increased its advertising spend by 17.5% to reach $1.95 billion in 2020. The same year Geico spent almost $6 of every $100 it collected in premiums on advertising, for a total of $2.16 billion. Allstate also increased its advertising spend in 2020 by 9% to $929.9 million. 

To reiterate, we cannot confirm a correlation between Nationwide’s ad spend and insurance rates. However, just as with any business, it is reasonable to assume that higher costs for the company might trigger higher costs for customers.

Higher Life Insurance Rates Than Other Companies

While we can’t say outright that Nationwide’s ad spend affects customers, we can confirm that Nationwide’s life insurance rates are notably higher than many other top-rated companies.

To support this statement, we ran quotes for different ages between 30 and 65 with varying degrees of health, and found that Nationwide’s rates are typically 30 to 35 percent more expensive than its A+ Rated counterparts.

Since Nationwide does not necessarily specialize in life insurance, the company likely is not concerned about undercutting more life insurance-focused competitors such as Banner and Prudential.

Nationwide Term Life Insurance

Nationwide offers several different term life insurance policies. Term life is the most affordable life insurance available and ensures a death benefit (money paid to your spouse or heirs to cover income loss and assets in the event of your death) at a fixed premium, for a set period of time (your term). Most of Nationwide’s term policies are convertible to permanent life insurance.

For additional information on term life insurance, click here.

Nationwide Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance is permanent, meaning it lasts your entire lifetime. Whole life policies usually come with a “cash value” component that acts as an investment attached to your life insurance policy. Nationwide’s flagship whole life insurance product is called “YourLife®.” Their website lists the benefits of YourLife® to be:

• “Permanent protection
• Predictable, fixed premiums
• The ability to customize policy with riders for an additional charge
• A guaranteed cash value and death benefits
• Access to your money through loans (for an additional charge, certain restrictions apply)
• Income tax-free death proceeds”

Nationwide Universal Life Insurance

Nationwide also offers various types of universal life insurance. Universal life offers lifetime protection with greater flexibility than whole life insurance but can also be very complicated and even risky. Nationwide’s YourLife® line includes several different types of universal life, including:

• Nationwide YourLife® Indexed UL Accumulator
• Nationwide YourLife® Indexed UL Protector
• Nationwide YourLife® Indexed UL
• Nationwide YourLife® SUL II
• Nationwide YourLife® Current Assumption UL
• Nationwide YourLife® No-Lapse Guarantee UL

Nationwide Variable Life Insurance

Variable life insurance is a type of universal life insurance that has the potential to fetch greater returns on your investment but with a higher risk involved. Investopedia explains:

“The premium amount for variable universal life insurance is flexible and may be changed by the consumer as needed, though these changes can result in a change in the coverage amount. The investment feature usually includes sub-accounts, which function very similar to mutual funds and can provide exposure to stocks and bonds. This exposure offers the possibility of an increased rate of return over a normal universal life or permanent insurance policy.”

“However, a variable universal life policy puts greater responsibility on you. You assume the investment risk, and you select and monitor your own underlying investment options, instead of the insurance company doing it for you… 

…Also, make sure you are able to continue premium payments so your policy doesn’t lapse if the market goes down. If you take a loan, withdrawal or partial or whole surrender, your death benefit may be reduced, your policy may lapse or you may face tax consequences…”

For an accurate rate based on your age, gender, and health profile, please feel free to call us directly at 855-247-9555. You can also request a free instant online by cliking the form below. 

Underwriting Strengths

Nationwide does have some clear strong suits in life insurance, namely:

• Lenient build charts (used to assess your health and determine your rate class, which impacts how much you pay for coverage).
• Lenient with applicants who have high cholesterol. (Most companies want to see your cholesterol under 180. Nationwide will accept up to 230 for Preferred Best rates.)
• Lenient with family medical history (with the exception of early cardiac death).

Underwriting Weaknesses

Every insurance company has its strengths and weaknesses. While lenient with build charts, cholesterol, and family history, Nationwide has some clear drawbacks to its life insurance products, including:

• High rates (30-35 percent more than other carriers).
• No Standard Plus rate class (meaning if you’re moderately healthy with a mild health issue such as being overweight or having diabetes, you will still pay the rates of someone who has a much more serious health issue).
• No Preferred Best rates for anyone on blood pressure medication.
• Higher-than-average emphasis on driving record (one ticket in two years can hurt your rate class).

Shop Nationwide and Beyond

Now that you’ve done your homework on Nationwide, it’s time to get a quote. In the same time that a Nationwide agent will give you a handful of Nationwide life insurance quotes, JRC can source dozens of quotes from 63+ top rated insurers including Nationwide. And, our services are completely free of charge to you, with no obligations.

We’re here to help you find affordable, reliable life insurance protection for your family, whether through Nationwide or another carrier. Click the button below to receive an instant quote list, or call us toll-free at 855-247-9555 to speak with one of our agents.