4 Tips to Find the Best Life Insurance Companies

Tip #1 - Savings are Found in a Company's "Underwriting Guidelines"

Every life insurance carrier has its own criteria for determining the cost of an applicant’s insurance and rate class. This criteria is also referred to as underwriting guidelines. Some life insurance company’s guidelines are more lenient with specific health issues than others.

The insurance company will use these guidelines to determine which rate class you can qualify for and most life insurance companies have 16 rates classes.

When approving your application, the insurance company will evaluate your overall health and lifestyle. The health factors that life insurance companies will typically review include:

• Average Blood pressure
• Current cholesterol levels
• Family history of cancer and heart disease
• Medical history
• History of surgeries
• Weight in proportion to height
• Tobacco use within five years
• Prescribed medications

Because of this discrepancy, it is important that your agent MUST be an expert in underwriting guidelines carrier pricing so they can find you the best price for your specific situation.

Tip #2 - Shop the Market to Save Money and Time

If you have serious health issues, applying with the right life insurance company will save you money and decrease the chances of getting declined for coverage. This is because some life insurance companies are much better with certain health conditions than others.

Even if you are in excellent health, some companies may judge your family history or lifestyle, and every insurance company has different rates. This is why its so important to work with an independent agent that represents dozens of top-rated life insurance companies.

Behind health conditions, high risk occupations are the next big concern life insurance have when it comes to approving a life insurance application.

In fact, many life insurance companies have additional restrictions for insuring people with occupations that are considered to be dangerous. For this reason, when shopping for affordable life insurance, you’ll want to determine if your job is considered risky or hazardous.

The first step in sorting out life insurance and high risk occupations is simple: Determine whether your job fits the definition of high risk. This doesn’t affect the majority of our clients, but some positions that fall into the hazardous occupation category include SWAT team members, commercial fishermen, offshore oil platform workers, loggers, and high-rise construction builders.

However, there are some occupations that might seem like they are hazardous, but they don’t fit the bill. For instance, if you’re a law enforcement officer, you’re in the clear unless you receive hazard pay. Example of specific occupations within law enforcement that receive hazardous pay include officers with explosive duties or helicopter duties.

Traveling is another thing that is taken into consideration when determining if your job is high risk. Sadly, in today’s world, terrorism and kidnappings are major threats to international workers.

This factor alone will prompt some insurance companies to deny coverage to workers who travel in zones listed on the State Department’s travel warning list. In addition, a handful of countries prevent their citizens from purchasing life insurance outside of their county.

The countries include; Argentina, Belgium, France, Greece, Japan, Panama, Poland, Switzerland, and Uruguay. Some life insurance companies are more lenient with certain occupations than others. Because guidelines vary from carrier to carrier, choosing the right company is valuable especially if you have a high risk occupation.

If you are shopping for life insurance and have a risky job, we've created this article just for you, click here for insider's tips to saving money on life insurance with a hazardous occupation.

Tip #3 - Snoopy Isn't Always the Best

Most consumers mistakenly believe that the insurance company they see advertised on TV is their best choice. While MetLife may seem like a great option because they are known to be an excellent company, (and one we happily represent), they’re not always the perfect company for every individual.

Additionally, life insurance companies that spend the most money on advertising don’t always have the best options. It's no secret that advertising is extremely expensive. The cost of billboards, Super Bowl commercials, magazine ads, and radio commercials adds up.

In fact, the more ads a company runs, the more you as a client will spend on coverage. The cost of advertising trickles down to the consumer and this can result in rates that are up to 40 percent higher than that of another top-rated life insurance company that doesn’t advertise as much.

Consumers often worry about putting their faith in a so-called “fly-by-night” insurance company and believe that big ads reflect security and stability. The truth is that the biggest life insurance companies usually run the fewest ads. At JRC, we proudly connect clients with the best insurance companies based on how well they fit your exact needs, not on how often their commercials air.

We pride ourselves on partnering with the nation’s oldest and best-established insurance companies like Protective Life, Prudential, John Hancock, Nationwide, Transamerica, and other names you’ve grown to trust. We’re proud to say that the majority of the “A+ rated” companies we represent have been in business for more than 100 years.

Some of the clients we speak with wonder whether or not purchasing their life insurance from a lesser known company is a safe choice. In reality, the largest life insurance companies hardly advertise at all. For example, Prudential is the 4th largest life insurance company in America and they are A+ Superior rated.

Last year Prudential less than one-tenth of the money State Farm did in advertising yet they still control 37% more of the life insurance marketshare. In fact, State Farm spent a whooping $1.12 billion dollars on their advertising in 2020 alone! The cost of advertising is undoubtedly paid for by their customers, and this is why their rates are so much higher.

The life insurance industry operates under the oversight of each state’s insurance commissioner. A basic requirement is that any life insurance company must be able to prove it has enough liquid cash to pay all existing claims. If a company ever fails to pay a valid claim, they are forced to stop selling policies. In addition, companies are downgraded if they aren’t able to prove their financial stability and strength.

If a company has been downgraded too many times, the insurance commissioner will revoke the company’s license. If this happens, their insured clients are then passed on to another stable insurance company. This process is overseen by the insurance commissioner to ensure your family will have the money you intended to leave behind when they need it the most.

Real Life Example of A Client We’ve Helped

A client approached me last year needing 15 years of coverage to protect the last 15 years of his mortgage. It’s a simple enough request, but it became complicated by the fact that he was 71 years old. His local State Farm agent couldn’t help him since State Farm doesn’t offer more than ten years of coverage to clients older than 70.

By shopping more than 50 companies, I quickly located a handful of carriers willing to offer him affordable coverage up to the age of 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, or beyond. I was able to secure the client an offer for $300,000 of coverage with a policy that was guaranteed not to increase in cost over the length of his coverage.

Remember, State Farm could only offer my client ten years of coverage, but because I had the ability to shop multiple carriers, I was able to offer him 15 years of coverage at a rate lower. With insiders knowledge of each insurer and multiple companies to choose from, a skilled agent can usually find affordable insurance coverage for just about any situation.

Tip #4 - Use an Independent Agent to Find the Best Life Insurance Company

If you have a specific medical condition or work in a high risk job, an experienced, knowledgeable agent can not only take you to the right company, but they can literally save you thousands of dollars over the life of your policy.

The Case for JRC Insurance Group

At JRC, you’ll receive friendly, professional advice from agents who used to work in big call centers. With over 50 years of combined experience, we know that clients want help from agents who take their time with you.

See our Infographic - "Why Work with JRC?"

To further ensure our clients only receive the cream of the crop, JRC Insurance Group chooses to solely work with insurance companies that are “A” or better rated by AM Best. Our philosophy involves focusing on the individual.

We forego one-size-fits-all tactics to connect clients with insurance that fits their lifestyle. We also work with over 50 top-rated life insurance companies allowing us the flexibility to match you up with the best life insurance options available.

The nation’s biggest call centers only represent six to eight life insurance companies which prevents them from truly shopping the market to find your best rates. We also pride ourselves on providing unbiased options.

Some of the life insurance companies actually provide multi-million-dollar incentives to the larger call centers, and in-turn, this can cause these call centers to recommend their services, even if they are not the best option available to the client. JRC suggests only the companies that best fit your individual needs.

In fact, many of our clients are actually licensed life insurance agents who work for companies like Allstate, Farmers, or State Farm. Fellow life insurance agents come to us because not only are our policies competitive in pricing because we shop products from more than 50 of the top-rated companies, but they also value the JRC customer experience.

Our agents are knowledgeable and friendly, we will not read to from a script, or offer you products that you don’t want or need. Our agents are intimate and they truly care - you’ll never deal with a cold call center or giant insurance mill that values stock prices over customer service.

We like to consider ourselves part of your extended family. We’re employee-owned with a vested interest in helping you. Whether it’s for high-risk insurance or simply a policy to cover your golden years, the choice is simple - JRC for your family and your future.

Call us today at 855-247-9555 to learn why our clients tell their friends and family to try JRC. Our service is free and we will find the best life insurance company based on your needs, health, and lifestyle. You can also request a free quote here and shop dozens of companies in just a few seconds.