Life insurer comparison tool

How to use it

1. Narrow the list. Type part of a name in the search box, choose a type of insurer, and optionally set a minimum AM Best rating of A-, A, A+ or A++.
2. Click up to three insurers in the list. Click a chosen insurer again to remove it. A line above the list shows how many match and how many you have chosen.
3. Read the comparison table below the list. Each column is one insurer, and the last row links to its full profile.

The list shows at most 60 matching insurers at a time. If an insurer you want is not visible, search by name or tighten the filters.

How the math works

There is no formula and no score. The tool filters and displays facts stored in each insurer's profile on this site:

• The search matches the insurer's name and its alternate names.
• The type filter uses the profile's category, such as mutual insurers or shareholder-owned insurers.
• The rating filter reads the letter grade in the profile's AM Best field. An insurer with no AM Best rating on file is hidden once you set a minimum.
• The table rows are rank, market share, type, ownership, AM Best, S&P, Moody's and Fitch ratings, J.D. Power, NAIC complaints, how it sells, term lengths, no-exam options, maximum issue age, availability, customer service phone and best-suited-to. A row appears only if at least one chosen insurer has a value, and a missing value shows as a dash.

Hypothetical example: set the minimum rating to A+ and choose the mutual type. The list narrows to mutual insurers whose profiles show A+ or A++. Pick two and compare their financial ratings, distribution and term lengths in one table.

What it assumes

• The insurers are the 100 largest U.S. life insurance groups by 2024 individual life direct premiums written, according to the NAIC's 2024 Life/Fraternal Market Share Report. Rank and market share come from that data.
• Rating, complaint and study entries are dated on each profile, but the table does not show the dates. Open the profile before relying on a figure, and confirm it on the insurer's own site or the rating agency's.
• Facts on a profile come from company websites, rating agency releases and regulators. If a fact could not be verified, the profile leaves it out, so a dash does not mean the insurer lacks the feature.

Where it stops being right

• Size is not quality. Rank by premiums says how much business an insurer writes, not how well it treats policyholders.
• A rating is an opinion of financial strength, not a measure of service or price. See AM Best, S&P, Moody's and Fitch ratings explained.
• Complaint figures and J.D. Power results depend on the year, the study and which companies were ranked. See The NAIC complaint index and how to use it and What J.D. Power's life insurance study measures.
• The table shows no premiums. Prices come from quotes, and the life insurance quote comparison worksheet helps you line those up.
• The tool does not recommend a company. It works best as a short list before you ask for quotes. how to choose a life insurance company covers what else to weigh, and The 100 largest life insurance companies in the U.S. lists all 100.