Ladder Life Insurance Review – Rates and Coverage

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Ladder offers no-frills life insurance policies attractive to budget-conscious shoppers. The company highlights its laddering approach. You’ll be able to adjust the face value of your policy whenever you like. This Ladder life insurance review found some shoppers also appreciate the simplicity of Ladder’s application process, with its entirely digital no-medical exam option and instant approval.

Ladder life insurance doesn’t underwrite its policies. Instead, it partners with some of the best life insurance companies, Allianz and Fidelity, to issue cheap term life insurance policies. Ladder’s service is available nationwide, including in the District of Columbia.

Life Insurance Plans from Ladder

Ladder only offers term life insurance, which doesn’t provide lifelong coverage to build cash value or policy conversion. You would have to start over with a different company to get a permanent life insurance policy. So what do you need to know about Ladder policies?

Term Life Insurance

Ladder’s term life insurance offers coverage from 10 to 30 years in increments of five. You can purchase a policy with a face value of $100,000 to $3 million with no medical exam required. Remember, even no medical exam policies may still factor in medical questionnaires and records.

However, you’ll have to complete a medical exam if you need more coverage (up to $8 million). Buyers willing to undergo a medical exam may also enjoy lower monthly premiums. Applicants ages 20 to 60 may qualify for coverage, but the available terms decrease as you age. For instance, if you’re 55 or older, you can only purchase a 10-year policy.

Ladder is known for its policy flexibility and customization. For example, you can adjust your death benefit anytime, and your insurance premiums will change accordingly.

For example, say you get a raise at work, and your spouse can stay home to care for your kids. You instantly become the only breadwinner, and your life insurance needs go up. Should something happen to you during your prime working years, it could financially devastate your family.

Exact requirements may change, but Ladder can help you adjust your coverage accordingly with higher premiums. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer any riders or supplemental coverage. If you’re looking for a long-term financial planning tool, you’ll want to buy a permanent life insurance policy early while you’re still young and healthy.

Additional Coverage Options from Ladder

At this time, Ladder’s website specifies it does not offer life insurance riders. Its site says, “We do not offer riders because we believe that riders complicate life insurance and do not provide a signfiicant benefit for their added cost.”

Ladder lists some of the most common riders, including term conversion, return of premium, etc. The most recent study found a mere 1% of term policies pay a death benefit as buyers outlive the term more often than not.

As Ladder only offers term policies, there is no option to ensure a death benefit payout with a conversion. However, the return of premium rider would provide a refund of the premiums you paid. The longer you pay, the greater this refund will be. Ladder does not offer these options.

How Much Does Life Insurance from Ladder Cost?

We pulled numbers from Ladder‘s quoting tool based on a 20-year term policy with a $500,000 face value. As illustrated in the table below, Ladder’s rates for shoppers under the age of 45 are lower than the industry average. For a more comprehensive breakdown of average premiums, check out our guide on the average cost of life insurance.

Source: Policygenius (industry average rates)

Source: Ladder (for quotes)

How Do I File A Claim with Ladder?

You can file a claim with Ladder by emailing [email protected] The team will then ask you to complete several forms and provide the required documents. For additional assistance, you can contact Ladder’s support team via phone and email during its hours of operation from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time. You can also access its online chat through the help center.

• Phone: 844-533-7206‬
• Email: [email protected]
• Mailing address: Ladder Financial Inc., 100 Forest Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Who Are The Ideal Customers for Ladder?

If you’re a young, healthy shopper under 40, Ladder has some of the most affordable life insurance rates. However, the cheap upfront cost comes with a price. Consider looking elsewhere if you’re older than 40 or want permanent coverage or protective insurance riders. Applicants over 40 can’t purchase 30 years of coverage (most insurers offer 30-year terms to ages up to 55 years old).

Ladder provides a bare-bones policy structure. So you get what you pay for, and chasing the lowest price could cost you in the long run.

Compare Ladder vs. Haven Life

Verdict: With Ladder, you get more coverage options and exponentially cheaper rates than Haven Life insurance. However, you can’t “power up” your policy with riders. In addition, buyers have no conversion options, and the policy will expire if the policyholder outlives the policy.

Neither Haven Life nor Ladder offer whole life insurance, but Haven has two term policies. More importantly, buyers can take advantage of the “unimportant” riders Ladder excludes, such as an accelerated death benefit if the policyholder is diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Both companies offer fixed premiums. So you never have to worry about the pricing going up while the term is active.

Compare Ladder vs. Bestow

Verdict: Bestow and Ladder only sell term life insurance. Ladder has excellent pricing compared to Bestow. But again, it has stripped the policies of all riders, which might increase the likelihood of claiming benefits later on. A mere 1% of term life buyers ever claim the benefits of term policies under normal circumstances. So the impact of its lack of riders is high.

Bestow offers instant approval with terms similar to Ladder. However, its pricing is higher, and its site suggests medical records and other factors can result in denial even for modestly sized policies. Overall, Bestow offers similar policies to Ladder without a one to two-year waiting period for full coverage, as you’d expect with Ladder.

Compare Ladder vs. Ethos

Verdict: While Ladder is cheaper, those looking for an all-inclusive life insurance company may prefer Ethos. Ethos offers a broader array of coverage options, up to $10 million. You can also apply for coverage from 18 to 75 years old, unlike Ladder, where coverage qualification ends at 60.

Most importantly, Ethos offers the ability to convert to a whole life insurance policy without a medical exam. Coverage will drop while premiums rise at this point. However, it guarantees coverage as long as you keep up with payments. Policyholders can also add critical illness, child term, premium waivers, and an endowment benefit rider to Ethos policies.

Methodology

Our insurance rating methodology helps us compare companies objectively to help consumers make informed decisions. We look at factors including:

• Cost of a policy: Underwriting will determine your premiums based on your perceived risk level. However, we do our due diligence to find affordable rates and the best value. To do so, we compare a company’s cost with the average industry rate ($40 to $56 per month) and with its competitors. We also assess the impact of demographic factors (age, health classification, etc.) on premiums.

• Company offerings: We look at the variety of products a company offers, including the availability of short-term and long-term policies and supplemental riders. Shoppers with more complex financial needs may value access to universal life policies or the option to convert to a permanent plan. Those who only need basic coverage may like the simplicity of companies offering only term life insurance.

• Policy customization: We look at a company’s term length options and range of coverage amounts. Shoppers with unique circumstances may need more coverage or longer term lengths (several companies offer up to 40 years of term life coverage). The availability of riders also enhances a policy by providing extra protection.

• Financial strength: Financial stability indicates how consistently a company can deliver on its financial commitments during unstable economic conditions like a recession. We used AM Best, an industry-renowned credit rating agency, to determine an insurance firm’s financial health. Companies receive grades from A++ (Superior) to F (not financially stable). If a company earns under a B, its financial strength is questionable. The company may not be around to pay your death benefit claim.

• Customer service: Using JD Power’s life insurance customer satisfaction survey, we called out companies known for top-tier customer support. JD Power surveyed over 5,000 participants who ranked providers based on service from the purchasing to the claims process. JD Power distributed points out of 1,000 to each firm. Providers scoring over 774 points demonstrated superior customer service.

• Exclusions: Insurance providers may exclude applicants to minimize risk. Some companies will increase rates or disqualify life insurance buyers with preexisting conditions, smokers, or older applicants. Our review highlights where applicants may encounter disqualification or higher premiums based on the provider’s exclusions.

FAQs

Alani Asis

Personal Finance Reviews Fellow