Best Whole Life Insurance Companies

Northwestern Mutual was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1857. As a top-rated financial services and insurance company, Northwestern Mutual has two different whole life insurance plans to choose from. It also offers a combined term and whole life plan, called the Whole Life Plus, which is the only one of its kind, and it has a long history of paying dividends on its whole life policies. 

Northwestern Mutual has two main whole life policy options: the 65 Life and 90 Life. With the 65 Life, you pay premiums until age 65, and with the 90 Life, you pay premiums until age 90. After you are done paying premiums your coverage remains. It also offers a combined term and whole life product, called Whole Life Plus, as well as a Survivorship Whole Life plan. 

Whole Life Plus option:

• Allows you to customize part of your insurance to be temporary and the rest permanent
• Can add on riders, such as accelerated care benefit and waiver of premium for disability
• Start with what you can afford and gradually shift more coverage to whole, if desired

Survivorship Whole Life option:

• Covers two people and only pays out to beneficiaries when both insureds have died
• Typically used to transfer wealth to heirs
• Cash value benefits, including the ability to borrow against

Policies can be issued to those ages 18 to 80, with a selection of riders to add on and customize each policy. Riders include:

• Waiver of Premium: ability to waive premiums if you become disabled or ill
• Additional Purchase Benefit: ability to purchase additional coverage
• Accelerated Care Benefit: helps cover potential long-term care costs in future

Although you can’t get a quote or purchase a policy directly online, working with a representative may ensure you get the right type and amount of coverage needed. 

Northwestern Mutual is rated A++ (Superior) by AM Best. AM Best was founded in 1899 and gives an independent and objective opinion on a company’s creditworthiness and financial strength.

Transamerica was taken over by Bank of America in 1930 and split from that company in 1956. In 1999, Transamerica became part of Aegon N.V., but still does business in the U.S. under the Transamerica brand. The company offers three final expense policies, including a Final Expense Solution Portfolio life insurance policy with a benefit amount of $1,000 to $50,000 for those ages 0 to 85.

The Final Expense Solution Portfolio has three different options:

• Immediate solution: for ages 0 to 85, paid up at age 121
• 10-pay solution: for ages 0 to 85, paid up in 10 years
• Easy solution: for ages 18 to 80 (50 to 75 in New York)

There are two riders available for the Final Expense Solution Portfolio Insurance policy:

• Accidental Death Benefit Rider: gives extra payout if your death is ruled an accident
• Child/Grandchild Rider: can provide coverage to eligible children/grandchildren

Although finding a company that offers no exam whole life insurance policies can be difficult, many offer final expense policies without an exam. The payout from final expense policies can cover outstanding medical bills, debts, and funeral arrangements. 

Transamerica has the highest coverage amounts, as well as online quotes and applications, making it a strong choice for no-exam final expense policies. 

Although it does not pay dividends on its whole life policies, Transamerica is licensed in all 50 states.

Transamerica is rated A (Excellent) by AM Best.

New York Life was founded in 1845 and has been paying dividends every year since 1854. To apply for coverage you can easily fill out a form on its website to get connected with a financial professional. 

It offers two main types of whole life insurance available to age 90:

• Whole Life Insurance: guaranteed life insurance coverage and cash value
• Custom Whole Life Insurance: same as above, but pay premiums for as little as five years 

Riders for the whole life policies include:

• Disability Waiver of Premium: premiums are waived in the event of a disability
• Option to Purchase Paid-up Additions: can purchase more coverage without an exam
• Chronic Care: protects against financial hardship if you become chronically ill
• Living Benefits: can use a portion of benefits to pay for treatment or care if terminally ill
• Accidental Death Benefit: gives extra payout if your death is ruled an accident

The Chronic Care Rider, which protects against financial hardship if you become chronically ill, and the Living Benefits Rider, which allows you to access a portion of the death benefit to pay for care if you're terminally ill, are especially beneficial for seniors. 

New York Life is licensed in every state and has an A++ (Superior) rating from AM Best.

USAA has been around since 1922, supporting active-duty and veteran military members and their families. It offers two whole-life insurance policies: Simplified Whole Life and Guaranteed Whole Life. 

USAA is the only company on our list for which we could obtain a quote for a whole life insurance product. Although you can’t get a quote for both of its whole life policies, you can obtain a quote for its Simplified Whole Life.

To receive a quote online for Simplified Whole Life, enter in your basic personal information, as well as information about your military involvement and a few family history and health questions. From there, the results page will give you the option to choose your payment duration and how much coverage you want. These factors will change the monthly premium amount quoted. 

Simplified Whole Life:

• Covers age 15 days to 85 years
• $25,000 to $10 million in coverage
• Requires health exam 
• Online quotes available

USAA is licensed to conduct business in all 50 states and Washington D.C. but does not pay dividends on their life insurance policies. 

Unlike other companies, USAA has riders specific to military members and veterans such as Military Future Insurability Rider, which increases your coverage after leaving the military, and the Military Severe Injury Benefit Rider, which pays out $25,0000 if an injury was obtained during active service. 

USAA is rated A++ (Superior) by AM Best.

MassMutual was founded in 1851 and was included on the World’s Most Ethical Companies list for eight years in a row. It offers six different types of Whole Life insurance policies: 

• Whole Life 100: pay premiums until age 100
• Whole Life 65: pay premiums until age 65
• Whole Life 20: pay premiums for 20 years
• Whole Life 15: pay premiums for 15 years
• Whole Life 10: pay premiums for 10 years
• Single premium life insurance: pay for policy with a one-time payment

Riders for these policies include:

• Waiver of Premium for Disability rider: no premium payments if become disabled
• Long-term care rider: ability to add on coverage for long-term care
• Transfer of Insured rider: ability to exchange policy for policy on another individual
• Guaranteed Insurability ride: ability to add more coverage later on without medical exam
• Accelerated Death benefit rider: access to premium for treatment for terminal illness
• Renewable Term rider: access to term insurance that can be renewed 

Although not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends every year since 1869 and is licensed to conduct business in all 50 states. 

With six types of Whole Life policies and six different types of Riders, MassMutual has the most amount of policy options for buyers to choose from. MassMutual is rated A++ (Superior) by AM Best.

Before 1879, if a soldier was killed in battle, a collection was taken up to send to the soldier’s family. However, after the Battle of Little Bighorn (also known as Custer’s Last Stand), in which every soldier was killed and no funds could be collected, the War Council established AAFMAA to help take care of its soldiers' families.

AAFMAA offers four whole life policies available to veterans and their families: 

• Veteran Survivor Plan: available for those ages 45-84 and requires no medical exam, with coverage up to $25,000
• Value-Added Whole Life: available to members and spouses up to age 80, up to $1 million in coverage, Long Term Care Settlement Option for no additional cost
• Wealth Builder Life Insurance: for ages 60 and above, up to $1 million in coverage, Long Term Care Settlement Option for no additional cost
• Generations Plus: up to $50,000 in coverage for children, when the child turns 18, death benefit doubles with no increase in premium

To apply for a policy you can fill out a form online, or call to speak to a representative. Coverage is not available in Washington, D.C., Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Utah, Washington, or Wisconsin. There is no information online as to whether the policies pay dividends. 

The AAFMAA is not rated by AM Best because it operates as a 501(c)(23) not-for-profit member-owned organization. It holds over $1.3 billion in assets and is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 1,000 reviews on Trustpilot.

State Farm was founded in 1922 by a retired farmer, George Mecherle, and the company’s corporate headquarters is currently in Bloomington, Illinois. Its whole life policy allows young families to insure both themselves and their children, for the duration of their lives.

It offers three different Whole Life policies for young families including: 

• Whole Life: pay premiums until age 100
• Limited Pay Whole Life: pay premiums for 10, 15, or 20 years
• Single Premium Whole Life: one premium 

Rider options for State Farm include: 

• Child and Spouse Term Rider: can add term coverage for children and spouses
• Guaranteed Insurability Rider: ability to purchase more coverage without an exam
• Waiver of Premium for Disabilities Rider: covers premiums if become disabled
• Accidental Death Rider: pays out more if death is ruled an accident

To receive a quote, potential buyers can look online or speak to a representative over the phone or in person. Coverage is not available in Massachusetts, New York, or Wisconsin.

Because State Farm also offers auto and home insurance, as well, it can be a one-stop shop for young families looking to protect all their needs in one convenient location. It also pays dividends on its whole life policies, although they are not guaranteed.

State Farm is rated A++ (Superior) by AM Best.