When you embrace 21st Century technology, you can buy almost anything online. The days of purchasing a product like life or health insurance only from an agent while sipping coffee at the kitchen table are over for the majority of consumers in America.
Recently, and primarily because of available funding, life insurance companies have opened on the web so that consumers who are comfortable making financial decisions can purchase life insurance without the need for an agent and in most cases, a medical exam.
Ladder Life Insurance is one of the companies that has jumped in the fray of life insurance through technology and they are taking off like a rocket. To help you better understand the online life insurance concept and Ladder, in particular, we are pleased to offer our Ladder Life Insurance Review.
Ladder Life
555 University Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Who is Ladder Life?
Ladder is a startup life insurance company (January 2017) that offers competitively priced term life insurance to consumers of most ages who prefer to shop online and complete the transaction without the need of an agent.
Ladder Life Insurance policies are underwritten Fidelity Security Life, a well-established and highly-rated insurance company so Ladder’s young age should not be a concern for policyholders.
Ladder is a unique insurer in terms of its quoting, purchasing, and underwriting process that is done completely electronically unless there is a need for a life insurance medical exam. Also, unlike most life insurance companies (even the carriers that sell direct), Ladder offers only Term Life Insurance and there are no riders available to customize your coverage.
Ladder Insurance Financial Ratings
Since Ladder Life Insurance is such a young insurance company and all policies are underwritten by Fidelity Security Life, Ladder’s financial ratings are those of Fidelity Security Life Insurance company which was established in 1969.
| Rating Company | 2019 Rating |
|---|---|
| A.M. Best | A (Excellent) |
| Standard & Poor's | BBB+ |
| Fitch Ratings | AA |
The above-listed ratings are current as of 12/05/2019. Rating agencies may change ratings based on the financial circumstances of the insurance company at any time.
Ladder Term Life Insurance
Since term life is the only choice with Ladder, the company has made available a unique feature rarely offered (if at all) from other life insurance companies. The company refers to this feature as an ability to Ladder your insurance policy on your own.
Most consumers are aware that their life insurance needs will change over time because of life events like accumulating more debt, growing your family, owning a business, and marriage or divorce.
To accommodate these life events, Ladder will allow its policyholders to increase their coverage or decrease their coverage without having to cancel and rewrite their coverage. This is pretty much unheard of when it comes to term insurance. Typically, until Ladder arrived, once your term insurance policy was issued everything was etched in stone. That is not the case any more thanks to Ladder.
Here are the established metrics for Ladder insurance prospective customers:
| Policy Term | Available Coverage | Eligible Ages | Medical Exam? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10, 15, 20, 25, 30-years | $100,000 to $8 million | 20 to 60-years old | Depends on answers to health questions |
It’s important to note that once your term insurance expires and if you are 60 or older, you’re done at Ladder. Also, since Ladder does not offer permanent life insurance, none of the Ladder policies are convertible.
Ladder Life Insurance Rates
Ladder Life’s Term insurance rates are very competitive since they aren’t required to pay agents a percentage of the premium. When consumers can quote and purchase life insurance online without an agent involved, the process is generally much quicker and should be cheaper.
Here is an example of Ladder’s Term insurance rates for a 30-year old healthy male non-smoker:
| Coverage Amount | Policy Term | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | 20 Years | $14 |
| $250,000 | 20 Years | $19 |
| $500,000 | 20 Years | $25 |
| $750,000 | 20 Years | $35 |
| $1,000,000 | 20 Years | $44 |
| $2,000,000 | 20 Years | $81 |
| $3,000,000 | 20 Years | $124 |
| $4,000,000 | 20 Years | $162 |
| $5,000,000 | 20 Years | $201 |
What Ladder Customers are saying about Ladder Life
When consumers are considering buying an insurance product, most will talk with family, neighbors, and friends to find out which company or agent is giving good rates and customer service.
Providing poor customer service can instantly hurt a company’s bottom line but there are some companies out there that do much better than others, in fact, most consumers are willing to pay a little more in exchange for outstanding customer service.
Here’s what we found while compiling this Ladder Life Insurance review:
- ConsumerAdvocate: 4.6 out of 5 stars
- Trustpilot: 4.5 out of 5 stars (661 reviews)
- ValuePenguin: 4 out of 5 stars
- Finder: 3 out of 5 stars
Ladder Life Insurance Pros and Cons
Every insurance company has its pros and cons and it’s certainly logical to list them in the review. It’s important, however, to understand that a company’s pros and cons for one consumer may differ from others but in our opinion, life insurance shoppers should consider these pros and cons relevant to our Ladder Life insurance review:
What we like about Ladder
- Easy to navigate insurance platform
- Online policy maintenance
- Ability to raise or lower coverage limits
- Very good customer service
- Policies are underwritten through an established and highly rated company
What concerns us about Ladder
- Only one product offering
- No Return of Premium option
- No optional riders available
- Not available in New York
- No term conversion option
Frequently asked Questions
What is Ladder?
Ladder Life is a fairly new life insurance company that sells term life insurance directly to consumers using a state-of-the-art web platform.
Does Ladder offer the lowest life insurance rates?
Since Ladder Life Insurance sells directly to consumers and doesn’t pay an agent’s commission, Ladder’s rates can be lower than other companies if the applicant is under 60, in very good health, and needs a large amount of coverage.
Does Ladder offer permanent or cash-value life insurance?
No, Ladder Life only sells term life insurance to consumers under the age of 60.
Does Ladder Life have good financial ratings?
Since Ladder Life uses Fidelity Security Life to underwrite its policies, we would look at that company’s ratings which are “A” from A.M. Best.
