7 Best Life Insurance Companies in December 2023

The life insurance market in the U.S. is competitive, made up of a mix of longstanding insurers and newer “insurtechs” that sell policies online. To narrow down our list of the best life insurance companies, we looked at customer complaints data, consumer experience and financial strength. We also assessed the types of policies on offer, and the ways you can buy coverage.

Based on these factors, these are our top life insurance companies for 2023.

All of the life insurance companies listed below scored 5 out of 5 stars. There are hundreds of insurers competing for your business, often selling very similar products, so it’s smart to compare life insurance quotes from a few before making a decision.

NerdWallet’s life insurance ratings are based on consumer experience, complaint index scores from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for individual life insurance, and weighted averages of financial strength ratings, which indicate a company’s ability to pay future claims. Within the consumer experience category, we consider ease of communication and website transparency, which looks at the depth of policy details available online. To calculate each insurer’s rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale.

These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.

Learn more about our top life insurance companies in 2023 by reading the brief summaries below and checking out our comprehensive reviews.

Company overview: Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., often shortened to MassMutual, is one of the largest life insurers in the country. Founded in 1851, it offers a wide range of products, from term life to variable universal life insurance — a type of permanent policy with flexible premiums and investment opportunities. MassMutual is a mutual company, which means it’s owned in part by its policyholders and pays out dividends to qualifying members. Its 2024 dividend payout is set to be the highest yet at almost $2.2 billion^[0]

Company overview: Guardian was founded in 1860 and has paid dividends to its eligible policyholders since 1868. The company is set to pay out $1.4 billion in dividends in 2024, the largest sum in the company’s history^[0]

Company overview: Founded in 1857, Northwestern Mutual is the largest seller of individual life insurance in the United States, according to the latest data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Universal life policyholders have flexible payment and coverage options, while term life customers have the opportunity to convert their policy to permanent coverage without taking a medical exam. The company is set to pay $7.3 billion in dividends to qualifying policyholders in 2024^[0]

Company overview: New York Life is a mutual company, which means it’s owned by its policyholders. As such, you may be eligible to vote in board elections if you’ve held a permanent policy for more than a year and earn dividends — the insurer is set to pay out $2.2 billion in 2024^[0]

Company overview: Pacific Life has been in business for more than 150 years. It has drawn significantly fewer complaints than expected for a company of its size over the past three years. Among Pacific Life’s range of policies is the company’s indexed universal life insurance. These policies typically grow investments based on stock market indexes like the S&P 500. They also have a guaranteed floor, which means your life insurance cash value won’t fall below a certain value if the stock market dives.

Company overview: When you think of State Farm, you probably think of its auto insurance products. But it also offers a decent range of life insurance policies, including return-of-premium life insurance — if you outlive the term, you get a refund of the premiums you paid into the policy. State Farm also offers a single premium option for its whole life policy and a final expense policy that can help cover funeral costs.

State Farm ranked first out of 22 companies in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Life Insurance Study for customer satisfaction, and has consistently topped this list in recent years — pointing to its positive reputation among policyholders^[0]

Company overview: AARP’s Life Insurance Program offers coverage to its members in all 50 states and Washington D.C. The policies are underwritten by New York Life, one of the largest life insurance companies in the U.S. Members can apply for a term or whole life policy by answering a few health questions, with no medical exam required. AARP also sells a guaranteed issue whole life policy via New York Life, which bypasses both the questionnaire and medical exam for eligible applicants.

Term life insurance provides temporary coverage for a set number of years, usually one to 30. It’s the cheapest and most popular type of coverage, and insurers can stand out in the market for offering competitive prices, riders and more.

Whole life insurance typically lasts your entire life. As a type of permanent life insurance, it also builds cash value over time. We’ve compared whole life companies based on factors like coverage flexibility and the potential to earn dividends.

With no medical exam life insurance, the application process is streamlined. Depending on the policy you choose, you might have to answer some questions about your health and lifestyle, though some policies skip both the exam and questionnaire.

Follow these four steps to find the best life insurance company for your family.

Other customers’ experiences can help you decide whether you want to do business with a company. You can get clues about an insurer’s reputation through complaints filed with state regulators, which are visible on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners website. All of the companies listed above have had fewer complaints to state regulators than expected for insurers of their size, according to three years’ worth of data from the NAIC.

It’s especially important to look into life insurance companies’ financial strength because you’ll want a company that can pay claims many years down the road. NerdWallet’s insurance reviews use weighted averages of financial strength ratings. For additional information about life insurance companies, try a ratings agency like AM Best. We recommend looking at insurers with an AM Best rating of A- or better.

Although many companies sell similar policies, some focus on certain products — such as whole life — or on particular customers, such as seniors who need life insurance. You can narrow down your options by focusing on the companies that specialize in the type of insurance you’re looking for.

Looking for a specific type of life insurance policy? Check out NerdWallet’s top picks across these categories: