What we do
Life insurance review
Most people are either underinsured, insured in the wrong product, or paying for a policy that no longer matches the obligation it was bought for. A review takes half an hour and settles it.
What you get
Concrete things, not a conversation about a conversation.
Every one of these is included, and none of it is billed to you. Our compensation comes from the carrier you eventually choose — or from nowhere at all, if the right answer is to leave your coverage exactly as it is.
- A needs calculation built from your debts, income and obligations, not a rule of thumb
- An audit of existing policies — face amount, type, term end date, riders, beneficiaries
- Quotes from multiple carriers on the products that genuinely fit
- An explanation of what each product does and what it costs over time
- A check on conversion rights in any term policy you already hold
- A beneficiary review — the detail that most often turns out to be wrong
How it runs
Step by step.
- 01
Work out the gap
Mortgage, other debts, education costs, final expenses and the years of income your household would need to replace — minus existing coverage and savings. The difference is the number.
- 02
Match product to obligation
A 22-year obligation does not want a 10-year policy. A permanent need does not want term. This step is where most of the value is, and it costs nothing to get right.
- 03
Shop it properly
Health class matters enormously to price, and carriers underwrite conditions differently. We pre-shop difficult cases informally before any formal application goes on record.
- 04
Place it and check in
Application, underwriting, delivery. Then a review when life changes — a move, a birth, a new mortgage, a business, or a term policy approaching its end.
Which product, in one table
| If your need is… | The usual answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A mortgage and young children | Term life | Maximum death benefit per dollar, matched to a finite obligation |
| A death benefit certain to pay whenever you die | Whole life | Guaranteed premium, guaranteed benefit, guaranteed cash value |
| Permanent cover with flexible funding, accounts already maxed | Indexed universal life | Premium flexibility and index-linked crediting with a floor |
| Funeral costs, difficult health history | Final expense | Small face amount, simplified or guaranteed issue |
| Income protection while working | Disability income | Life insurance does not pay if you are alive and unable to work |
The details people get wrong
- Beneficiaries that were never updated after a divorce, a death or a remarriage
- Naming a minor child directly, which forces court involvement to release the money
- Relying on group coverage that ends the day the employment does
- A term policy whose conversion right expires years before the term itself does
- Buying a permanent policy at a premium that becomes unaffordable in year six
- Insuring one earner in a two-earner household and neither the other nor a stay-at-home parent
How the price is actually set
Two people the same age can be quoted very different premiums for identical coverage. Health class does most of the work, and the spread between the best and a substandard rating is frequently two to three times.
| Route | What is involved | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Fully underwritten | Exam, blood work, medical records | Slowest, almost always the lowest price |
| Accelerated | No exam for healthy applicants within limits | Fast and competitive |
| Simplified issue | Health questions only, no exam | Faster, more expensive, lower face amounts |
| Guaranteed issue | No health questions | Certain approval, graded benefit, highest cost |
When we tell people to do nothing
Reviews end with no recommendation more often than people expect. If your existing coverage is adequate, correctly structured and affordable, moving it would cost you the underwriting you already passed and gain you very little.
What we do look for in that situation is the small correction that costs nothing: a beneficiary designation that was never updated after a divorce or a death, a conversion right about to expire years before the term does, or a group policy quietly being counted on as the plan.
- Beneficiary designations, primary and contingent, on every policy
- The conversion deadline on any term policy, which often precedes the term end
- Whether a rider you are paying for is still relevant
- Whether group coverage is being over-counted
- Whether the death benefit still matches the obligation it was bought for
Frequently asked questions
How much life insurance do I actually need?
Add up what has to be paid for — mortgage, debts, education, final expenses, and the years of household income you would want replaced — then subtract what already exists in coverage and savings. The difference is your gap. Our calculator runs this in a couple of minutes.
Is term or permanent better?
Neither, in the abstract. Term is the efficient answer to a temporary obligation such as a mortgage or raising children. Permanent is the answer to a certainty — final expenses, estate liquidity, a lifelong dependant. Many households sensibly hold both, sized differently.
I have a health condition. Can I still get covered?
Usually yes, though the price and the carrier depend heavily on the specifics. Carriers underwrite conditions very differently from one another, so where the application goes matters. We pre-shop difficult cases informally first, because a declined application becomes visible to other carriers.
Does a review cost anything?
No. There is no fee for the review or the quotes. If we conclude your existing coverage is fine as it is, we will tell you so and there is nothing further to do.
Coverage involved
The products this service touches.
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Term life insurance
Term life insurance pays a death benefit if you die within a set period — commonly 10, 15, 20 or 30 years — and pays nothing if you outlive it. Premiums are level for the term and far lower than permanent insurance, which makes it the efficient way to cover a temporary obligation such as a mortgage or raising children.
About this coverage -
Whole life insurance
Whole life insurance is permanent coverage with a level premium, a guaranteed death benefit that never expires, and a guaranteed cash value that builds over time. Policies from mutual insurers may also pay non-guaranteed dividends. It costs substantially more than term life because the coverage is designed to last your entire life.
About this coverage -
Indexed universal life (IUL)
Indexed universal life is permanent life insurance with a flexible premium and a cash value credited based on the performance of a market index, subject to a floor — usually zero percent — and a cap or participation rate that limits the credited gain. You are not invested in the index; the insurer credits interest by reference to it.
About this coverage -
Final expense / burial insurance
Final expense insurance is small-face-amount whole life insurance intended to cover funeral costs, burial or cremation, outstanding medical bills and estate settlement expenses. Underwriting is simplified or guaranteed issue, premiums are level and permanent, and approval is available to many people who cannot obtain standard life insurance.
About this coverage -
Disability income insurance
Disability income insurance pays you a monthly benefit — typically 50 to 70 percent of your income — if illness or injury prevents you from working. Short-term policies cover weeks to months; long-term policies can pay to retirement age. The definition of disability in the contract matters more than the benefit amount.
About this coverage