Educational guide — not insurance advice. We are not a licensed agent. Ratings and rankings change. Verify current data with the publisher and confirm policy details with the insurer or a licensed broker in your state.
How this table is ordered, and by what
Ordering basis: AM Best financial strength rating, descending. AM Best publishes financial strength ratings on a fixed scale (A++, A+, A, A-, B++, and downward), and the rating is the carrier’s own, published by AM Best at ambest.com. It is used here because it is objective, published, and available for every carrier listed. Where two carriers share a rating they are listed alphabetically.
Ordering by this field is not an endorsement of it as the field that matters. It is disclosed so the order is checkable.
Fields not reproduced here. The NAIC complaint index and J.D. Power study scores are published elsewhere and are not reproduced for most carriers below, because they were not verified against the publisher at the date of the last review. Both are searchable directly:
| Field | Publisher | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Financial strength rating | A.M. Best Company | ambest.com |
| Complaint index (complaints relative to premium volume; 1.00 is the median) | NAIC | content.naic.org/cis |
| Customer satisfaction score | J.D. Power, U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study | jdpower.com |
| Licence and admitted status in a given state | State department of insurance | The state’s own lookup |
The carriers
Ordered by AM Best financial strength rating, descending; alphabetically within a rating.
| Carrier | AM Best | NAIC complaint index | Issue ages | Product tiers offered | Notes on structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AARP / New York Life | A++ | Not recorded here | Per product; AARP membership required (approx. $20/year) | Level | Policies marketed under the AARP brand are underwritten by New York Life |
| Globe Life | A+ | Not recorded here | Per product | Level, guaranteed issue | Direct-to-consumer distribution; available in all 50 states |
| Mutual of Omaha | A+ | ~0.51 (index median 1.00) | Typically 45–85 | Level, graded, guaranteed issue | Mutual company — owned by policyholders rather than shareholders |
| Aetna (Accendo Insurance Company) | A | Not recorded here | Per product | Level, graded | Accendo is a CVS Health subsidiary; policies are marketed under the Aetna brand |
| Gerber Life | A | Not recorded here | Guaranteed issue 50–80 | Level, guaranteed issue | Guaranteed-issue product carries a two-year graded death benefit |
| Transamerica | A | Not recorded here | Up to 85 in many products | Level, graded, guaranteed issue | Coverage amounts published from $1,000 to $50,000+ |
| Royal Neighbors of America | A- | Not recorded here | Per product | Level, graded | Fraternal benefit society — member-owned; publishes member benefits separate from the policy |
| Americo | Not recorded here | Not recorded here | Per product | Per product | — |
| American Amicable | Not recorded here | Not recorded here | Per product | Per product | — |
| Colonial Penn | Not recorded here | Not recorded here | Per product | Level, guaranteed issue | Prices in “units” of coverage rather than a stated face amount; the face amount per unit varies by age and sex |
| Corebridge Direct (formerly AIG Direct) | Not recorded here | Not recorded here | Per product | Per product | — |
| Lincoln Heritage | Not recorded here | Not recorded here | Per product | Level, graded, guaranteed issue | Specialist final expense writer; distributes through a captive agency force |
“Not recorded here” means the figure was not verified against its publisher at the last review — not that the carrier lacks one. Each is published at the source given in the table above. Verified 2026-08-15.
What each rated field measures
- AM Best financial strength rating. AM Best’s opinion of the carrier’s ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations. It is an assessment of solvency, not of price, service, or claims speed.
- NAIC complaint index. Complaints received by state insurance departments, normalised against the carrier’s share of premium in that line. An index of 1.00 is the median for the line of business; below 1.00 is fewer complaints than expected for that carrier’s volume, above 1.00 is more.
- J.D. Power score. A survey-based customer satisfaction measure from J.D. Power’s annual study, reported on that study’s own scale and methodology.
None of these three measures pricing. Premiums are filed separately with each state’s insurance department and vary by age, sex, health class, tobacco use, and state — see Final Expense Insurance Cost.
Comparing two quotes on the same basis
Four fields have to match before two quotes describe the same thing:
| Field | Why it changes the comparison |
|---|---|
| Face amount | A $10,000 quote and a $15,000 quote are not comparable. Restating both as cost per $1,000 of coverage makes them so. |
| Policy class | A level policy pays the face amount from issue. A graded policy pays a stated percentage in years one and two. A guaranteed-issue policy returns premiums plus interest for natural-cause death within two to three years. See Final Expense Waiting Periods: What the Contracts Say. |
| Payment frequency | Carriers publish a fractional-premium charge for monthly billing, so twelve monthly payments commonly exceed the annual premium. |
| Riders included | Accidental death, return-of-premium, and terminal illness riders are priced separately and may be bundled into one quote and not another. |
Guaranty association coverage
Each state maintains a life and health insurance guaranty association that pays covered claims if an admitted carrier becomes insolvent, up to statutory limits. The limit for life insurance death benefits is $300,000 in most states, above the face amount of a typical final expense policy. Coverage limits and the covered classes are set by each state’s guaranty association act; the national directory is published by NOLHGA.
Where quotes are published
- Comparison sites — Policygenius, NerdWallet and ChoiceMutual quote multiple carriers.
- Independent agents — an agent appointed by several carriers can quote across their roster. Appointments and licence status are searchable through the National Insurance Producer Registry and the state department of insurance.
- Carriers directly — most carriers listed above quote directly, online or by telephone.
A producer’s licence status, lines of authority, and any disciplinary history are published by the state department of insurance in the state where the sale is made. The applicable rules are documented in Final Expense Agent Rules: Licensing, Disclosure, Complaints.
What the record shows
Twelve carriers writing final expense insurance are listed above. Seven carry a published AM Best financial strength rating recorded here, from A++ (AARP/New York Life) to A- (Royal Neighbors of America); for the remaining five the rating was not verified against AM Best at the last review and is not reproduced. One NAIC complaint index is recorded — Mutual of Omaha at approximately 0.51 against an index median of 1.00. AM Best ratings measure solvency, the NAIC index measures complaint volume relative to premium share, and J.D. Power measures survey-reported satisfaction; none of the three measures price. Premiums are filed by state and vary by the rating factors listed in the cost guide. No ranking or recommendation is made on this page, and the ordering field is disclosed above.
Related reading
- Do You Need Final Expense Insurance? What the Policies Say
- Final Expense Insurance Cost
- Final Expense Waiting Periods: What the Contracts Say
- Final Expense Agent Rules: Licensing, Disclosure, Complaints
- How Much Does a Funeral Cost?
Educational information only — not insurance, financial, or legal advice. We are not a licensed insurance agent or broker. Ratings, rankings, and pricing change; verify current data with the publisher and with the carrier or a licensed broker in your state. This page carries no affiliate links. Sources: A.M. Best Financial Strength Ratings; NAIC Consumer Information Source; J.D. Power U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study; National Organization of Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Associations; state departments of insurance; carrier product literature. Verified 2026-08-15.