The Best Burial Insurance & Final Expense Companies
Burial insurance plans are designed to provide peace of mind to individuals and families by providing coverage against unexpected burial expenses. This coverage can help you pay for your funeral, internment, and the like, whether the death of an insured individual was expected or not. A burial insurance plan can be one of the most important policies that you purchase to ensure your family’s future financial stability after your passing.
However, it can be challenging to know which one is right for you, with so many burial insurance plans to choose from. To help you in your endless endeavor to provide for your family, we have compiled a list of the best burial insurance plans in 2022. These burial insurance plans range from affordable to premium and are designed to fit any budget. They also offer a wide range of coverage options to ensure that you receive the most for your money.
So, without any further ado, let’s get into the best burial insurance plans of 2022!
What Is Burial Insurance?
Simply put, burial insurance is a form of life insurance that covers your funeral expenses. It can also cover other costs associated with your death, including medical costs and estate taxes, but typically your funeral will be covered by other types of insurance. Depending on which policy you buy and how much coverage you choose, burial insurance could either completely cover or partially cover all or some of these funeral-related expenses.
Typically, it’s not meant to replace all forms of health care or life insurance policies completely. Instead, it’s more of an extra measure for people who have taken out many different policies throughout their lives to ensure they are well-protected. In addition, burial insurance fills those gaps because most people do not have enough savings to pay for their funerals without borrowing money from family members (which could cause financial strain). In essence, burial insurance offers peace of mind for your loved ones knowing that if something happens to you, they won’t have to worry about paying for everything related to your final arrangements.
What Is Final Expense Insurance?
A final expenses insurance policy pays out death benefits to your family, dependents, or other people you choose in case you pass away. Premiums for these policies are tax-deductible and can be used to pay for things like funeral expenses, burial costs, memorial services, mortgage payments, or credit card debt. This type of policy is also referred to as a death benefit rider on a life insurance policy.
If you have a term life insurance policy that meets your needs, consider getting a final expense rider attached to it so that your beneficiaries will receive some income after your death while paying only one insurance premium and one set of administrative fees.
How Does Burial Insurance Work?
Like any other life insurance, burial insurance is considered a contract between you and an insurance company. Essentially, you pay a premium in exchange for agreeing to pay out a sum of money when you die. The key difference with these policies is that they are designed to cover your final expenses after your death.
Here’s how it works; when you apply for burial insurance coverage, an underwriter will look at the information provided on your application to determine whether or not they will offer you coverage. If accepted, you’ll work out payment terms with them (it’s typically based on month-to-month payments). Once all paperwork has been completed, you can rest easy knowing that your family won’t have to worry about paying for funeral expenses if anything happens to you.
The 10 Best Burial and Final Expense Insurance Policies of 2024
For many of us, what happens after we die has never been something we’ve spent much time thinking about — we’re too focused on living life and enjoying our time here to be concerned with the future and death and funerals and so on. But, unfortunately, it’s still something that we must all face eventually — and in fact, when it comes to funeral costs, you may find that you’re on the hook for more than you expected. This is where burial insurance comes in, which will help cover the costs of your funeral and help to alleviate some of the financial pressure that your loved ones may be facing.
But before you head out to the market to buy your burial insurance, you must consider various aspects of the process, including what burial insurance is, why you would need it, what it covers, and the type of policy that will best suit your needs. So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at what burial insurance is and why you might need it.
1. Aetna
Established in 1853, this burial insurance provider continues to stand out for its superior offering when it comes to final expense and burial insurance. For starters, they accept anyone as young as 40 years and as old as 89 years. Furthermore, there are no waiting periods for them to provide coverage for seniors with health issues. Finally, as non-exam type insurance, you can be sure that you will get immediate coverage.
Aetna’s plan Accendo Level has two categories, the preferred and standard. While you will get immediate coverage for both, you need to understand the subtle difference between them.
The Preferred plan will require the applicant to be in much better health. As a result, they will pay a lower monthly premium compared to those under the Standard plan. Whichever plan you choose, you get to enjoy competitive pricing and coverage for many serious medical conditions.
2. American Amicable Life “Senior Choice” Plan
This is a great policy for seniors as there is no waiting period, and the rates are great. In addition, these monthly premiums and coverage are fixed, and there is no medical exam for those who want to apply for this insurance. This insurance has been around longer than a century, and the face amount options vary between $2500 and $35,000.
Expect health questions and a death benefit of between $2500 and $435,000 with coverage for up to 41 states.
This funeral insurance is best for seniors with mental health issues as they can get full day-one coverage and low rates. It is also great for tobacco smokers as they have some of the lowest tobacco rates in the country. The rates are even lower for non-cigar smokers.
You can apply for this insurance as early as 55 years and as late as 85. Due to their excellent reputation, this final expense carrier is one of the best choices for many people.
3. Mutual of Omaha
Looking for a burial insurance plan that won’t break your bank? Then look no further than Mutual of Omaha’s burial insurance plan. Covering up to $25,000, there is plenty of coverage offered by these final expense plans. In addition, with guaranteed acceptance rates (that means it doesn’t matter if you have pre-existing medical conditions or not), there are no health questions or exams required to buy these affordable final expense plans. Moreover, a guaranteed life insurance policy will remain in force as long as premium payments are made.
Customers will appreciate features such as 24/7 customer service with agents that can help with filing claims and representatives available to answer any additional questions regarding funeral services. However, be reminded that this insurance comes with a 2-years waiting period – which means that if you or the insurer dies within two years from signing a contract, death benefits will be paid only equivalent to the amount submitted as premium + 10%. That said, most buyers report positive experiences with buying from Mutual of Omaha compared to several other providers.
So, whether looking for a cost-effective burial insurance solution or a solid company backing their policies, Mutual of Omaha offers products at very competitive prices.
4. Liberty Bankers Life
Liberty Banker’s plan name is SIMPL, and it is one of the best final expense options for those who want to go out in style. While many other insurance companies or groups cover people from the age of 40, this plan is more lenient, covering people as young as 18 and up to 80.
The SIMPLE plan has Standard and Preferred categories. As expected, the Preferred category is less expensive but has tighter guidelines for qualification. However, compared to other insurance companies, this company’s premiums are low, and despite the easy acceptance, you will be asked health-related questions.
If you are looking to apply for this type of insurance, expect no medical exam, but there will be health questions. There is no waiting period, and the coverage is permanent. They serve smoking clients as well. The expected death benefits for this insurance are between $3,000 and $30,000.
They also have Modified Whole Life insurance with the age eligibility of between 40 to 80. The coverage amount is between $1000 and $20,000, and you can apply in up to 42 states. There is no medical exam for an applicant, but you will be subject to health questions and a waiting period. Thankfully, the coverage is permanent and builds a cash value.
5. Prosperity Life Group
This excellent whole life insurance plan is a superior choice for many folks. For example, non-cigarette smoking tobacco or nicotine users can all get a non-tobacco rating. Prosperity will only apply a tobacco price to those who smoke cigarettes. They accept many health conditions, and they have three plans: level (immediate coverage), graded benefit plan (30% of death benefit is paid out in the first 12 months and 70% if in the 12-24 months if you were to pass) the modified benefit plan has a 2 yrs waiting period and payout in the years are split.
The level plan offers first-day coverage and level premiums. Furthermore, the premiums in this plan are affordable and do not require waiting. People between 50 to 80 qualify with face amounts of $1500 and $35,000.
The Graded plan is for those who do not fit the level plan and is issued to people between 50 and 75 with face amounts of between $1,500 and $35,000.
We try to match our clients with the level plan first if they qualify, and if they don’t, we might take them to another carrier that would be best suited for them. They have riders on the policy (accelerated death benefit (not including CA) and the terminal illness rider.
6. Royal Neighbors of America
While Royal Neighbors of America is not the most popular kid on the block, they have been around for over a century and provide competitive pricing for their different burial insurance plans. Additionally, they accept a myriad of health issues for an age range of between 50 and 85. It is especially suitable for pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and other complications than other final expense carriers. If you are looking for a carrier with member benefits, Royal Neighbors of America is the place to go.
The company provides you with different burial insurance plans, but the most popular are the Express Issue Premier Policy, Simplified Issue whole Life, and Graded Death Benefit Whole Life. You will get great rates, and the premiums will not increase.
Expect the living benefit rider, which allows you a portion of the benefit while still alive. Some clients get as much as 75% of the face value while they are still alive.
7. Trinity/ Family Benefit Life Golden Eagle Level Plan
The guaranteed acceptance life insurance is Family Benefit’s Golden Eagle Final Expense plan. This insurance provider offers some of the best rates among final expense carriers. Additionally, they accept many conditions that may be difficult for other companies to cover, including diabetic neuropathy and insulin in people from 40 years. They also have a 3-year look-back on cancer and cardiac events, which is shorter than other companies in the same field.
You can make telephone applications if you prefer this method of application. This process is easy and fast, and there is no waiting. However, a major disadvantage of this insurance is that they do not offer e-applications as some clients would like.
The Golden Eagle plan has two categories-Simplified Issue and Graded Death Benefit. The Simplified Issue offer day one, 10 percent face amount coverage for both accidental and natural causes of death.
On the other hand, the Graded Death Benefit plan allows partial coverage for the first two years post-death.
While these are two possibilities, many clients usually prefer the Simplified Issue, making it the most used of the two options. Coupled with their outstanding customer care service, this is one of the best life insurance companies for those in search of this insurance type.
8. AIG Direct Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Insurance
Looking for burial insurance costs? Then look no further than whole life policies, which, unlike term insurance, is designed to offer coverage with increasing coverage amounts over time. In addition, unlike some other providers, these policies are guaranteed issues – meaning you won’t be faced with pre-existing conditions or medical questions when applying for coverage at all! So instead of finding out if your health will impact your ability to secure final expense plans, you can rest assured that buying a policy from AIG is easy and affordable.
AIG Direct Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Insurance also comes with added benefits of living benefit protections, which for those who continue to pay premiums, could mean that they will receive 25% of the policy’s overall value if they are diagnosed with chronic illness (illness like arthritis, congestive heart failure, etc.). Moreover, the insurer is entitled to 50% of the policy’s death benefits if diagnosed with a terminal illness. These added benefits demonstrate how AIG is committed to helping customers protect their families and loved ones with affordable options.
However, be informed that to avail of these benefits, you must pay an administrative fee – which will be based on your coverage choice. So, in essence, don’t go wrong with either term or permanent insurance; instead, choose what best fits your needs. Whether looking for a cheap cremation plan or getting buried with dignity, both of these options guarantee you peace of mind knowing that your final wishes are covered in case something unfortunate happens.
9. Gerber Life
Gerber is popularly known worldwide for baby products. However, you may need to look the company up if you are in the market for burial insurance.
They are well known as a company and as a burial insurance company. It offers guaranteed issue plans that allow many to be admitted despite the pre-existing conditions they may have. Therefore, it is suitable for seniors with very high-risk conditions such as HIV, dialysis, or current cancer.
Just life AIG Whole Life, this policy is guaranteed acceptance regardless of your health or lifestyle. However, it does have a 2-year waiting period. You can qualify for this cover if you are between 50 and 80 years.
It would be beneficial to know that Gerber offers one of the most affordable burial insurance options, making it one of the industry’s best and most popular companies. They sell guaranteed coverage for values between $5,00 and $25,000. Therefore, the small face values may discourage some clients from picking this option. However, it can be a good option for those seeking a burial insurance policy that does not necessarily offer large plans.
The company has great customer care service, allowing it to stand out as one of the best options for those who need a reliable partner they can reach at any time.
10. Great Western
If you are looking for a company that is largely focused on the final expense, Great Western Insurance company may be one of the best options for you. This company has a stable financial track record, which means it can pay out all the claims. Furthermore, you are protected as soon as you apply, and they offer you the chance to pay affordable monthly premiums that result in the best coverage.
This company offers its clients two plans that center around funeral pre-planning. Pre-planning your funeral allows you to design the specific type of burial you would like and to design it so that you can be celebrated as you would wish after you are gone. Therefore, they will find it easy to make burial-related decisions once you are departed.
The first plan the company offers is the Pre-Need Insurance which allows planning of a burial. With this plan, you can tell your story even after death as you will plan the financial parts of your burial and allow your family peace of mind to mourn you. As a result, the family has little to no financial responsibility when they die and can focus on grieving their loved ones.
The Final Expense option covers the bills you may leave upon your demise. Therefore, it will cover some of the biggest expenses, including funeral expenses and hospital bills. Some of the final expenses covered by this insurer include mortgage payments, court fees, medical bills, credit card debt, household expenses, and car loans.
11. Guarantee Trust Life’s Heritage Plan
Established in 1936, this company provides the best-graded benefit whole life insurance plan.
The Heritage Plan is a Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company’s Graded Benefit Whole Life insurance product designed to protect your loved ones upon your demise and assure them of a bright future after you are gone. You do not need a medical exam to qualify, and the application process is simple and short.
The premiums will never increase. No matter the changes in your health and the insurance will accumulate cash value. They offer guaranteed benefits as long as the premiums are diligently paid and never canceled.
It has a waiting period of two years until your beneficiaries are guaranteed the full coverage amount. The issue ages for this insurance are 4- to 90 years. The death benefit in the first year will be premiums paid plus 5%. It will be 50% of the face amount in the second year, and in the third year, it will be 100 of the face amount. This is a good option for those who prefer to apply online as they allow e-applications.
Conclusion
Finding affordable burial insurance policies from burial insurance companies shouldn’t be difficult, yet it can be time-consuming if you don’t know what you’re looking for. However, by looking at the above-reviewed burial insurance plans that are available to you on the market today, you’ll find several affordable term life insurance providers who offer high-quality options with no medical exam required. So, stop wasting your precious time and energy searching through offers from various companies trying to get a fast quote – instead, get just a few quotes from highly rated companies and get down to more important things in life.