Specializing in insurance and personal finance, Chris Kissell is a writer and editor whose work has been featured at Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, MSN Money, Fox Business, Yahoo Finance, Bankrate and Money Talks News. He is based in Denver.
Nupur Gambhir is an insurance expert and managing editor of Insure.com. She specializes in life and health insurance content, and has experience as a marketing consultant.
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Our take: Ladder life insurance is affordable and the application process is quick. But what makes it actually stand out from its competitors is that it’s also climate-friendly. The company notes that not only does its digital application use no paper, but it also plants a tree for every policy it issues.
Eco-friendly, affordable, and expedient — Insure.com found Ladder to be all three. Ladder’s flexible coverage becomes active almost immediately after approval.
Pros:
Cons:
Trustworthiness: The Better Business Bureau evaluates businesses on their behavior, trustworthiness, and performance. A business with a high ranking from the BBB can be trusted to meet its commitments. The BBB does not rank Ladder.
Financial strength: A.M. Best evaluates a company’s financial health and its ability to meet its financial obligations. A.M. Best gives Ladder an A.
Customer experience: Trustpilot is an online platform for individuals to provide reviews of companies and their customer experience. Trustpilot gives Ladder a rating of 4.8 out of a possible 5.
Additional product line details: Ladder only offers its individual term life insurance policy. You can get up to $3 million in coverage without taking a medical exam or doing any lab work. Additionally, coverage starts at just $5 a month (depending on your age and health).
For healthy non-smokers:
The following table shows Ladder’s monthly rates by age and gender for healthy non-smokers purchasing 20-year term policies. Note: Applicants age 55 who don’t smoke are only eligible for 15-year policies.
For smokers:
The following table shows Ladder’s monthly rates by age and gender for smokers purchasing 20-year term policies. Note: Applicants age 55 who smoke are only eligible for 15-year policies.
The following table shows how Ladder’s monthly rates for a healthy 35-year-old compare to selected competitors for $500,000 in coverage for 20-year terms.
Company background: The company was founded in 2015 by Jamie Hale, his wife, Laura, and two tech veterans, Jeff Merkel and Jack Dubie. The company offers flexible life insurance that allows people to adjust their coverage up or down as their lives change – such as when a child is born, a house is bought or children age. The company calls this process “laddering.”
Interesting tidbit: The father of Jamie Hale, one of the company’s founders and its chief executive, died unexpectedly when Jamie was 11. Hale credits his father’s life insurance policy for sustaining the family financially.