Frequently Asked Questions

Most people overestimate the cost of life insurance. A 2025 LIMRA study found that many younger Americans assume coverage is far more expensive than it actually is—and that assumed high cost is the top reason they don’t have it.

Meanwhile, most online resources show generic “averages” that don’t reflect what real people actually pay. Some show artificially high (or low) rates, and only cover round ages like 30, 35, or 40.

We built this index to fix that—granular, accurate rate data so you can see what term life insurance costs for someone like you.

Three things:

• It’s specific to you. Most sites show sample quotes for a 35- or 40-year-old. This index lets you look up rates for your exact age and coverage amount—say, a 38-year-old looking for $700,000 in coverage.
• It shows realistic health classes. We don’t just show “Preferred Plus” rates that only 5–10% of applicants qualify for. We show multiple risk classes so you get an honest price range, not a bait-and-switch.
• It’s built by a licensed broker. This data comes from someone who runs term life quotes daily—not a content site recycling third-party numbers.

We analyzed 858,632 life insurance quotes gathered directly from leading U.S. life insurance carriers, distilled into 33,120 rate combinations across 46 ages, 24 coverage amounts, 5 term lengths, 3 health classes, and both genders.

No. The rates in this index are indicative. Your actual premium is determined by a life insurance carrier after you apply and go through underwriting, which evaluates your health, lifestyle, and other factors to assign your specific rate class.

Yes—and it won’t cost you extra. Life insurance premiums are state-regulated, so the price is the same whether you buy through a broker, a website, or a TV commercial. But an independent broker can:

• Identify which carriers have the most favorable underwriting for your specific health history
• Match you with the best-value product for your risk class
• Navigate carriers that frequently update their underwriting guidelines

A good broker turns a confusing process into a straightforward one.

• Lower rate elsewhere? Make sure it’s a term product from an A-rated carrier with the correct term length. If it checks out, great—you found a good deal.
• Much higher rate? This usually means you fall into a lower risk class (sometimes called “table rated”) due to health factors, or you’re looking at a carrier that isn’t price-competitive.
• Have an existing policy? Compare your current premium against today’s rates. You can’t go back in time to lock in rates from when you were younger—but wouldn’t that be nice.

Life insurance pricing reflects the probability of a claim, which increases with age. A 30-year term covers ten more years of elevated risk than a 20-year term. Carriers average that higher cost over the full term length to keep your payments level—so longer terms have a higher annual premium baked in from the start.

The index draws from 12+ carriers popular in the independent broker channel. Rates shown reflect the average of the 2–3 lowest quotes within a tight price window.

If you can afford it and keep it in force—yes. Any coverage is significantly better than none, and you can always add more later as your needs change.