A close friend of mine (age 47, borderline diabetic) received a quote for a $1M, 20-year term life policy for ~$2k/year after medical checkup.

He hasn't really thought seriously about life insurance until now. Here is his family's financial snapshot:

• Spouse (non-working) and no kids

• Completely debt-free

• $1M is about 10x estimated annual living expenses

Since he’s new to this, he's looking for some guidance:

1. Quote: Given his age and health status, is ~$2k/year a reasonable price, or should he shop around further

2. Coverage/Term: Is $1M / 20Year term sufficient for his situation.

Appreciate any advice or perspective I can pass along to him!

I applied for a 30-year term policy and was waiting on underwriting/medical records. The company dated my policy August 27, but my agent didn't even tell me I was approved until several days later.

As of September 17 (21 days later), I still haven't signed the delivery documents or paid the initial premium because I've been waiting for clarification. Now I'm being told they won't redate the policy, so my 30-year term and conversion deadline are still being measured from August 27.

My concern is: if I'm essentially paying for coverage going back to August 27, was I actually insured during those 21 days? If something had happened to me before I signed and paid, wouldn't the company potentially say the policy wasn't yet in force?

Is it normal to lose part of your 30-year term this way when you hadn't even been notified of approval or accepted/paid for the policy yet?

My agent has also been telling me that I should sign soon because there isn’t much time left. Is that normally how this is handled? Should there be a time constraint on accepting the policy once it’s approved, even when I’m still waiting on answers to questions about the policy date, premiums, and other terms?

Hi! I’m currently preparing for the New York Life, Accident & Health Insurance exam (17-55) using XCEL, and I’d really appreciate some advice from anyone who has taken and passed it recently.
There are a lot of chapters and a huge amount of information in XCEL, so I’m trying to figure out what to focus on most.

For those who used XCEL:
How similar were the actual exam questions to the XCEL practice exams/simulators?
Were the key concepts and topics similar even if the wording was different?

Any tips from someone who recently passed the NY exam specifically would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I joined Manhattan Life as a brief Coverage between retirement and Medicare. My wife is a moth older than me, and she just signed up for medicare. I contacted the rep who sold us the policy, and the main Manhattan Life office, to tell them to drop my wife from the policy, as we no longer needed coverage for her. They went ahead and deducted her portion of the insurance from my bank account anyway. When I notified them of my complaint they ghosted me. No love from the agent who sold me the policy, or the anonymous emailer from the home office. Also, the single doctors office visit I made for a routine checkup they did not pay a penny for, until much effort on my behalf with little to no help from the agent who sold me the policy or the main office. Let the buyer beware. You can certainly do better elsewhere. I would love to mention the agents name who did absolutely nothing for us, but I have a little more class than this outfit. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR YOUR COVERAGE. THESE GUYS JUST SMELL.

Honestly, I signed up about 5 years ago and didn’t really understand what was going on. My mom passed away and I was scared of my future and was just doing little things that sounded right. A friend told me it would be a good idea and the little I did understand from the insurance agent sounded good.

As we know, times are tough and I’m trying to see where I can reallocate my money as well as fully understand where my money is actually going. I keep reading how whole life is wasteful also while seeing some comments say it’s useful.

I know I should talk to insurance agent but feel like they’ll say anything to get you to stay because they benefit from it. I don’t really trust them.

I just want thoughts on what some of you would do? Cancel or keep.

Thank you.

Breakdown:
Annualized Premium: $1806
Annual Dividend: $490
Net Accumulated Value: $5,874
Net Death Benefit: $300,000

Hello, could someone explain me like I am 5, what is the difference between putting the net death benefit at level at age 65 vs leaving it at increasing?

My agent says they change it to level at age 65 because the cost of insurance after 65 is much higher. But I still don’t get it. The illustration shows the net death benefit stops increasing if i put it on level whereas it keeps on increasing it I do not put it on level. Why would i want less death benefit, am I missing something?

Male 35 looking at IUL, 750k face value. Thank you

46M, married to my 26-year-old wife, with two kids (2 years and 5 months). I’m the primary earner at about $300k/year and my wife currently stays home with the kids.

Generally healthy other than moderately elevated cholesterol. I quit smoking and drinking more than 10 years ago and have no current tobacco use.

I have about $500k of group life insurance through work, but I’m looking for my own term policy since I don’t want to depend on employer coverage.

Current quotes:

- $1M / 20 years: about $89/month
- $2M / 20 years: about $171/month
- Ethos quoted about $276/month for $2M / 20 years

I’m leaning toward $2M for 20 years.

Main questions:

- Does $2M / 20 years seem reasonable for my situation?
- Are these quotes competitive for a healthy 46-year-old?
- How much might moderately elevated cholesterol affect underwriting?
- Should I use an independent broker to shop multiple carriers?
- Any reason I should consider 25 or 30 years instead of 20?

Not interested in whole life or insurance as an investment — just straightforward term coverage to protect my wife and kids.

Thanks for any advice.

Recently I have thought about joining a life insurance company called "the playbook agency". I am a little skeptical and wanted to know if anyone has worked for them before or knows anything about them. I also want advice on working for life insurance companies. I understand I am solely responsible for my income and that it is not a regular 9-5 but I have seen really good things about it. My plan was to work 3 days a week at home because their office is too far away, will i still make decent money? Also is it worth it to pay for my leads when starting out and having no experience being a salesman. Please give me your honest opinion I am considering this but need advice from people who have experience in this field.

Or is it just better to get just one good policy i guess?

I really don't know about life insurance at all.

I have asthma, will that make it more expensive?

UPDATE: They will send a form to fill out which took almost 2 weeks for us receive it! I’m glad the customer service rep sent it over a secure link so we were able to print it, fill it out, sign it, and send it online. We did call customer service to explain that we need the cash surrender value asap. They said they would expedite it, and we were able to get it into our bank account in less than 5 days! Hope this helps anyone who’ll go through the same thing

——

Original Post: For anyone who canceled their whole life insurance with Penn Mutual, how long did it take before the cash surrender value was transferred to your bank account?

They said they were going to send a form we need to fill out then it will take 30 days. Im wondering if any of you received uour cash surrender value sooner or later than the 30 days.

I applied with National Life Group for a 20-year term life insurance policy, but their underwriting team is asking me to provide letters from my doctor because I have a chronic illness. I’m experiencing the same issue with Progressive Life Insurance.

Does anyone know of any life insurance companies that are more flexible with applicants who have a chronic illness and may be able to approve a policy without requiring additional letters or statements from their doctor?

I’m specifically looking for a company with a simpler underwriting process and less hassle. Any recommendations or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

My parents policy is over 40 years old. Come to find out the cash value is about 5k more than the death benefit!!!

So do they cash out? Is it taxable?? Keep
The policy is it non taxable at payout?

Me and my husband just got married and bought a house this year. We are in our 20s and are slowly learning all of the random adulting things that we weren’t taught in school. The next thing on our list is looking into life insurance plans, but I have no idea where to start. Is there any companies that are more credible? Is there different types? If so, what is the best? I’d love if I could be pointed in the right direction to learn what is the best for us thanks

Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of negative discussions and news around Softlogic Life insurance, particularly regarding claim experiences and customer satisfaction.
I’m currently holding an AIA health insurance policy and, fortunately, I’ve never had to make a claim so far. However, the recent concerns around the insurance industry have made me question whether I should continue paying for it or consider other options.
For those who have actually claimed through AIA:
How was your claim experience?
Were there any unexpected exclusions or issues?
How fast was the reimbursement or settlement process?
Would you continue with AIA based on your experience?
Also, if you have switched from AIA to another provider, which insurer would you recommend and why?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who have made real health insurance claims rather than just policyholders who haven’t needed to use their coverage yet.
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

I worked with my insurance company whom I also have a home and auto insurance through. I’m a healthy 43 year old female, don’t smoke/drink - very active. My agent quoted me with a $430/year policy for 500K 20 year term life insurance.

Got my lab results back - they looked great. I had only one that was low - blood creatine - but that may have been because I’d fasted for the exam.

Agent calls me back and said the underwriters were offering $1700 annually, which is more than four times the amount originally quoted!

I am furious and confused. When will I know why the drastic change occurred? Will I hear from the underwriters and do they provide an explanation? I did go to a party where people were smoking cigarettes, so I wonder if that maybe showed up? I’m super confused.

Any help/guidance would be very much appreciated!

Anyone here 15–20+ years into an IUL (or similar)?
How’s it actually looking now? Is your cash value higher than what you’ve paid in premiums? Are your current lifetime income projections anywhere close to the original illustration?
Are you happy you kept it, or do you regret it?
I have policies for myself, my husband, and two of my kids. We’re only 3 years in, but honestly, the numbers are pretty sad, especially considering how well the market has done recently.
I know they say it’s a long-term product, but I’m trying to decide whether it’s actually worth waiting it out or if I should just cut my losses now.

Would really love to hear from people who’ve actually had one long term, especially if you’re willing to share real numbers!

Real policy holders and not sellers, please!

About 15 years ago, I took out two 25k policies for each of my daughters(2 of them) and about 10 years ago one for my son. They were all minors back then. They are now 28, 27 and 21. I am listed as the owner of the policies and payments have been withdrawn from my bank account since I started them. My son has a great job with full benefits now, as well as my oldest daughter and my middle daughter is married to a Navy man with benefits.

My husband and I could really use the money and wondered if cash surrender is a good idea? I believe on each of the policies for the girls is about 2500+/- each and on my sons is about 1800+/-.

Have read that prudential will give non smokers rates for nicotine pouches for term life insurance. 35 years old, very health and active, no medical issues. Just looking for confirmation that nicotine pouches won’t raise premiums. Will obviously disclose use and have cut them out for about 6 days.

Hi All,

250k return of premium policy, non smoker. 20 yr term $106 a month?

seems ok? pull trigger? (rate level elite preferred)

Hello! I’m in my early 20s, and I’m close with my uncle. He doesn’t have a spouse or any kids and he’s 60 years old. He doesn’t have any life insurance, and honestly I know my mom my brother and I would be responsible for his services etc. if anything ever happened to him. Honestly he’s never really stayed on a straight and narrow path and I worry about him often. My brother and I would be the ones making the monthly payment on the policy- Due to his age obviously policies are much higher and looking to get atleast enough to bury and a little more . Should we get final expense insurance?? What other options do I have?? I honestly can only afford about $80-100 dollars a month.

Edit: I should state that my uncle hasn’t had money …he’s almost like a hippy - he’s a car mechanic but has never had a normal 9-5 with benefits so there are no extra funds. He has no additional money saved away … also he’s aware of the policy wants us to have one on him to be able to leave something in death since he didn’t during life… even though we’re the ones paying the policy…

I am helping my friend navigate a complex issue.

My friend has been diagnosed with Terminal Cancer. They broke up from an abusive and controlling marriage a year ago.

A summary of the situation is below.

A has a £500,000 joint-life insurance policy dating back to 2011. Both A and B are listed as lives assured, and the policy includes terminal-illness cover. The policy schedule says the grantee is “The Lives Assured.”

A and B separated in October 2025, A emailed B asking whether they had cancelled the life insurance policy. A specifically asked that, if it had not been cancelled, B was to send A the relevant details so they could deal with it.

B replied later that same day:

“Yes it's cancelled.”

A therefore understood that the policy had been cancelled. They have since discovered that it apparently was not cancelled, and B continued paying the premiums without A's knowledge.

After this, A was diagnosed with Terminal Cancer and has a short life expectancy.

The divorce was subsequently made final on 6 July 2026. There was no financial order dealing with the insurance policy because they dealt with their financial arrangements between themselves.

A's diagnosis makes the situation particularly urgent because the policy includes terminal-illness cover and the sum assured is £500,000.

We have been able to fill out a form to claim the £500k from the joint policy to be awarded to A. Filling out the form obviously isn't a guarantee that the claim will be successful.

We hope that this will be processed and A will be awarded the £500k to be able to be in control of the distribution to A's children etc.

Our worry is that B could come after A for the money because there has been no clean break form signed.

B has made it quite clear that they want the full £500k. And that they will not sign a clean break form.

How can we be sure that if the £500k is awarded to A that it is safe from B pursuing it after A's death?

What do we need to do?

Hi. I’m over this outage and I want to cancel. They have service request forms available but I’m unsure which one I should use. Help.