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Our Verdict
Our Verdict
Ethos offers no-exam term life and whole life insurance policies through its online marketplace, with a focus on a quick and convenient approval process. Its no-exam term life insurance rates aren’t among the lowest, but Ethos life insurance is worth considering if you’re looking for an easy, online application process. But if you’re under age 66, you’ll have to look elsewhere for whole life insurance.
Pros
- 100% online application process for its no-exam life insurance policies
- Same-day coverage
- Ethos term life insurance is renewable up to age 94
- Offers traditional term life (with an exam) for buyers seeking higher coverage amounts
Cons
- No-exam term life insurance policies cannot be converted to permanent policies
- Only sells term and whole life insurance
- Whole life insurance only available to those ages 66 to 85
On Ethos Life's Website
3.5
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Median time for no-exam application approval
Instant
Maximum no-exam coverage amount
$2 million
Term lengths available
10, 15, 20 or 30 years
Table of Contents
- Types of Ethos Life Insurance Policies
- How Much Does Ethos Life Insurance Cost?
- Ethos Life Insurance Riders
- How Do I Buy Life Insurance From Ethos?
- How to File a Claim with Ethos
- Ethos Company History
- Methodology
Show more
Types of Ethos Life Insurance Policies
Ethos Term Life Insurance
Term life insurance is an option for people seeking to choose a time period to lock in fixed rates.
Ethos offers no-exam term life insurance with coverage up to $2 million for buyers up to age 50. The level term length options are 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. This term policy is renewable up to age 94, but the death benefit will be reduced with each renewal.
Ethos also offers traditional term life insurance that is fully underwritten (requires a medical exam) for customers seeking higher coverage amounts.
Ethos Whole Life Insurance
For people looking for a lifelong insurance policy, whole life insurance is an option.
Ethos whole life insurance is available to people ages 66 to 85 and offers guaranteed approval. There are no medical exams required for coverage amounts from $1,000 to $30,000. As long as you pay the required premiums, Ethos’ whole life insurance lasts for your lifetime.
Some of Ethos’ whole life policies issued have a graded death benefit. This is a common feature of guaranteed issue life insurance.
With graded death benefits, your beneficiaries may only get a refund of premiums paid, plus interest, if you die from something other than an accident during the first few years after buying the coverage.
How Much Does Ethos Life Insurance Cost?
Ethos life insurance costs an average of $336 a year for a no-exam, 20-year term life policy with a death benefit of $500,000 for a female age 40, based on Forbes Advisor research. The same policy for a male of the same age is $442, on average.
Ethos’s no-exam life insurance rates are competitive.
Ethos 20-year No-Exam Life Insurance Rates Compared to Competitors
| Company | $500,000 term life insurance for a female buyer age 40 | $1 million term life insurance for a female buyer age 40 | Learn More CTA text | Learn more CTA below text | LEARN MORE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighthouse | $280 a year | $470 a year | Compare Quotes | Compare quotes from participating carriers via Policygenius.com | ||||||
| Pacific Life | $280 a year | $470 a year | Compare Quotes | Compare quotes from participating carriers via Policygenius.com | ||||||
| Ethos | $336 a year | $595 a year | Compare Quotes | Compare quotes from participating carriers via Policygenius.com | ||||||
| Prudential | $370 a year | $605 a year | Compare Quotes | Compare quotes from participating carriers via Policygenius.com | ||||||
| Ladder | $372 a year | $648 a year | Compare Quotes | Compare quotes from participating carriers via Policygenius.com | ||||||
| Sources: Policygenius, Ladder and Forbes Advisor research. | ||||||||||
Ethos 20-year No-Exam Term Life Insurance Rates by Age and Amount
| Coverage | Buyer age 30, cost per year | Buyer age 40, cost per year | Buyer age 50, cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|
$500,000 term life insurance | Male: $252 | Male: $442 | Male: $1,026 |
$1 million term life insurance | Male: $449 | Male: $759 | Male: $1,935 |
Source: Forbes Advisor research
Ethos Life Insurance Riders
A life insurance rider is an add-on that provides additional life insurance benefits—often for an extra cost. Ethos’ term life insurance policy includes an accelerated death benefit rider, which allows you to tap into your death benefit money if you’re diagnosed as terminally ill.
Note that the availability or riders can vary by policy and state.
How Do I Buy Life Insurance From Ethos?
In most cases, you can purchase Ethos life insurance on its website without ever speaking to anyone. But, if you wish to speak with someone, contact an Ethos agent.
How to File a Claim with Ethos
You can file an Ethos claim by calling the company at (415) 915-0665. Although its website offers limited information on filing claims, you can also email support@ethoslife.com with questions.
Ethos Company History
Ethos was established in 2016 after one of its founders, Lingke Wang, bought an expensive life insurance policy he couldn’t afford, simply because he did not understand life insurance. Wang later joined forces with Peter Colis to create a life insurance agency that simplified the application process so that more people could get coverage, regardless of their life insurance education level or health status.
Ethos is an insurance agency that sells life insurance from companies such as Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., Legal & General America, TruStage Financial Group, Senior Life Insurance Company and Mutual of Omaha.
Ethos Life Insurance Quick Facts
- Headquarters: Austin, Texas
- Established in 2016
- Sells term life and whole life insurance
Methodology
To find the best no-exam life insurance policies, we scored companies based on these measurements:
Price (50% of score): We averaged the no-exam life insurance rates for males and females in excellent health at ages 30, 40 and 50 for $500,000 and $1 million and a term length of 20 years.
Maximum face amount for lowest eligible age (10% of score): Companies with higher no-exam life insurance coverage amounts for the lowest age earned more points. Note that maximum no-exam coverage can sometimes become lower if you apply at a higher age.
Age eligible for best length/amount (10% of score): Companies offering no-exam life insurance to folks over age 50 earned extra points.
Accelerated death benefit available (10% of score): This important feature lets you access part of your own death benefit in the event you develop a terminal illness
Option to convert to a permanent life insurance policy (10% of score): This is a good option to have in place if you decide you want a longer policy, especially if your health has declined and you don’t want to shop for new life insurance.
Guaranteed renewals (5% of score): This option lets you extend the coverage after your initial level term period has expired, such as at the end of 10, 20 or 30 years. Renewal rates can be significantly higher, but renewing can provide extended coverage to someone who may no longer qualify for a new life insurance policy because of health.
Median time from application to approval (5% of score): We gave more points to companies with lower no-exam life insurance approval times.
The timeline for approval could be within seconds or a month, depending on the company and possibly even your health.
Sources: Policygenius, Ladder and Forbes Advisor research.
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