Haven Life Insurance Review 2023

Katia Iervasi
By Katia Iervasi 
Updated
Edited by Erica Corbin

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Editor’s note: Haven Life is in the process of winding down operations, according to a statement from MassMutual, its parent company. Haven Life policies have always been issued by MassMutual, so this change should not affect policyholders. You can still purchase policies via Haven's site for now. We’ll update this review as we learn more.

insurance-product-card-logo

Haven Life

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Bottom line: Haven’s online application process is quick and bypasses medical exams for some applicants.

on Nerdwallet

Financial strength rating

Exceptional

Online purchase

Yes

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected

Policies offered

Term & no-exam
insurance-product-card-logo

on Nerdwallet

Haven Life

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Bottom line: Haven’s online application process is quick and bypasses medical exams for some applicants.

Financial strength rating

Exceptional

Online purchase

Yes

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected

Policies offered

Term & no-exam

In our life insurance reviews, our editorial team considers the customer and the insurer. These are some of the factors we take into account:

Policies offered. There are many types of life insurance on the market, and they fall into three key categories:

  • Term life insurance offers temporary coverage and a guaranteed payout if the policyholder dies during the term.

  • Permanent life insurance typically lasts a lifetime and builds cash value that can be borrowed against in the future.

  • No-exam life insurance issues coverage without the need for a medical exam.

Financial strength. We use AM Best ratings to confirm an insurer’s long-term financial stability and ability to pay claims. For life insurance, NerdWallet typically recommends considering insurers with ratings of A- or higher. Here’s the breakdown:

  • Exceptional: A+, A++.

  • Strong: A-, A.

  • Moderate: B, B+.

Complaints. These ratings are based on complaints to state regulators relative to a company’s size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The best life insurance companies have fewer than the expected number of complaints.

Buy online. This indicates whether an insurer allows you to apply for and buy a policy completely online.

Haven offers term life insurance online in all 50 states and D.C., with a streamlined application process that takes about 25 minutes, and some policies going into effect on the same day. The company doesn’t sell permanent life insurance.

Haven’s policies are issued by its parent company, MassMutual, one of the largest life insurers in the U.S.

Why you can trust NerdWallet: Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure the content on our site is accurate and fair so you can make financial decisions with confidence and choose the products that work best for you. Here is a list of our partners, and here’s how we make money.

Haven life insurance

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

Haven earned 5 stars out of 5 for overall performance. NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account consumer experience, complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and financial strength ratings.

Based on these ratings, Haven is one of NerdWallet's best life insurance companies for 2023.

Haven life insurance policies

Haven accesses data and uses an algorithm and artificial intelligence to quickly evaluate applicants. The company offers two different types of term life insurance:

Haven Term provides up to $3 million of coverage for adults younger than 60 and up to $1 million for applicants ages 60 to 64. Some healthy applicants up to age 59 can qualify for up to $1 million in coverage that starts immediately. But in many cases, applicants must undergo a life insurance medical exam to secure coverage.

Haven Simple is designed for those who prefer not to have a medical exam. It offers $25,000 to $1 million in coverage if your digital application is approved. Haven Simple isn't available to residents of California, Delaware, New York, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Haven Life policies include an accelerated death benefit, which allows you to tap part of the death benefit if you become terminally ill. In some cases, you can buy a waiver of premium rider, which means you wouldn’t have to continue paying premiums if you became totally disabled.

Haven life insurance rates

Below are monthly rates for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy from Haven Life. These are sample rates for a nonsmoking man and woman in excellent health — the final quote you’re offered will depend on factors like your age, health, lifestyle, occupation and driving record.

Age

Monthly rate - man

Monthly rate - woman

20

$18.73

$14.82

30

$19.04

$15.16

40

$28.42

$24.11

50

$151

$106.19

60

$545.82

$468.40

Source: Quotacy. Rates reflect the super preferred class and were generated on 10/4/23.

Haven customer complaints and satisfaction

Over three years, MassMutual — the company that issues Haven's policies — has drawn far fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators for a company of its size, according to a NerdWallet analysis of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Additionally, Haven’s parent company, MassMutual, ranked No. 9 out of 22 companies for customer satisfaction in J.D. Power's 2022 U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study

.

How Haven compares to other insurers

Haven Life

Ladder

Ethos

Star rating

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

4.0

NerdWallet rating 

3.5

NerdWallet rating 

Financial strength

Exceptional.

Strong.

Strong.

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected.

Fewer than expected.

Fewer than expected.

Policy types offered

Term, no-exam.

Term, no-exam.

Term, permanent, no-exam.

Read full reviews

More about Haven

The company offers additional services through Haven Life Plus, a free feature that can be added to its Haven Term policies. Haven Life Plus isn't available in Florida, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota or Washington, and certain benefits are open to California residents.

Haven Life Plus includes access to:

  • A digital service offered by Trust & Will to create an online will.

  • A one-year subscription to Aaptiv, an audio-based fitness app.

  • Timeshifter, a program that helps you create custom plans to avoid suffering from jet lag.

  • LifeSite, an online safe deposit box, for you and up to five family members.

  • A 15% discount on any single CVS MinuteClinic service.

  • Lantern, a tool to document end-of-life wishes, including what happens to social media accounts.

The company doesn’t have a mobile app. Beneficiaries can start a life insurance claim by calling 1-855-744-2836. After speaking with a representative, beneficiaries will be sent a claims packet in the mail.

Life insurance aside, Haven also sells disability insurance and an annuity product known as AgeUp.

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Life insurance buying guide

Before you start comparing companies, choose the type of life insurance you want, such as term or whole life. Decide which life insurance riders, if any, you want the policy to include. Calculate how much life insurance you need and how long you want the coverage to last. Check that the insurers you’re considering offer the coverage you’re looking for.

When comparing rates, be sure the quotes are for the same amount of coverage over the same period of time. It’s also important to make sure the policy’s medical requirements match your needs. For example, if you want to skip the life insurance medical exam but don’t mind answering health questions, confirm that the application process for each policy you're comparing aligns with that.

Price may not be the biggest driver behind your decision to buy. Look at the number of consumer complaints each company receives, as high numbers can be a red flag about the quality of service.

For more guidance, see our life insurance buying guide.

Life insurance ratings methodology

NerdWallet’s life insurance ratings are based on consumer experience, complaint index scores from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for individual life insurance, and weighted averages of financial strength ratings, which indicate a company’s ability to pay future claims. Within the consumer experience category, we consider ease of communication and website transparency, which looks at the depth of policy details available online. To calculate each insurer’s rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale.

These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.

Insurer complaints methodology

NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2019-2021. To assess how insurers compare with one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.

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