Kemper Life Insurance Review 2024

Georgia Rose
By Georgia Rose 
Updated
Edited by Lacie Glover

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Kemper

2.5

NerdWallet rating 
Bottom line: With very few tools available online and relatively high complaints, Kemper is unlikely to be the best option for most life insurance shoppers.

on Nerdwallet

Financial strength rating

Strong

Online purchase

No

NAIC complaints

Far more than expected

Policies offered

Term & permanent
insurance-product-card-logo

on Nerdwallet

Kemper

2.5

NerdWallet rating 
Bottom line: With very few tools available online and relatively high complaints, Kemper is unlikely to be the best option for most life insurance shoppers.

Financial strength rating

Strong

Online purchase

No

NAIC complaints

Far more than expected

Policies offered

Term & permanent

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.

Kemper Life is based in St. Louis and falls under the Kemper Corp. umbrella. Term and whole life insurance policies are sold and managed by Kemper Life companies, which include United Insurance Company of America, The Reliable Life Insurance Company, Union National Life Insurance Company and Mutual Savings Life Insurance Company.

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.

Kemper life insurance

2.5

NerdWallet rating 

Kemper Life earned 2.5 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.

Kemper life insurance policies

Kemper sells term and permanent life insurance policies. You can purchase a policy only from an agent, not online, and product availability varies by state.

Term life insurance. The company sells term life insurance, with coverage ranging from $25,000 to $250,000.

Permanent life insurance. Kemper offers a straightforward whole life insurance policy with level premiums. It also sells guaranteed issue life insurance to applicants from 3 to 80 years old. Guaranteed issue policies don’t require a medical exam for approval, which means you can get coverage regardless of your health. However, you cannot be hospitalized, living in a nursing home, receiving in-home care or terminally ill.

Kemper Life customer complaints and satisfaction

Over three years, Kemper life insurance companies have collectively drawn far more complaints to state regulators than expected for companies of similar size, according to a NerdWallet analysis of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

More about Kemper insurance

Kemper’s website offers limited information on its life insurance policies and doesn’t have an online portal for policyholders to manage their accounts or make payments. If you wish to make policy changes, the website has forms available.

Kemper also sells auto and homeowners insurance. For more information, read our Kemper insurance review.

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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 2020-2022. 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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