Prudential life insurance
- NerdWallet rating: No. 17 best life insurance company out of 18
- Prudential offers six types of term life policies and a wide variety of universal life policies.
Overview
Prudential Financial, the parent of Prudential Insurance Co. of America, offers a broad slate of term and universal life insurance policies. Extra features can be added to some policies to customize coverage.
NerdWallet rank: 17th
Prudential ranked No. 17 out of 18 large companies scored by NerdWallet. NerdWallet’s life insurance company rankings combine the insurer’s A.M. Best rating, consumer complaints and J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction score.
A.M. Best financial strength rating: A+ (superior)
Financial strength is important because it indicates the insurer’s ability to pay claims. The policy may not pay out for many years after you buy it, so you want to choose a company with the strength and stability to stick around for a long time.
Consumer complaints: Better than the median
Prudential Insurance Co. of America drew fewer than the median number of complaints to state regulators, compared with other life insurers. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners calculated a consumer complaint ratio score of 0.69 for Prudential. The score is based on the number of complaints, adjusted for market share. The median score is 1. A score lower than 1 means fewer complaints, and a score higher than 1 means more complaints.
J.D. Power ratings: GENERALLY AVERAGE
Prudential scored “about average” in all five categories of J.D. Power’s 2016 life insurance customer satisfaction study. The insurer ranked No. 9 overall among 21 companies.
| Prudential customer satisfaction scores | |
|---|---|
| Overall satisfaction | About average |
| Billing and payment | About average |
| Price | About average |
| Policy offerings | About average |
| Interaction | About average |
| Source: J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Life Insurance Study | |
More about Prudential
| Types of life insurance sold | Other products and services |
|---|---|
Special life insurance options
Six varieties of term life: They come with different features and options, and prices vary. The most basic and affordable is Term Essential. Other policies:
- TermElite offers more options, such as the ability to add life insurance coverage for minor children. If you convert the policy to permanent coverage within the first five years, you get a one-year premium credit.
- MyTerm offers quick coverage of $50,000 to $250,000; no medical exam is required to apply. Prudential suspended sales of the product through Wells Fargo in December 2016 but continues to sell MyTerm policies through its own website. The suspension of sales through Wells Fargo came after allegations by former Prudential employees that some bank customers were signed up for policies without their permission.
- PruTerm WorkLife 65 provides coverage up to age 65. If you become disabled, the policy waives the premium until you turn 65 or are no longer disabled. It also waives the premium for a year if you become unemployed.
- PruLife Return of Premium returns the premium at the end of the term if you’re still alive.
- PruTerm One, designed for small-business owners, offers coverage one year at a time.
Wide selection of universal life policies: There are eight products: three types of universal life, three of indexed universal life and two of variable universal life. These permanent policies let you accumulate cash value. The potential for cash value growth varies among the products. The cash value growth in the indexed policies is based on the performance of a financial index, such as the S&P 500. With the variable policies, you pick the underlying investments that will be the basis for cash value growth. There are more than 60 investment options from which to choose.
Updated Jan. 5, 2017.
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