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Symetra Life Insurance Review 2024
Assistant Assigning Editor | Life insurance, disability insurance, health care
Katia Iervasi is an assistant assigning editor at NerdWallet. An insurance authority, she previously spent over six years covering insurance topics as a writer, where she loved untangling complicated topics and answering readers’ burning money questions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication and has studied writing, fact-checking and editing with Poynter. Her writing and analysis has been featured in The Washington Post, Forbes, Yahoo, Entrepreneur, Best Company and FT Advisor. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Katia currently lives in New York City.
Assigning Editor
Erica Corbin is a former assigning editor at NerdWallet. Erica joined NerdWallet in 2020 as an assistant assigning editor at large. In 2023, she was promoted to assigning editor and helped lead the credit cards vertical at NerdWallet Canada. She previously wrote and edited content at companies such as GOBankingRates and Nasdaq. Her work has been syndicated to USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN and more.
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Symetra
4.0
on Nerdwallet
Financial strength ratingThese ratings indicate an insurer’s ability to pay future claims.
Online purchaseThis indicates whether the company offers a way to apply for and purchase policies entirely online.
NAIC complaintsRatings 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. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.
Policies offeredTerm policies last a set number of years, while permanent policies typically last a lifetime. No-exam policies don’t require a medical exam.
Pros
- Sells a policy that doesn’t require a medical exam.
- Useful “find a form” feature online.
- Offers a charitable giving rider.
Cons
- No online quotes.
- Lack of policy information on website.
- Some policies aren't available in all states.
on Nerdwallet
Symetra
4.0
Financial strength ratingThese ratings indicate an insurer’s ability to pay future claims.
Online purchaseThis indicates whether the company offers a way to apply for and purchase policies entirely online.
NAIC complaintsRatings 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. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.
Policies offeredTerm policies last a set number of years, while permanent policies typically last a lifetime. No-exam policies don’t require a medical exam.
Pros
- Sells a policy that doesn’t require a medical exam.
- Useful “find a form” feature online.
- Offers a charitable giving rider.
Cons
- No online quotes.
- Lack of policy information on website.
- Some policies aren't available in all states.
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.
Dive deeper: Ratings methodology for life insurance
Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, Symetra specializes in retirement planning, employee benefits and insurance products. It’s owned by Sumitomo Life, one of the largest insurers in Japan.
With a network of representatives and brokers across the country, Symetra has a solid lineup of term and permanent life insurance. But you can’t get a quote online, and not all policies are available nationwide.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
Symetra life insurance rating
4.0
NerdWallet ratingSymetra life insurance earned 4 out of 5 stars 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.
» MORE: Best life insurance companies
Symetra life insurance policies
Symetra sells both term and permanent life insurance.
Term life insurance. Symetra Term Life is open to people 20 to 80 years old, with coverage starting at $250,000. Depending on your age, you can choose a policy lasting 10, 15, 20 or 30 years, and the premiums stay the same. There’s a conversion feature, which means you can switch to a permanent policy when you’re 70 or have had the policy for 10 years, whichever comes first.
If you need coverage quickly, look into Symetra SwiftTerm. It’s promoted as an instant life insurance policy, with many people getting a decision within 18 minutes of submitting the online application. Just know that if the insurer still has questions about your health, the company might send you a follow-up email or ask you to take a medical exam. In that case, you can expect to hear back within 30 days. Coverage ranges from $100,000 to $5 million.
Permanent life insurance. Symetra offers various types of universal life insurance, including:
Symetra Accumulator Ascent IUL offers lifelong coverage, flexible premiums and the ability to build cash value, which is tied to the performance of a market index. This indexed universal life insurance policy is available to people ages 20 to 85, with coverage starting at $100,000.
Symetra Protector IUL also has a cash value account that’s linked to the market. Coverage starts at $100,000.
Symetra CAUL is available up to age 85. You’re guaranteed to earn a current interest rate of 2% or more over 12 months.
With some universal policies, applicants 20 to 70 years old can earn premium discounts for leading a healthy lifestyle through the insurer’s GoodLife rewards program.
Symetra’s website doesn’t provide online quotes. You’ll need to contact customer service via phone or email, and then they’ll put you in touch with a local representative.
Symetra life insurance riders
You can customize your coverage with common life insurance riders. The options vary by policy, and most come with an extra fee:
Accelerated death benefit rider. Allows you to access up to 75% of your policy’s payout if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness and have less than 12 months to live. The accelerated death benefit rider is included in Symetra’s policies.
Accidental death benefit rider. Pays your life insurance beneficiaries an additional sum of up to $250,000 if you die in an accident.
Term insurance rider. Adds 20 years of term life insurance to your policy.Charitable giving benefit rider. Donates a sum of money equal to 1% of your life insurance payout, up to $100,000, to a charity of your choice when you die.
Chronic illness rider. Allows you to tap up to 50% of your policy’s payout if you have a chronic illness and can’t perform basic tasks, such as dressing yourself, for at least three months.
Overloan lapse protection rider. Lets you withdraw money from or borrow against your permanent life insurance policy without fear of it lapsing.
Symetra life insurance rates
Below are monthly rates for a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy from Symetra. 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 | $23.21 | $18.14 |
30 | $24.03 | $18.97 |
40 | $35.45 | $29.53 |
50 | $83.19 | $64.92 |
60 | $226.42 | $161.37 |
70 | N/A | N/A |
Source: Quotacy. Rates reflect the super preferred class and were generated on 7/5/23. | ||
Symetra customer complaints and satisfaction
Over three years, Symetra has drawn fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators for a company of its size, according to NerdWallet’s analysis of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
More about Symetra
If you have a policy with Symetra, you can manage your coverage, download forms and change your life insurance beneficiaries through the online portal.
Individual life insurance aside, Symetra offers these financial products:
Annuities.
Stop loss insurance for businesses.
Group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
Group disability insurance.
Voluntary supplemental insurance, including accident insurance, critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity insurance.
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.
Methodology
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.