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TIAA life insurance review 2021

Though TIAA no longer sells life insurance, you can still make a claim or shop for life insurance through its partners.

finder.com's rating: 4.5 / 5

★★★★★

TIAA no longer offers life insurance policies as of 2019. However, TIAA is still servicing active policies as well as partnering with other insurance companies to recommend alternative life insurance from its partners.

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Amy Stoltenberg
Last Updated

18 to 80

Issue Age

$100,000 to $5,000,000

Coverage

Depends on policy

Medical Exam Required

Details

Policies Term, Permanent
Coverage maximum $5,000,000
Term lengths Level premiums for 10, 15, 20 or 30 years
Medical exam required Depends on policy
Available states All states
Issue age Not listed

Pros

  • User-friendly website
  • Money-back guarantee
  • Charitable giving benefit option
  • Financially strong

Cons

  • No online quotes
  • No whole life insurance
Riders Accelerated death benefit rider
Cost-of-living rider
Estate protection rider
Waiver-of-premium rider
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Review by

Amy Stoltenberg is a staff writer covering all things travel, shopping and lifestyle. After earning a BA at Savannah College of Art and Design, she worked as technical designer in corporate fashion before opting for a career with unlimited travel time. When her laptop's closed, you can find her wandering around Los Angeles looking for hole-in-the-wall eateries and plotting her way to all 50 states (she's currently at 28).

Expert review

TIAA’s fortitude and comprehensive financial services can make it a one-stop shop for money management.

But if you’re hoping for something more succinct or just want to see what else is out there, be sure to shop around for the best deal.

TIAA life insurance rates

The average cost of a $250,000 term policy for a healthy 30-year-old could be as low as $160 annually, according to the insurer. That’s on the cheap end of the scale compared to other companies. But your actual cost depends on which policy you choose, the amount and length of coverage, as well as your health, lifestyle and other personal factors.

How to get a quote from TIAA life insurance?

TIAA is no longer selling life insurance. If you’re interested in purchasing annuities or other investment accounts with TIAA instead, go to TIAA’s website and navigate to Invest and click See all investment products to get started.

What types of life insurance coverage does TIAA offer?

TIAA’s lineup used to include both term and permanent policies:

  • Annual renewable term (ART) life insurance. Ideal for covering short-term needs, this is a one-year policy that the insurer guarantees to renew for a set number of years — though the premiums will go up.
  • Term life insurance. This policy offers predictable premiums for a specified amount of time, and pays out a guaranteed death benefit if you die before the end of the term.
  • Universal life insurance. A permanent policy that builds cash value over time, and offers flexible premiums and death benefits.
  • Variable universal life. With this hybrid policy, your cash value is invested into multiple subaccounts — and you can also adjust the premiums and death benefit as you see fit.
  • Survivorship life insurance. Also known as second-to-die insurance, this policy covers two people at once and is only paid out after the second spouse passes away. It’s typically bought by wealthy sp0uses to help their heirs to pay estate taxes.

TIAA life insurance reviews and complaints

TIAA isn’t accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but it has an A- rating for its customer interaction. The BBB has recorded 41 complaints over the last three years, which is relatively low for an insurance company. Many complaints revolved around account management issues, and all were promptly resolved by TIAA.

Customers award the insurer 1 out of 5 stars.

AM Best financial rating A++
BBB accredited No
BBB rating A-
1/5 out of 2 customer reviews
Trustpilot score 3.1/5 out of 2 customer reviews
Customer reviews verified as of 25 January 2021

Compare life insurance companies like TIAA

Now that this insurer is no longer actively selling policies, consider a similar life insurance company.

Name Product Issue age Minimum Coverage Maximum Coverage Term Lengths Medical Exam Required
Policygenius
Policygenius
18 - 85 years old
$50,000
$10,000,000
10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years
Depends on provider and policy
Compare 12+ top insurers side-by-side to get the best possible deal, and shop return of premium policies online.
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Bestow
Bestow
18 - 60 years old
$50,000
$1,500,000
10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years
No
Get a quote in less than 10 minutes with on-the-spot approval and no medical exam.
Go to site
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Everyday Life
Everyday Life
20 - 75 years old
$100,000
$10,000,000
10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years.
No
Ladder multiple life insurance policies to save on the coverage you need for all your debts.
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Ladder
Ladder
20 - 60 years old
$100,000
$8,000,000
10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years
No, for coverage up to $3M
Apply for term life insurance online without the medical exam. Get an instant decision and adjust your coverage at no charge.
Go to site
More Info
Sproutt
Sproutt
18 - 60 years old
$50,000
$4,000,000
5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years
No
Compare 40+ insurers and apply online to get the lowest possible price — no medical exam required.
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