Ladder Life Insurance Review & Complaints: Life Insurance (2024)

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A newcomer to the life insurance industry, Ladder Life aims to stand out from traditional insurers with a modern and flexible approach. They sell term life policies with a simplified application process and adjustable benefits.

What is Ladder Life?

Life insurance startup Ladder Life opened for business in January of 2017, first in California and then beyond into all states with the exception of New York, where they plan to offer coverage in the near future. They offer policies that are underwritten by an older company – the Fidelity Security Life insurance company – founded in 1969.

Ladder uses an entirely digital approach to sales of life insurance policies and offers quick decisions and instant coverage. Unlike other simplified issue policies, however, the site states that all of their products are, in fact, fully underwritten. The company uses an algorithm to determine acceptance and rates but does require medical history exams and lab work for some applicants.

The insurer partners with a membership-based financial planning company, SoFi, to provide insurance to its members but is also available to the general public. Quotes and coverage can be obtained online from the insurer; there are no agents or sales reps.

Ladder’s insurer company headquarters is located in Palo Alto, California, but they do not provide in person customer service.

What types of insurance products are offered?

Ladder life insurance company writes only term life insurance for people between the ages of 20 and 60, with some limitations. The length of the term life policy plus your current age cannot be more than 70 years. Thus, and 60-year-old applicant can only apply for a 10-year term. The available term lengths are 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years. Supplementary coverage options are available through others types of policies in the life insurance industry.

They have a wide range of death benefit amounts for flexible coverage, starting at $100,000 and going up to $8,000,000. The insured has the option to adjust their death benefit amount over time as their needs change; Ladder states there is no fee for making these changes. The term length can also be adjusted over time. For increases in death benefits or extended-term length, the additional coverage will come with a newly added premium amount. They allow cancellation at any time without any penalties or fees. (For more information, read our “How much does a $100000 life insurance policy cost?“).

While Ladder uses an online application and states that coverage may be issued within minutes, that is not the case for every applicant. In some cases, the company will require a lab appointment to gather more health information. A mobile technician will be sent to the applicant’s home to complete this process. This differs from insurance companies that promise simplified or guaranteed issue policies with no medical exam; all of Ladder’s policies are fully underwritten and it is possible to be turned down for coverage. The initial questions asked during the online application will be used to determine whether a lab appointment is needed.

Ladder’s term life insurance products are meant to be simple and straightforward, so they do not offer any riders.

Are the company’s rates competitive?

There are two ways to get rates from Ladder’s website.

Their estimate tool is the quickest and simplest method and provides a number based on just a few simple details – people ages, gender, height, weight, and ZIP code. In order to get a more accurate rate, a full complement of health and history questions must be answered along with providing personal contact information.

We ran a quick quote using the estimate tool. Our sample was for a 30-year-old male, 6′ tall, and 180 lbs., living in Southern California.

For a 10-year term policy with a death benefit of $100,000, the sample rate came back at $9.36 a month.

We upped the coverage to $1,000,000 with the 10-year term and came back with a rate of $26.10. month.

Finally, we looked at both death benefit amounts with a 30-year term instead. The $100,000 policy came back at $15.35 costs a month, and the $1 million coverage amounts at $60.80 a month costs.

The online life insurance estimate tool is very easy to use and shows the price for each term length as you toggle through the death benefit amounts. The rates we saw for term life insurance are very reasonable when compared to other companies, particularly at the higher-end death benefit amount.

Ladder Life Insurance Claims Process

Ease of Filing a Claim (Online, Over the Phone, Mobile Apps).

Ladder Life Insurance offers a digital and entirely online approach to filing insurance claims. Policyholders can initiate the claims process by sending an email to the company. Unfortunately, there is no option to file a claim over the phone or through a mobile app.

This fully digital process may appeal to those who prefer online interactions but may not be ideal for individuals who prefer more traditional claim filing methods.

Average Claim Processing Time.

Ladder Life does not specify the average claim processing time on their website. Policyholders will need to contact the company directly to inquire about the typical duration for claims to be processed. The absence of this information may be a drawback for individuals looking for transparency and predictability in the claims process.

Customer Feedback on Claim Resolutions and Payouts.

As of the time of this review, Ladder Life is a relatively new company, and there is limited customer feedback available regarding their claim resolutions and payouts. The absence of a Better Business Bureau (BBB) page for Ladder Life makes it challenging to access customer reviews and ratings.

Potential policyholders may need to wait a few more years to see a reputation form for the company in terms of claim resolutions and payouts.

Ladder Life Insurance Digital and Technological Features

Mobile App Features and Functionality.

Ladder Life Insurance does not offer a dedicated mobile app for policy management or claims processing. While they emphasize a digital approach in their sales process, the absence of a mobile app may be a limitation for individuals who prefer the convenience of managing their policies on a mobile platform.

Online Account Management Capabilities.

Ladder Life’s primary digital platform for policy management is their website. Policyholders can access their accounts online to make adjustments to their coverage, such as changing the death benefit amount or term length. However, the absence of a dedicated mobile app for account management means that customers will need to rely on the website for online account access.

Digital Tools and Resources.

Ladder Life Insurance provides online tools, such as an estimate tool, on their website for obtaining insurance quotes. These tools allow potential policyholders to input basic information and receive initial rate estimates. However, the company does not offer extensive digital tools or resources beyond this, such as educational materials or interactive features to enhance the customer experience.

What’s the bottom line?

Ladder is likely to appeal to those who prefer a modern approach to insurance, have simple needs, and do not want to deal with agents and solicitation. They have good rates and high death benefit options, with the possibility of an instant life insurance policy issue.