Liberty National Life Insurance Review

Pros Explained

• Offers convertible term coverage: Some of Liberty National’s term policies can be converted to a whole life policy, in case you decide you want permanent coverage later on.
• A-rated for financial stability: Liberty National received an A (Excellent) financial stability grade from AM Best.

Cons Explained

• Many complaints with the NAIC: Given Liberty National’s size, the company received far more complaints with the NAIC over the last three years than expected.
• No online quotes: You’ll need to call an agent to get pricing estimates. 
• Lack of policy details: You can’t find details like coverage limits or term lengths on the Liberty National website. 
• Must speak with an agent to apply: Liberty National doesn’t offer an online application, so you’ll need to speak with an agent by phone if you want to buy a policy.

Complaint Index

Liberty National received many more complaints than expected, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The NAIC reports a complaint index annually that shows how many complaints each insurance company received relative to its market share. An index of 1.00 indicates it received an expected number of complaints, while an index of less than 1.00 means the company received fewer complaints than expected. An index greater than 1.00 means the company received more complaints than expected.

Over the last three years, Liberty National received an average complaint index of 1.57, which indicates the company received more than twice as many complaints as was expected. This is a sign that it may have issues with customer satisfaction.

Third-Party Ratings

Liberty National receives high marks for financial strength from AM Best, a credit ratings agency that evaluates insurance companies. Liberty National has an A (Excellent) financial strength rating from AM Best.

A good grade with AM Best indicates a high likelihood of meeting financial obligations, such as paying claims. While Liberty National is financially stable, many of our top-reviewed companies have an A+ or A++ financial strength rating from AM Best.

Policies Available

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance is available from Liberty National to applicants ages 18 through 75. It’s designed to protect your family for a specific period of time, typically between 10 and 30 years. You might buy a term policy that ends when you are finished paying off your mortgage, for example. Term coverage is much more affordable than permanent life insurance, but it does not build cash value and it expires at the end of the term unless renewed or converted to permanent coverage. Liberty National offers term life insurance policies that can be converted to a permanent policy or renewed once the term is up. 

Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance, which is available from Liberty National to applicants ages 0 through 75, is a type of permanent life insurance policy that guarantees a death benefit. It’s designed to last throughout your lifetime as long as premiums are paid. It also builds cash value, which can be borrowed against. But it’s many times more costly than term life insurance.

Available Riders

Riders are coverages you can add to your insurance policy to fit your unique needs. Liberty National offers a selection of riders, but you’ll need to ask an agent for details on how they work, how much they cost, and which policies are eligible.

Accidental Death Benefit

This rider provides an additional death benefit if the insured dies in an accident or of injuries related to the accident within a period of time. 

Spouse Accidental Death Benefit

This rider provides a death benefit if the insured’s spouse dies in an accident or of injuries related to an accident. 

Child Rider

This provides term coverage for all dependent children of the insured. 

Spouse Rider

This provides term coverage for the insured’s spouse.

Term Rider

This rider adds an extra layer of term coverage to a whole life policy. If you want a guaranteed payout no matter when you die, but a higher payout during your peak earning years, adding a term rider to a whole life policy can be a cost-effective way to do that. 

Terminal Illness Rider

This rider provides the insured access to a portion of the death benefit ahead of their death, typically reducing the death benefit by the same amount. To qualify, the insured must be diagnosed with a terminal illness that has a short life expectancy. 

Premium Waiver Rider

This rider allows you to pause premium payments during a period when you are totally disabled. There’s typically a waiting period with this type of rider. 

Interim Term Rider

This rider provides immediate term coverage during the application phase while you are waiting for your medical exam to be processed and your policy to be underwritten.

Customer Service

Liberty National has an online portal you can use to manage your policy and make payments. Should you need further assistance, you can contact the company through its online form or by phone during business hours. To reach a customer service representative, call 800-333-0637 on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time. 

The Final Verdict

Given Liberty National's lack of transparent online information and history of customer complaints, there are likely better options out there if you're looking for term or whole life insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does It Take Liberty National To Pay a Claim?

If the life insurance policy has been in place for over two years, it's considered "incontestable" and will be paid once your documents have been received and processed. Payments should arrive 10-15 days after the claim was processed. If the life insurance policy has been in place for less than two years, this can increase the processing time.

Can I Cash Out My Liberty National Life Insurance Policy?

If you have a whole life insurance policy, you can borrow or cash out any amount of its value at any time. If you don't repay this amount, it will be subtracted from the eventual benefit that is paid out. Term life insurance doesn't come with a cash value unless you purchase a return of premium rider when you first open the policy.

What Kinds of Insurance Does Liberty National Offer?

Liberty National offers term life insurance policies and whole life insurance policies. Term life insurance covers you for a set number of years and does not pay a benefit after that period of time. Whole life insurance is a permanent life insurance policy that guarantees a death benefit and comes with a cash value. Liberty National also offers cancer, critical illness, hospital, accident, and accidental death insurance policies.

Who Bought Out Liberty National Life Insurance Company?

Liberty National is owned by Globe Life Inc., a parent company that owns several life insurance subsidiaries. Globe Life Inc. was originally called Torchmark Corporation but was officially renamed in 2019.

Methodology

We designed a comprehensive ranking methodology based on consumer priorities and life insurance company fundamentals to rank more than 90 insurers across five general categories: financial stability, customer satisfaction, product and feature variety, the overall buying experience, and cost.

In order to do this, we collected over 5,000 data points and scored each company based on 55 metrics. We grouped metrics by category to see how insurers performed in each; we then weighted category scores to determine how companies performed overall.

To learn more, read our full Life Insurance Methodology.