National Western Life Insurance Company Review [2024]

National Western Life (NWL) is a life insurance company that offers a wide variety of insurance products that include term life, whole life, universal life, indexed universal life, and annuities. 

Among the many life insurance options that they offer, National Western’s term life insurance is among some of the cheapest on the market with benefit periods ranging from annual renewal to up to 30 years of coverage.

Keep reading below to find out more about what National Western Life has to offer and its ratings. Want to start comparing rates today? Simply enter your ZIP into our free and easy-to-use tool above. 

What life insurance options does National Western Life offer?

National Western offers many different options when it comes to life insurance and annuities, and some offer terms of up to 30 years for coverage options.

But what does each have to offer?

Term Life

Term life is the most basic life insurance coverage that you can get on the market. Used mainly for death benefit protection (like for the cost of funerals and after-death expenses), term life insurance can be purchased for a set period of time, which can range from 10 to 30 years.

However, if you aren’t sure about the commitment of purchasing term life insurance for a decade or more, National Western does allow annual renewals.

Here is a breakdown of what National Western has to offer for term insurance:

Product	Info
NWL Term & Secure Term	Requires a medical exam for in order to qualify for coverage
NWL Rapid Issue Term	No medical exam required
NWL Graded Death Benefit Term	No medical exam required
NWL Living Benefit Term	No medical exam required

Even though Rapid Issue, Graded Death Benefit, and Living Benefits Term don’t require a medical exam, you will still be asked for a phone interview to answer questions about your previous medical history before your coverage can start. They also may check your past medical records to verify your information.

It should be noted that the Graded Death Benefit doesn’t provide the full death benefit until after the graded period, which is usually three years. Death benefits will typically begin at 15% plus interest and increase from there until it reaches the maximum 100% that your benefit covers.

The maximum coverage that National Western offers for Graded Death Benefit is $150,000.

Whole Life

Simple-issued whole life insurance through National Western is offered without the need for a medical exam in order to be covered.

There are three types of coverage under this option:

• NWL Rapid Issue offers level premiums and coverage ranging from $25,000 to $250,000
• NWL Graded Death Benefit offers the same coverage as Graded Death Benefit in term life
• NWL MAXWealth guarantees a 3% interest rate on the cash value of your policy, allowing you to borrow money from your policy to pay for expenses after death

National Western’s whole life can be a good option for those who want their coverage to remain active during life, as well as someone who is budget-conscious. The cash value in MAXWealth will grow based on the interest rates set by the company.

Universal Life

A type of permanent life insurance, this offers both death benefit protection as well as cash value but with more flexibility than whole life. 

National Western offers NWL Life 100 as their minimum death benefit with a maximum of $25,000 in coverage. It tends to be the most affordable universal life policy offered.

Indexed Universal Life

A variation of National Western’s traditional universal policies, an indexed plan adds cash value to your policy by investing in index markets, growing your value over time.

There are three policies available:

• NWL Lifetime Returns: medical exam required
• NWL Lifetime Returns Select: no medical exam required
• NWL Lifetime Returns Solutions: no medical exam required

The NWL Lifetime Returns Select plan provides four interest crediting options that can be selected through a payment schedule of five years, ten years, or a lump-sum payment.

Similarly, NWL Lifetime Returns Solutions offers three index options and has a payment plan of five or ten payments.

Annuities

National Western also offers annuities which include the following:

• NWL Accumulator Five
• NWL Prevail Seven
• NWL Protector One
• NWL Value Assurance
• NWL Future Assurance
• NWL Benefit Assurance
• Single Premium Immediate Annuity

Annuities may be either immediate or deferred and may be either single premium or flexible premium. These will typically be credited annually with a rate of interest determined by National Western.

National Western Life does not offer variable annuities.

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What are National Western Life ratings like?

National Western has strong financial backing, with an A.M. Best rating of A, an S&P rating of A-, and a BBB rating of A+.

Thirteen complaints have been closed in the last three years, and 10 of those were closed within the last 12 months.

National Western Life consumer reviews are a bit mixed. Most cited satisfaction with customer service’s urgency with their claims process.

How do I file a claim with National Western Life?

To file a claim with National Western, either go online or speak to a representative.

If you need to speak to a representative about the status of your claim or find out how to file one, you can call this number:

Agent Hotline: 1-800-760-3434

If you need to speak to a representative about your policy details, this is the number:

Client Services: 1-800-922-9422

National Western also provides a customer portal for easy access to your policy details as well as the ability to view the status of your claim using your unique National Western Life insurance login.

After filing a claim or updating your policy, National Western may ask for additional information to be sent to them, which you can send to this address:

PO Box 209080
Austin, TX 78720-9080

National Western Life Insurance Company: Key Takeaways

If you’re looking for a life insurance company with extensive plans to choose from as well as flexibility with term time frames, National Western Life is a great option.

Even with some mixed reviews, National Western has mostly positive ratings and strong financial backing that will give you the confidence to trust this company with the most important planning stage of your life.

Take the time to enter your ZIP code into our free tool below and start comparing life insurance quotes in your area today.