Gerber Life Insurance Company

• Niche Life Insurance Products
• Additional Life Insurance Coverage Options
• High Financial Strength Ratings
• Optional Medical Exams
• Online Life Insurance Quotes Available

Niche Life Insurance Products

Gerber Life offers insurance plans specifically tailored for senior citizens and children. The Gerber Life Grow-Up® Plan and Gerber Life College Plan are made to help children financially as much as possible.

With the Gerber Life Grow-Up® Plan, legal guardians can apply when their children are 14-days-old to 14-years-old, and get from $5,000 to $50,000 coverage. The plan locks in lower life insurance rates for children. The policy's death benefit doubles automatically when the insured turns 18 with no increase in monthly cost. Children take over the life plan as soon as they turn 21.

Since this is a type of whole life insurance, this policy can last a lifetime (as long as premiums are paid) and continues regardless of future health or occupation. Because of the ability to lock in a low premium, accrue cash value, and double the death benefit, the Gerber Life Grow-Up® Plan is a nice option for people seeking children's life insurance.

The Gerber Life College Plan is an easy and safe way to save money for a child's education. People who select this plan first choose a fixed monthly payment that is guaranteed not to increase. From there, they can decide when they want their money (anywhere between 10 and 20 years). When the policy reaches its end, the person insured can withdraw the guaranteed payment. The mature payment is guaranteed to be anywhere from $10,000 to $150,00 if one continuously pays their premiums. The pay-out money can be used to pay for college expenses or other expenses your child has.

The Gerber Life College Plan also includes life insurance coverage, so the full benefit chosen is paid to the beneficiary if you pass away before the policy matures. In other words, policyholders purchase life insurance at the same time they save for their children's college.

Anyone from age 18-60 can apply to start saving for college. However, people who are 60-years-old can still apply to save with the Gerber Life College Plan.

In addition to offering niche life insurance coverage for children, Gerber also offers final expense insurance for seniors. The Gerber Life Guarantee Plan was crafted specifically for people ages 50-80.

Applicants for this life plan are guaranteed acceptance. The underwriting process for this insurance policy does not require a medical exam or health questionnaire, which also simplifies the application process. Regarding financial benefits, the policy owner can enjoy accumulated cash value and coverage ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.

Additional Life Insurance Coverage Options

Gerber Life Insurance Company also offers term life insurance and whole life insurance.

Term life insurance is a great option for families on a budget, but want a sense of financial security. Gerber Life offers plans for 10-, 15-, 20-, and 30-year terms, that don't require a medical exam. The life insurance rates are locked in and guaranteed not to increase for the duration of the term.

While more expensive, whole life insurance is great for people that want to be covered their whole life and accrue cash value. Coverage is flexible, ranging from $25,000-$150,000 and rates are guaranteed not to increase if premiums are always paid.

High Financial Strength Ratings

The Gerber Life Insurance Company has received high financial strength ratings from A.M. Best. These high ratings indicate financial stability and ability to meet claims obligations.

Optional Medical Exams

Gerber Life does not require people to get medical exams when applying for life insurance.

Online Life Insurance Quotes Available

Finding a quote for the Grow - Up Plan and Term Life insurance is a breeze. People can easily calculate their sample quote tailored to their needs. Gerber Life offers a quote calculator for the Grow - Up Plan, as well as for the Term Life policy.

• Specializes in Children's Life Insurance
• High Premiums
• Unable to Recover Premiums
• No Universal Life Policies
• $150,000 Max Coverage

Specializes in Children's Life Insurance

While it is great they offer life insurance for children, the gains are low. Newborns and babies typically do not have huge debts to pay. A lot of people think that life insurance for children is a waste of money if the family is not dependent on the child's income. However, Gerber's policies offer additional benefits, like savings for college and coverage that can continue into adulthood.

High Premiums

Gerber Life's prices are not among the cheapest by any means. Premiums are higher and some say that there are not enough benefits from the policies to make the higher prices worth it.

Unable To Recover Premiums

A major complaint is that if customers ever decide they would like to recover their premiums, it is almost impossible. The website lists that it only lets people have their premiums back under "certain circumstances." If one is unable to afford their monthly premium, they can sometimes receive a cash value refund. However, if one cancels before Gerber's probationary period, they are will receive zero surrender value. If canceling after the probationary period, people will still lose money, since even a cash value refund is not equivalent to the money put in. If parents would like to get the equal contributed amount back, they must wait until their child's 25th birthday.

No Universal Life Policies

Gerber Life's lack of policy options is obvious. Compared to other life insurance companies, it does not have nearly as many policy options to choose from. Gerber Life may have Term and Whole Life policies but does not have Variable or Universal Life options. Gerber Life also does not offer annuity or disability income options. Annuities are very helpful for people planning their retirement, and disability income insurance is nice to have in case an unexpected emergency disables the main earner of the family from generating income. These options are noticeably missing from Gerber Life.

$150,000 Max Coverage

Gerber Life insurance plans max out at $150,000, which is a lot less than other life insurance companies typically offer. This is one of Gerber Life's main criticisms. For people who do not take a medical exam, the amount of coverage one can receive gets decreased to $100,000. For Term Life insurance, adults can choose coverage anywhere from a $25,000 to $150,000 plan.