Last Updated: February 2020
In 2018, Phoenix Life Insurance Company rebranded to Nassau Re, its parent company. Their life insurance products have remained the same.
Below you will see a full review of Phoenix Life, including company history, financial ratings, and policies offered. Use this review to compare Phoenix Life to other carriers to find the best policy for you. We’ve helped 100’s of people find affordable life insurance through Phoenix Life.
The History of Phoenix Life Insurance Company- Phoenix Life has Great Customer Service & a User-Friendly Website
- Phoenix Life Insurance Company Financial Ratings
- A Review of Life Insurance Products Offered By Phoenix Life
- Compare Other Carriers to Phoenix Life Insurance Company
Life Insurance is Boring. Let’s Get To The Root Of It! Here are the key takeaways…
Phoenix Life Insurance Company is now called Nassau Re. Phoenix Life is a good life insurance company overall. However, you can often find better options by comparing rates & policies from other top carriers. They have a financial rating of “B+” from A.M. Best.
The History of Phoenix Life Insurance Company
Phoenix Life has been in the business of providing insurance protection to its customers since the mid-1850s. The company was founded in 1851, as the Phoenix Companies, Inc.
With its main headquarters located in Hartford, Connecticut, this insurer’s main focus is to help those who are in the middle-income market, and those who are considered to be mass affluent, in obtaining the right insurance coverage for their needs.
Today, the main products that are offered by Phoenix Life Insurance Company are life insurance and retirement annuities. The products are offered through licensed financial advisors throughout the United States, as well as through Phoenix Life Insurance Company’s distribution subsidiary, a company by the name of Saybrus Partners.
In 2015, Phoenix Life was acquired by Nassau Re which is owned by Hartford. In 2018, Phoenix Life rebranded to Nassau Re as well.
Phoenix Life has Great Customer Service & a User-Friendly Website
Although Phoenix Life Insurance Company has its main headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut, the company also has a customer service center in East Greenbush, New York. The company prides itself on its stellar customer service, and it is easy for its policyholders to contact its representatives.
In addition, there is a great deal of information that is available on the Phoenix Life Insurance Company website, such as policy forms, claim forms, service forms, and even prospectuses, which can be downloaded by policyholders and potential customers.
Phoenix Life Insurance Company has roughly 600 home office employees, which makes it a relatively small company as compared to many of the other life insurance carriers in the overall industry.
Phoenix Life Insurance Company Financial Ratings
While Phoenix Life Insurance Company has been in the insurance industry for many years, the ratings that the company held for a long time were not great.
However, in 2018, Nassau Re injected $100M of new capital to boost its financial strength. They went from an A.M. Best rating of “B” (Fair) to an A.M. Best rating of B+ (Good).
Here are the current Phoenix Life insurance ratings.
- B+ from A.M. Best. This is 6th out of a possible 13 total ratings.
- BB (Credit Watch) from Standard & Poor’s. This is 12th out of a possible 22 total ratings.
- BB+ (stable) from Fitch
Due to its lower ratings, at this time, consumers may want to consider the purchase of life insurance coverage from alternate life insurance carriers. These ratings may be indicative of a financial condition that may not be quite as strong as some of the other insurance carriers that are currently available in the marketplace.
It is important to note, however, that Phoenix Life Insurance Company does satisfy its financial obligations to its policyholders on a timely basis. It is also important to view other components of the insurer, such as the company’s statutory surplus. Ratings are just one of the many components of evaluating an insurance carrier.
BBB Ratings
Although the Phoenix Life Insurance Company is not an accredited company with the Better Business Bureau, the insurer has been given a grade of A+. Throughout the past three years, the company has closed one complaint through the Better Business Bureau. These complaints are about the company’s product/service. There have been no customer reviews posted on the BBB’s website at this time.
A Review of Life Insurance Products Offered By Phoenix Life
Phoenix Life Insurance Company (now Nassau Re) offers a variety of different products.
This can be helpful for its clients in essentially “customizing” their coverage to best fit their specific needs. It can also help clients if they need to revise their coverage if or when their needs may change.
The products that are offered through Phoenix Life are below.
Phoenix Life Whole Life Insurance Policy
Whole life insurance is permanent protection. This means that it includes both death benefit coverage and a cash value component. With a whole life insurance plan, the policyholder will have a guaranteed death benefit, and the premium will not increase in price.
The cash value will grow, based on an interest rate that is set by the issuing insurance company. The funds that are inside of the cash value are allowed to increase tax-deferred. This means that there is no tax due unless or until the policyholder withdraws them. Funds can be either withdrawn or borrowed.
Phoenix Life offers the Phoenix Remembrance Life plan, which is a simplified issue, whole life insurance policy that has supplement benefits designed to protect the future of loved ones and leave a family legacy.
Phoenix Life’s Universal Life Insurance Policy
Universal life insurance is also permanent life insurance protection. It, too, offers both death benefit coverage, and the cash value.
This type of policy, however, is thought to be more flexible than a whole life insurance plan. One reason for this is because the policyholder can typically decide how much of his or her premium dollars will go into the cash component, and how much will go into the death benefit. It may also be that in a universal life insurance policy that the premium due date may be changed by the policyholder (within certain limitations).
The Phoenix Accumulator UL universal life insurance policy is designed with a higher current cash value crediting rate, as well as an interest bonus feature.
This particular policy may be appropriate for those who want permanent death benefit protection, along with the opportunity to accumulate money for long-term goals on a tax-deferred basis, while at the same time minimizing their long-term life insurance costs.
Phoenix Life Indexed Universal Life Insurance Policy
Indexed universal life insurance also provides death benefit protection and cash value build-up. However, the growth of the cash value in this type of policy is dependent on the performance of an underlying index, such as the S&P 500. In this case, if the index performs well during a certain period, the cash value will increase, up to a certain “cap.” If, however, the index performs poorly, the principal in the account is protected and will typically just be credited with 0%.
The Phoenix Simplicity Index Life policy is a flexible premium universal life insurance policy that offers a choice of cash accumulation options. This plan also offers death benefit protection with the option for clients to choose to allocate their policy value in a fixed account and/or two indexed accounts.
This product features:
- A streamlined application process
- No medical exam as a part of the underwriting procedure
- No complicated paperwork
With that in mind, this particular plan could be appropriate for those who want permanent death benefit protection and the opportunity to accumulate cash for future goals. People who also want the potential for earning higher cash value crediting rates than the current assumption universal life insurance, as well as protection from market downturns might also consider this policy.
Other Products Offered Through Phoenix Life
Phoenix Life Insurance Company also sells products such as annuities. The annuities that are offered through Phoenix Life are designed to be flexible and can help to meet a range of retirement planning needs.
These annuities include:
- Phoenix Personal Income Annuity – This is a single premium indexed annuity that offers protection from market losses.
- Phoenix Personal Protection Choice – This single premium indexed annuity also offers protection from market loss and provides several different income choices.
- Phoenix Personal Retirement Choice – This is a deferred annuity, that allows its holder to build up long-term savings overtime on a tax-deferred basis, and then take advantage of lifetime income options.
Compare Other Carriers to Phoenix Life Insurance Company
When shopping for the best life insurance quotes, you need to compare as many carriers as possible.
It’s always best to compare all the best life insurance carriers before you buy. We have reviewed over 50 life insurance carriers and agencies here to help you compare and make your decision.
Never buy a plan before you do some shopping around. You need to know you’re getting the best possible insurance coverage for your family. Check out our reviews on companies like HSBC Life Insurance, Zander Insurance, United Home, and more below.
However, it’s difficult to do this on your own, so we usually recommend using an independent agent.
You can start by using our instant quote tool, or giving us a call. If you’d like to see how Phoenix Life compares to other carriers for yourself, read more life insurance company reviews below.
Other Life Insurance Company Reviews
Here are some other life insurance companies to consider along with Phoenix Life.
- HSBC Life Insurance
- Voya Life Insurance
- Genworth Life Insurance
- Assurity Life Insurance
- Metlife Life Insurance
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