North American Guaranteed Universal Life Insurance Review

See how North American stacks up against the other top GUL companies in our comprehensive comparison.


Quick Summary: A strong company that offers low priced premiums for many age brackets. They do not easily share their pricing online. Could be a good fit for certain health conditions but unfortunately North American does not offer the Standard Plus health class which can mean higher premiums for many people.


About the Company - North American

north american life and health insurance company GUL

The North American Company for Life and Health Insurance has been serving clients since 1886. They are privately owned by the Sammons Financial Group who hold the Midland National life insurance company as well.

Customers agree that North American is easy to deal with as reflected by their "A+" with the Better Business Bureau.

If you are trusting the future protection of your loved ones, you want to have confidence the life insurance carrier will be around. North American receives an "A+" marks from A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. These are rating agencies who assess the financial stability of life insurance companies.

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What is Guaranteed Universal Life Insurance? (expand to learn more)

About the North American Guaranteed Universal Life Insurance Policy

Product Name

Custom Guarantee

Death Benefit

$50,000 to No Maximum

ISSUE AGE

15 days to age 85

Coverage Length

To age 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 100, 120

North American Underwriting Secrets

We have seen North American underwriting be willing to go aggressive on high-risk cases. Several times, they have been the only company willing to offer insurance to our clients where everyone declined.

They do use Lexis Nexis background checks, which are becoming increasingly popular with insurance carriers. This is a financial data scan including credit and employment history. 

North American does not offer a Standard Plus risk class. For some people, this will mean higher rates as you'll be bumped down to Standard despite your good health.

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The secret to finding the cheapest life insurance rates is applying at the company that will view you most favorably.  Just going with the one that shows the lowest rates can be a BAD idea and end up costing you more money.


North American underwriting is lenient for the following situations:

  • High blood pressure controlled by medications 
  • Past drug use history
  • Dangerous vocations that other companies penalize for  

North American may NOT be a good choice for:

  • Poor credit history
  • Some types of cancer history

Cost - Sample Rates

The North American company does not allow their GUL rates to be displayed online. You can compare and view guaranteed universal life insurance quotes available for your state and age bracket by using our customer quote engine. Any questions, just ask. 

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Pros

Favorable underwriting for some high-risk situations

Excellent living benefits included in all policies

Cons

Does not offer a Standard Plus risk class

Difficult to compare quotes with other GUL carriers

Extras, Options, and Flexibility

North American bundles a nice set of living benefits options into their Custom Guarantee universal policy. Additional riders may be added at a cost.

Automatically Included at No Extra Cost

Extended No-Lapse Guarantee - Protection against policy lapses can be provided up to age 120 without paying any premiums after age 100.

Accelerated Death Benefits - Access a percentage of the death benefit while the insured is still living in the case of serious illness. No additional premium is required but there is a small administrative fee to activate. 

The future death benefit will be reduced by the amount of accelerated benefits taken. Qualification requires the diagnosis of a certified medical professional and will apply towards:

  • Critical Illness
  • Chronic Illness
  • Terminal Illness

The chronic illness being included is unique to North American. Other companies such as Symetra, offer a chronic illness rider but charge for it.

Additional Options - At a Cost

Customize your guaranteed universal policy by adding any of these riders:

Accidental Death Benefit Rider - Provides an additional death benefit when death occurs as the result of bodily injury.

Children's Term Insurance Rider - Add term life insurance coverage to any household children (natural or legally adopted). Children must be between the ages of 15 days and 20 years old.

Guaranteed Insurability Rider - Policy owner may add to the death benefit by purchasing additional insurance. This will not require new proof of insurability. Only available on policies issued up to age 40.

Waiver of Monthly Deductions Rider - If the insured has been totally disabled for more than 6 months, this rider will waive the monthly charges, loads, and administrative fees. Not available in CA.

How To Make Sure You Choose the Right Universal Life Insurance Policy

The best advice I can give is to always work with an independent agent. If you call a company direct, they'll only push their products on you, and you save nothing. Rates are fixed by your state laws.

Life insurance is the ONLY thing we do. We know the ins and out of 60+ companies and can find you the lowest rates. Every. Single. Time.

To get started, fill out a quote request and we'll be in touch soon to help.

independent life insurance agents helping to secure affordable life insurance coverage

No pressure or cost to use our help.

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Authors

  • Ty Stewart

    Ty Stewart is a founder and contributor of SimpleLifeInsure.com. He started researching and studying about life insurance when he got his first policy for his own family. He has been featured as a life insurance expert speaker at agent conventions and in top publications. As an independent licensed life insurance agent he has helped clients nationwide to secure affordable coverage while making the process simple.

  • Bennett Bier

    I’m Bennett Bier, owner, author and fact checker of Simple Life Insure. I believe working with a small independent broker offers consumers more personal attention and superior customer service. As an independent agent licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia I have access to many of the top A+ rated life insurance carriers. This lets me locate a plan that you will qualify for while saving you money at the same time. Over the years I have mastered the art of underwriting, getting approvals even for my highest risk clients. I’m also likely the person that will answer the phone when you call.