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No one wants to leave their loved ones with unforeseen expenses when they pass on. For many, the best solution is burial insurance, often called final expense — typically small face-amount whole life coverage (about $2,000–$40,000) offered as simplified issue (health questions, no exam) or guaranteed issue (no health questions, graded benefits). Rising funeral prices continue to reinforce demand for portable final expense coverage, as documented in the National Funeral Directors Association’s latest pricing research (NFDA 2024). In updating this guide for 2025, we weighed current financial strength indicators (AM Best), broad customer-experience signals (J.D. Power’s life insurance study), complaint patterns relative to market share (NAIC Complaint Index), product breadth and riders, and digital experience trends — and cross-checked carrier visibility against independent editor roundups (Forbes Advisor; NerdWallet).
The 5 Best Burial Insurance Companies in 2025
- Mutual of Omaha: Best overall simplified-issue value
- Northwestern Mutual: Best for advisor-led guidance and satisfaction focus
- Colonial Penn: Best-known guaranteed acceptance; compare value
- New York Life: Best planning tools and mutual strength
- Transamerica: Best flexible simplified-issue options
| Reviews.com Score | Customer Experience Score | Financial Strength Score | Best for | |
| Mutual of Omaha | Research-backed pick (2025) | Benchmarked with J.D. Power (1,000-pt scale) | AM Best A+ per insurer | Best overall simplified-issue value |
| Northwestern Mutual | Research-backed pick (2025) | Benchmarked with J.D. Power | Verify current FSR at AM Best | Advisor-led guidance & satisfaction |
| Colonial Penn | Research-backed pick (2025) | See complaint context: NAIC index (1.0=median) | Verify current FSR at AM Best | Guaranteed acceptance (compare value) |
| New York Life | Research-backed pick (2025) | Benchmarked with J.D. Power | Verify current FSR at AM Best | Planning tools |
| Transamerica | Research-backed pick (2025) | Benchmarked with J.D. Power | Verify current FSR at AM Best | Flexible Terms |
*Updated for 2025 using current sources, including Forbes Advisor, NerdWallet, J.D. Power, NAIC, NFDA and AM Best. Note: Several additional 2025 market leaders cited by editors include Foresters Financial (AM Best A) (source), Gerber Life (GIWL leader), TruStage (D2C final expense), Royal Neighbors of America, American Amicable/iA American, Prosperity Life, and AIG’s GIWL now branded under Corebridge/American General Life.
Mutual of Omaha: Best Overall
Mutual of Omaha’s Living Promise final expense remains a best-in-class simplified-issue option highlighted in 2024–2025 independent roundups for competitive pricing, broad eligibility, and fast e-application flows (Forbes Advisor; NerdWallet). The company reports an AM Best A+ Financial Strength Rating for its core life insurers (Mutual of Omaha ratings). Consistent with industry trends, seniors benefit from instant-decision workflows and nonmedical underwriting for day-one coverage when eligible (LexisNexis 2024 life trends). Typical final expense face amounts across the market are about $2,000–$40,000, aligning with rising funeral costs (NFDA).
To learn more about this provider, check out our full review of Mutual of Omaha.
✓Best For: Fast, simplified-issue day-one coverage and strong insurer ratings
✗ Not For: Applicants who only qualify for guaranteed issue (consider GIWL alternatives)
- AM Best: A+ per Mutual of Omaha
- Customer satisfaction context: See J.D. Power’s 2024 life insurance study (1,000-point scale)
- Complaints: Compare relative intensity via the NAIC Complaint Index (1.0 = national median)
- Rider landscape (marketwide): Many senior-focused whole life policies now include terminal illness ADB and increasingly chronic/critical illness accelerations; details and availability vary by carrier/state (example: American-Amicable Senior Choice).
Northwestern Mutual: Best Customer Experience
Northwestern Mutual consistently emphasizes advisor-led planning and strong service. While “final expense” may be positioned within small face-amount whole life rather than a standalone online SKU, its service reputation is frequently supported by broad consumer-satisfaction benchmarks like J.D. Power’s life insurance study. For customers who prefer comprehensive guidance over a quick self-serve purchase, this model can be appealing — though product specifics are typically provided via an advisor conversation.
To learn more about this provider, check out our full review of Northwestern Mutual.
✓Best For: High-touch, advisor-led experience and long-term planning
✗ Not For: Instant online quotes and self-serve checkout
- AM Best: Verify current Financial Strength Rating on AM Best
- Customer satisfaction context: 1,000-point scale benchmarks in the latest J.D. Power life study
- Complaints: Compare state/company results in the NAIC Complaint Index (1.0 = national median)
Colonial Penn: Best for Early Enrollment
Colonial Penn is a high-visibility, direct-to-consumer brand known for guaranteed-acceptance whole life with graded benefits — a useful path if you cannot qualify for simplified issue. Editors frequently note that guaranteed-issue premiums are generally higher and benefits more limited in the first policy years compared with top simplified-issue competitors, so quote comparisons are essential (Forbes Advisor; NerdWallet). Graded designs commonly pay return of premiums (often plus interest) during initial years before the full benefit matures, a tradeoff to enable acceptance without health questions (Great Western: Assurance Plus example).
✓Best For: Applicants who need guaranteed acceptance and can accept graded/ROP early years
✗ Not For: Lowest premiums when you qualify for simplified issue
- AM Best: Verify current Financial Strength Rating at AM Best
- Customer satisfaction context: Compare against J.D. Power’s benchmarks
- Complaints: Review relative intensity using the NAIC Complaint Index (1.0 = national median)
New York Life: Best Final Expense Calculator
If you want help sizing a small face-amount whole life policy, New York Life’s planning tools and calculators can assist with estimating a final expense need. As with many large mutual carriers, quotes and underwriting details for small whole life are typically provided through an agent. Marketwide in 2024–2025, more final expense offerings feature living-benefit accelerations (terminal illness, and increasingly chronic/critical illness) and instant-decision e-apps to speed up approvals (living-benefit example; e-app trend).
To learn more about this provider, check out our full review of New York Life.
✓Best For: Planning tools and mutual-company stability
✗ Not For: One-click purchase without agent interaction
- AM Best: Verify current Financial Strength Rating on AM Best
- Customer satisfaction context: See J.D. Power life insurance benchmarks
- Complaints: Compare results via NAIC Complaint Index (1.0 = national median)
Transamerica: Best Flexible Terms
Transamerica maintains a broad agent-distribution presence in simplified-issue final expense, and it continues to appear among competitive alternatives in current editor and broker discussions (Forbes Advisor). As with many final expense carriers, underwriting rules and availability vary by state and age, with market-typical face amounts in the ~$2,000–$40,000 range and optional riders (e.g., accidental death) used to tailor coverage.
To learn more about this provider, check out our full review of Transamerica.
✓Best For: Multiple simplified-issue options and flexible face amounts
✗ Not For: Guaranteed acceptance (consider GIWL options like Gerber Life or Corebridge/American General)
- AM Best: Verify current Financial Strength Rating on AM Best
- Customer satisfaction context: Refer to J.D. Power’s 2024 life study
- Complaints: Review relative intensity via the NAIC Complaint Index (1.0 = national median)
Further Reading:
- The Best Life Insurance Companies for Seniors
- Types of Life Insurance Policies
- Whole Life vs. Term Life Insurance
Methodology
Reviews.com scores products, services and companies using quantifiable criteria to help readers choose the best one for them. For the life insurance companies included here, we prioritized: (1) financial strength — favoring carriers with Excellent/Superior AM Best Financial Strength Ratings and verifying where possible on the insurer’s own ratings page or AM Best; (2) customer experience signals — benchmarking with J.D. Power’s 1,000-point life insurance study and digital experience insights (J.D. Power: Insurance Digital Experience); (3) complaint intensity — reviewing the NAIC Complaint Index where 1.0 represents the national median; (4) product and rider breadth — noting 2024–2025 additions like terminal/chronic/critical illness accelerations and graded/ROP structures (American-Amicable; Great Western); and (5) website/digital functionality and speed to coverage — reflecting industry-wide instant-decision and e-app adoption (LexisNexis). We also considered current market context: funeral costs continue to rise (NFDA) and 2025 leaders cited by editors include Mutual of Omaha, Foresters (AM Best A) (source), Gerber Life (GIWL), Transamerica, Royal Neighbors, American Amicable/iA American, Prosperity Life, TruStage, and AIG’s GIWL via Corebridge/American General Life (Forbes; NerdWallet).
