Ameritas Life Insurance Company Review

Ameritas ranks as one of our picks for the best whole life insurance companies. In the following Ameritas review we will focus on the company’s history, strong ratings, life insurance policies, and the unique features offered.

About Ameritas Life Insurance Company

Ameritas Life Insurance Corporation is a subsidiary of Ameritas Mutual Holding Company.

The Company has been in existence since 1887, originally under the name The Old Line Bankers Life Insurance Company of Nebraska (Bankers Life). Bankers Life changed its name to Ameritas Life in 1988. Ameritas does business in New York under Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York (Ameritas Life of NY).

Ameritas Mutual Holding Company is well funded with over 25.8 billion total assets under management. With over 6.2 million customers as of 2024, Ameritas is a large life insurance company with a substantial presence in the industry.

Ameritas is a mutual insurance company. A mutual insurance company is owned by the policyholders. The company is operated in such a way as to maximize the profits for policyholders and not stockholders.

What is a mutual insurance company?

Mutual companies are privately held and operate for the sole benefit of policyholders, rather than for the benefit of stockholders.

Ameritas Life pays an annual cash dividend to policyholders. The amount of dividend to be paid to participating policyholders is determined by the board of directors.

If you are in the market for life insurance then one of the best methods to discover the best life insurance is to get familiar with the various carriers and policies in the industry.

At InsuranceandEstates, we have put together different life insurance reviews, which include our picks for the top dividend paying whole life insurance companies for building cash value.

Ameritas Financial Ratings & Strength

Ameritas maintains strong financial ratings from independent rating agencies, which reflect the company’s solid financial foundation, strong capitalization, and ability to meet policyholder obligations.

Ameritas’s current financial ratings:

• A.M. Best rating: A (Excellent), affirmed May 2024 with a stable outlook
• Standard and Poor’s rating: A+ (5th highest rating of 22)
• Comdex ranking: 82
• BBB rating: A+

A.M. Best specifically notes that Ameritas has “very strong” balance sheet strength, supported by robust capitalization, positive earnings trends, and prudent risk management. The company maintains a market-leading position in group dental and vision insurance and continues to see strong sales in life, annuity, and disability products.

These ratings signify that Ameritas has a strong financial foundation and creditworthiness. The company is properly diversified and funded to provide long-term security and peace of mind to policyholders.

Ameritas Products Overview

On the individual and family side, Ameritas offers life insurance, dental/vision/hearing, retirement plans, disability income, investments, public finance and annuities.

Life Insurance

• Term Life Insurance
• Whole Life Insurance
• Universal Life Insurance
• Indexed Universal Life Insurance
• Variable Universal Life Insurance

Annuity Products

• Indexed Annuities
• Deferred Annuities
• Variable Annuities
• Immediate Annuities

2023-2025 Product Updates

In recent years, Ameritas has made several significant developments in their product offerings:

• Expanded Managed Account Programs: Ameritas has enhanced its managed account offerings to address growing demand for personalized retirement strategies, hybrid solutions, and secure income streams.
• Enhanced Technology & Customer Experience: Continued investment in digital tools and technology to improve customer experience and support financial professionals.
• Growth in Annuity Sales: Particularly strong performance in the annuity market in 2024, with new innovative annuity products.

Ameritas Life Insurance Policies

Ameritas offers a full range of life insurance policies, including term life and permanent life insurance.

Each type of coverage offers unique benefits. In the battle between whole life insurance vs term life, we most often favor cash value life insurance over term.

Benefits of Whole Life Insurance	Benefits of Term Life Insurance
Wealth Building	Lower Initial Cost
Retirement Planning	Income Protection
Infinite Banking	Mortgage Protection
Estate Planning	Conversion Option
Business Succession Planning

Ameritas Term Life Insurance

Keystone Term life insurance allows you to leverage a relatively small monthly premium for a large guaranteed death benefit with a lower initial cost than permanent life insurance.

Key Features:

• Available in 1, 10, 15, 20 and 30 year terms
• Convertible to permanent coverage without evidence of insurability
• Competitive rates with simplified underwriting options

Ameritas’ Keystone term policy is convertible term life insurance which allows the insured to convert all or a portion of the policy to permanent coverage. The advantage of conversion term life insurance is you can get insured at a relatively low cost depending on your age and health that can be converted to a superior whole life or universal life policy at a later time, with no evidence of insurability required, i.e. no health questions or medical exam.

Available Riders:

• Child Term Rider: Up to $25,000 of life insurance for children that can be converted to permanent coverage down the road.
• Accelerated Death Benefit Rider: The ADB rider allows the owner to access a portion of the death benefit if the insured is diagnosed terminally ill.

Ameritas Universal Life Insurance

Excel LifeValue and Excel Essential Universal life are permanent life insurance policies. Universal life offers the following benefits:

Cash Value: growing cash value that can be withdrawn or borrowed against.

Flexible Premiums: premiums can be increased or decreased depending on your financial health.

Permanent Protection: as long as your cash surrender value stays above $1 your policy will remain inforce.

Available Riders:

• Excel Life Value UL: accidental death benefit rider and guaranteed insurability rider.
• Excel Essential UL: child term rider, insurance exchange rider, total disability benefit rider, waiver of monthly deduction rider and Care4Life Acceleration rider.

Care4Life Acceleration rider: Allows you access to your death benefit for critical illness or terminal illness.

Excel LifeValue Survivor

Ameritas also offers survivorship life insurance. Survivorship insurance protects the life of two people and may be more affordable then buying an individual policy. For more information on the advantages of survivorship life insurance, click the link above.

Ameritas Indexed Universal Life Insurance

Excel Index and Excel Plus Index Universal Life Insurance provides a return tied to a market index, such as the S&P 500, and offers built in protection from market loss.

Key Features:

• Cash value growth linked to market index performance
• Protection against market downturns with minimum interest guarantees
• Flexible premium payments and death benefit options
• Tax-advantaged growth and income potential

Available Riders:

• Accelerated Death Benefit
• Accidental Death Benefit
• Accounting Benefit
• Children’s Insurance
• Guaranteed Insurability
• Insurance Exchange
• Paid-Up Life Insurance Benefit
• Scheduled Increase
• Supplemental Coverage
• Term Insurance for Other Insureds
• Total Disability Benefit
• Waiver of Monthly Deductions

Ameritas Variable Universal Life Insurance

Excel Performance Variable Universal Life Insurance allows premium to be invested in different investment choices.

Variable Universal Life (VUL) offers the following benefits:

• Income tax free death benefit
• Potential for a greater return
• Flexible investment options
• Asset allocation for diversification
• Flexible premium payments

Ameritas Whole Life Insurance

Keystone and Keystone Foundation Whole Life Insurance offer custom protection, as well as the following guarantees:

• Guaranteed death benefit,
• Guaranteed cash value growth and
• Guaranteed level premiums.

Additional cash value growth is available through dividends.

Dividends are valuable and can be used to:

• Purchase paid up additions
• Pay Premiums
• Earn interest with the company
• Cash Out

Ameritas Whole Life Insurance Riders

• Care4Life (or Accelerated Death Benefit) Rider: provides living benefits if the insured is diagnosed as critically ill or terminally ill.
• Flexible Paid Up Rider: paid up additions allow the purchase of paid up additional whole life insurance through additional premium payments or dividends.
• Guaranteed Insurability Rider: you can increase you coverage at certain dates with no evidence of insurability.
• Accidental Death Benefit
• Children Insurance Rider
• Level Term Rider

Ameritas Annuity Products

Ameritas has shown particularly strong performance in the annuity market in 2024, with innovative product offerings designed to meet diverse retirement needs.

Key Annuity Products:

• Ameritas Income 10 Index Annuity: Provides guaranteed retirement income with a choice of two guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GLWB) riders—one focused on stronger guarantees, the other on greater growth potential. Includes features like confinement, terminal illness, and home health care riders.
• Ameritas Accumulation 7 Index Annuity: Fixed indexed annuity designed for long-term, tax-deferred growth, legacy planning, and flexible access to funds. Offers enhanced death benefit riders and multiple index crediting strategies, including S&P 500, Russell 2000, MSCI EAFE, and sector rotator indexes.

Ameritas Life Insurance Company Review Conclusion

Ameritas stands out as a financially strong, stable, and diversified insurer with a broad portfolio of life insurance and annuity products. The company’s A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best and A+ from Standard & Poor’s reflect its solid financial foundation and ability to meet long-term obligations to policyholders.

As a mutual insurance company, Ameritas operates for the benefit of its policyholders rather than shareholders, which can translate into competitive dividends for eligible policies and a focus on long-term value rather than short-term profits.

The company offers a comprehensive range of life insurance options, from term life for affordable temporary coverage to various permanent solutions including whole life, universal life, indexed universal life, and variable universal life. This diverse product lineup allows individuals to find solutions tailored to their specific financial goals and protection needs.

Ameritas has particularly excelled in the annuity market recently, with innovative products designed for guaranteed retirement income and long-term growth. The company’s expanded managed account offerings and investments in technology demonstrate its commitment to meeting evolving customer needs and enhancing the overall experience.

While customer reviews are mixed, with some concerns about service responsiveness, Ameritas’s strong financial ratings, diverse product portfolio, and mutual company structure make it a worthy consideration for individuals seeking long-term insurance and financial security.

If you have more questions or would you like to see an illustration of Ameritas Life or any of the other best cash value life insurance companies we represent, please give us a call today for a free life insurance consultation with an advanced markets professional.