Top 25 Highest Rated Life Insurance Companies (2026 Rankings)

Most “top rated insurance company” lists rank by advertising budget or brand recognition. We take a different approach — ranking by which companies we’d actually trust with our own family’s policies after 18+ years of writing coverage.

You’re about to trust a company with promises that might not come due for 30, 40, or 50 years. How do you know they’ll actually be there?

That’s what insurance company ratings tell you. Think of them as financial report cards provided by independent agencies that examine each company’s books and grade their ability to pay claims and keep promises to policyholders. This guide breaks down the four major rating systems, shows you exactly how to compare them, and ranks the 25 strongest carriers in the industry.

How to Read Life Insurance Company Ratings: What You Need to Know

When choosing a life insurance company, you want to make sure they’ll be around when your family needs them most. Four major agencies grade these companies, and understanding how their scales differ is essential to making an informed decision.

The ability of the company you choose to meet financial obligations and pay claims should be a vital ingredient in your decision making process. According to industry data, companies with A.M. Best ratings of A- or higher have historically maintained claim-paying ability through multiple economic cycles, including the 2008 financial crisis.

Be aware that an A+ from one rating agency is not equivalent to an A+ from another. Each agency uses its own methodology and scale. That’s why we provide this comprehensive overview — so you can recognize which companies truly have the strongest financial foundations.

Each of the four agencies — A.M. Best, Moody’s, Fitch, and Standard and Poor’s — is a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO). The SEC allows NRSROs to offer ratings that demonstrate the financial strength of insurance companies. For additional consumer guidance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) provides comprehensive resources to help consumers make informed decisions.

Rating Agency Comparison at a Glance

Note: An A+ from A.M. Best is not equivalent to an A+ from S&P or Fitch. Each agency uses its own scale. The COMDEX score normalizes all ratings into a single 1-100 percentile for easy comparison.

Highest Rated Life Insurance Companies

The top 25 companies below are selected based on A.M. Best ratings, with S&P, Moody’s, Fitch, and COMDEX scores included where available. These reflect many of the companies that we write policies for across our client base.

What you won’t find on this list: top-rated companies that don’t sell individual life insurance, or lesser-known captive carriers unavailable to the general public.

About the COMDEX Ranking

The COMDEX rating is brought to you by EbixExchange. Rather than try to decipher four different rating scales, EbixExchange created a composite index that takes the average percentile of a company’s financial strength ratings across all agencies that have rated it.

A company needs at least two ratings from the major agencies to receive a COMDEX score. Rankings are on a scale of 1–100 and reflect how a company ranks relative to all other rated companies. The closer to 100, the stronger the company’s overall financial position.

Understanding Each Rating Agency

The four major rating agencies each bring a different perspective to evaluating insurance company financial strength. Here’s what you need to know about each one and how their scales work.

A.M. Best — The Gold Standard for Insurance

Alfred M. Best started A.M. Best Company in 1899 with the goal of providing financial stability reports on insurance companies. Today, A.M. Best’s Credit Ratings are the most widely referenced in the insurance industry. Their 15-category scale ranges from A++ (Superior) at the top down through A+, A, A- (Excellent), B++ and B+ (Good), and continues down to C (Poor). For long-term life insurance strategies, we recommend carriers rated A- (Excellent) or above. Visit A.M. Best →

Standard & Poor’s — Cross-Industry Credit Ratings

For over 150 years, S&P Global Ratings has helped determine the financial viability of insurers, particularly regarding their ability to pay all claims under existing policies. Their 21-category scale starts at AAA (Extremely Strong) and works down through AA, A, BBB (Good), BB (Marginal), B (Weak), and CCC (Very Weak). Plus and minus modifiers provide additional granularity within each category. Visit S&P Global →

Moody’s Investor Service — Global Credit Analysis

Founded by John Moody over 100 years ago, Moody’s provides credit ratings and risk analysis in over 41 countries. Their unique scale uses letter combinations — Aaa (highest), Aa, A, Baa, Ba, B, Caa, Ca, C — with numerical modifiers of 1, 2, or 3 to indicate where a company falls within each category (1 being the highest within that tier). So Aa1 is stronger than Aa2, which is stronger than Aa3. Visit Moody’s →

Fitch Ratings — International Perspective

Founded by John Knowles Fitch in 1914, Fitch offers financial rating services across over 30 countries. Their 21-category scale closely mirrors S&P’s: AAA (Exceptionally Strong) at the top, working down through AA, A, BBB, BB, B, CCC, CC, C, with plus and minus modifiers and additional categories for Restricted Default (RD) and Default (D). Visit Fitch Ratings →

Rating Services Criteria

While each agency uses its own methodology, the core areas they evaluate are consistent: the ability of the company to pay existing claims, how well the company is capitalized, how leveraged the company’s assets are, what investments and risks the insurer has taken on, the quality of corporate governance and business structure, how liquid the company’s assets are, and whether the company has proper risk mitigation in place.

Why Ratings Matter for Strategic Life Insurance

Most states provide protection through state guaranty associations for policyholders of failed insurers. However, when using life insurance as a financial tool rather than just death benefit protection, the long-term stability of your insurance carrier becomes even more critical.

For Infinite Banking Strategies — The banking concept relies on your ability to access policy cash values through loans for decades to come. Only financially strong companies can maintain competitive loan options and dividend performance over such extended periods.

For Retirement Income Planning — If you’re counting on your cash value life insurance to provide tax-advantaged retirement income, you need a carrier that will be around for the next 30+ years. A-rated and above companies offer that confidence.

For Business Planning Solutions — Key person insurance, buy-sell agreements, and executive benefits require insurance carriers that your business partners and stakeholders can trust completely.

At Insurance & Estates, we specialize in these advanced strategies and only work with carriers that meet our stringent financial rating requirements.

“I’ve seen clients obsess over a quarter-percent difference in dividend rates while ignoring the financial strength of the company behind it. That’s backwards. A great rate from a shaky company is worthless if they’re not around to pay it. When dealing with high cash value policies, we only place clients with A-rated carriers or above.”
— Barry Brooksby, Infinite Banking Specialist

Related Carrier Rankings & Guides

For more on the top rated companies we represent, explore our in-depth carrier rankings by product type:

• Top 10 Best Life Insurance Companies — Our flagship ranking by overall consumer value
• Best Dividend-Paying Whole Life Companies — Focused on participating policies and payout records
• Best Infinite Banking Companies — Carriers optimized for high cash value policy design
• Indexed Universal Life Insurance Guide — Deep dive into IUL product comparisons
• Best Convertible Term Life Companies — Term carriers with strong permanent conversion options

Frequently Asked Questions About Life Insurance Company Ratings

Conclusion

When it comes to strategic life insurance solutions designed for wealth-building and financial control, the financial strength of your chosen carrier is non-negotiable. At Insurance & Estates, we place our clients exclusively with companies rated “A, Excellent” or above to ensure long-term stability and performance.

The right company not only provides peace of mind through financial security but also offers the policy features necessary for advanced strategies like Infinite Banking, retirement income planning, and business protection solutions.

Our Pro Client Guides are ready to help you navigate these ratings and design a custom policy solution that aligns with your financial goals. Whether you’re looking for high cash value whole life insurance, indexed universal life, or other strategic solutions, we’ll help you select a carrier that combines financial strength with the specific features you need.