Last updated: July 18th, 2022
Reviewed by
Grant Desselle
Licensed Insurance Agent
Table of Contents
Our take on Royal Neighbors
Royal Neighbors of America began in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1895. A group of eight women sought to provide affordable life insurance to women and children, groups that were previously dismissed as uninsurable. Royal Neighbors would later become an avid supporter of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and over the years the company has grown to become one of the largest women-led insurance companies in the industry.
Royal Neighbors operates as a fraternal benefit society, meaning that they require membership for their goods and services. There are no requirements for membership, other than either the purchase of one of their insurance products or by paying a $20 annual fee. Membership also comes with some additional benefits and discounts through approved retailers and health care providers.
| Royal Neighbors life Insurance Company Details | |
|---|---|
| A.M Best Rating | A |
| S&P Rating | A- |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| Customer Service Phone | 800-627-4762 |
| Website | www.royalneighbors.org |
| Address | Royal Neighbors of America 230 16th Street Rock Island, IL 61201-8645 |
What we like
Serving Women and Children
Royal Neighbors has certainly achieved its goal of providing life insurance options to women and children, and they continue to give back by offering a scholarship program for their members.
Flexible Options
Royal Neighbors offers their customers with a suitable range of products, including whole, universal, and term life policies. These policies can be further modified with available riders.
What we don’t like
Membership Requirements
While membership confers some additional benefits, some customers may be put off by the membership requirements.
Reliance on Sales Representatives
Many companies allow their customers to receive online quotes and even policy coverage through an online portal. Royal Neighbors relies on sales representatives. While some may appreciate this personal touch, others may prefer the convenience of online tools.
Royal Neighbors Insurance Products
Term Life
Royal Neighbors also provides a variety of level term life insurance policies through their JETerm coverage. These policies can be further modified through multiple riders, and they also permit customers to convert their policy into a permanent policy following the initial term.
Whole Life Insurance
Royal Neighbors offers four types of permanent whole life insurance policies:
The Essential Whole Life Policy
This policy is available with coverage starting at $25,000. This policy can also be modified with a variety of riders including:
- Accelerated Death Benefits
- Accidental Death
- Guaranteed Insurability
- Waivers for Cancer and Disability
These riders allow customers to get the coverage they need, but they also raise the premium.
Youth Whole Life
Royal Neighbors also offers a youth whole life plan for those under 18. This can include a guaranteed insurability rider and an accelerated death benefit.
The Royal Legacy Single Premium
Available to applicants between ages 45-80, this single premium life insurance policy requires a lump-sum payment of at least $10,000, though the death benefit is guaranteed to be higher than the premium paid.
Simplified Issue Whole Life
Available to applicants between ages 50-85, this policy offers instant issue life insurance coverage ranging from $5,000 and $25,000. The product is a no medical exam life insurance policy. This policy is ideal for use as a final expense insurance policy, covering medical bills and other outstanding financial obligations.
Universal Life
The Royal Neighbors SecureLife universal life insurance plan offers customers flexibility in premiums, modifying payments depending on the insured’s financial needs.
They also offer a 20-year no lapse guarantee. This is helpful, though admittedly lower than the guarantees offered by some competitors.
Policy benefits
Riders
Royal Neighbors also offers a variety of ways to customize their policies, including:
- Disability Waiver – This rider waives the premium requirements in the event that the insured becomes disabled.
- Accelerated Death – In the event of a terminal illness, policyholders can borrow money from their death benefit to pay for other expenses, such as medical bills.
- Guaranteed Insurability – A guaranteed insurability rider allows the policyholder to increase their coverage in increments of $25,000, without requiring a medical exam. While this rider is not uncommon, Royal Neighbors offers this rider for term life policyholders as well as whole.
- Children’s Rider – A life insurance for children rider pays a smaller amount than an actual child life insurance policy, but it can be used to cover the cost of a funeral and final expenses in the event of the death of a child.
Annuities
Royal Neighbors offers a variety of annuity options. These aren’t related to life insurance per se, but Royal Neighbors members may appreciate the convenience of these investment options offered through the same company.
A Single-Premium Deferred Annuity
Single-premium deferred annuities require only a lump-sum payment to provide the initial funding, which grows on a tax-deferred basis until maturation. This can be helpful for those planning additional retirement savings.
Flexible-Premium Deferred Annuity
A flexible-premium deferred annuity allows the customer to make multiple unscheduled payments into the annuity until maturation, which lets you invest at your own pace.
Single-Premium Immediate Annuity
A single-premium immediate annuity allows you to pay Royal Neighbors an up-front premium in exchange for guaranteed payments over time.
Membership Benefits
Membership in Royal Neighbors comes with several benefits:
- Dental Discounts in the amount of 5-50%
- Vision Discounts in the amount of 20-40% off retail price of glasses
- Lab services 10-80% off
- Free and discounted legal advice and services through the pre-qualified network
- Imaging discounts 10-60%
- Hearing aids at 30% off
- Retail/ecommerce offering 1-40% off at 4,000 leading merchants
Of course, it’s worth mentioning that you can become a member of Royal Neighbors without purchasing an insurance policy, so these benefits are available to non-policyholders.
Cost
Average Pricing
Accelerated underwriting will raise the monthly premium, but the rates remain competitive with other companies that don’t require a medical exam.
No Online Quotes
Additionally, there are no online options for obtaining a quote, let alone securing a policy. Members are encouraged to contact a representative who can walk the customer through the various policy options. If you prefer this human-to-human interaction, Royal Neighbors may be a great option for you. Others may prefer to avoid the hassle of solicitation by finding a web-based company.
Performance
Financial ratings
Royal Neighbors has enjoyed a solid financial performance:
- A.M. Best Rating: A
- BBB: A+
The company’s history also indicates that they can be relied on to pay the death benefit and other expenses at the appropriate time.
Customer reviews
Below you’ll find reviews from some of Royal Neighbors customers.
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Brian is the founder and CEO of Insurist and carries Life, Health, and Property & Casualty licenses in all 50 U.S. states. Since 2013, Brian has been a member of Million Dollar Round Table, a designation for the top 1% of financial advisors worldwide. Brian has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, Money.com, Entrepreneur.com, Life Happens, Forbes, MSN, and Good Financial Cents. Brian’s goal is to show customers the best products, the quickest answers to their questions, and provide expert advice.
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Grant's past experience includes work as a licensed sales agent for Hagerty Insurance. He has reviewed thousands of existing auto policies across the nation and issued hundreds of new ones on everything ranging from classic cars undergoing restoration to modern exotics and motorcycles.
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