Neither one is the better company, and the honest news is that they are rarely competing for the same policy. Gerber Life reaches you through a name most people have known since the baby aisle, and its best known plan is bought on a child as young as 14 days old. TruStage reaches most people through a credit union they already belong to, its life policies are issued by CMFG Life Insurance Company, and its life shelf is built for adults, with no children's plan listed on it. Settle who the policy is on first, and the choice usually makes itself.
At a glance
| Gerber Life | TruStage | |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues the policy | Gerber Life Insurance Company; term by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company | CMFG Life Insurance Company, one of six insurers TruStage names |
| Who stands behind it | Western & Southern Financial Group, a mutual company in Cincinnati | TruStage Financial Group, based in Madison, Wisconsin |
| Where the name comes from | Licensed from Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. and Gerber Products Company | Credit union roots; the company was formerly CUNA Mutual Group |
| How the offer reaches you | Straight to you, online, by phone or by mail. No agent visit | Usually through your credit union, plus its own site and phone |
| Who the policy usually covers | Often a child, since the Grow-Up Plan starts at 14 days old | An adult; its life shelf lists no children's plan |
| Life plans offered | Grow-Up Plan, College Plan, whole life, term, Guaranteed Life for 50 plus | Term through age 80, whole life, guaranteed acceptance whole life |
| Issue ages | Grow-Up Plan 14 days to 17; adult whole life 18 to 80 | Not published online. TruStage states age eligibility rules apply |
| Coverage amounts | $5,000 to $50,000 on a child; $50,000 to $1,000,000 adult whole life | Not published online. Quoted by plan, age and state |
| The no health question option | Guaranteed Life, ages 50 to 80, $5,000 to $25,000 | Guaranteed acceptance whole life, no health questions or exam |
One shelf opens at 14 days old, the other opens in adulthood
Both are bought without an agent appointment, and in both cases you met the brand somewhere other than an insurance office. That is where the resemblance ends. Gerber Life states that it is the marketing name for all direct to consumer business of Western & Southern Financial Group and its subsidiaries, which include Gerber Life Insurance Company, and that the Gerber Life name is used under license from Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. and Gerber Products Company. The shelf follows that name into the nursery: the Grow-Up Plan is written on a child from 14 days through age 17, with the adult plans sitting alongside it. TruStage is the marketing name for TruStage Financial Group in Madison, Wisconsin, its life policies are issued by CMFG Life Insurance Company, and it states a close relationship with more than 3,200 credit unions, which is where most members first see the offer. Its life shelf holds three plans, all written on an adult, with no children's policy listed. So the first question here is not price. It is who the policy is on, and answering it usually settles the choice without either company having to be the wrong one.
Who each one actually suits
Gerber Life
Direct to consumer insurer built around coverage bought on a child
- You are buying on a child or grandchild, since the Grow-Up Plan is written from 14 days old through age 17 in amounts of $5,000 to $50,000.
- You want that childhood policy to double at age 18 with no increase in premium and to carry a Guaranteed Purchase Option the young adult can use later.
- You want a larger adult amount, because Gerber Life writes whole life from $50,000 up to $1,000,000, with a $500,000 ceiling at 56 and older.
- You are 50 to 80, health questions are the part you dread, and Guaranteed Life at $5,000 to $25,000 asks none of them.
- You are saving toward a date rather than a lifetime, and the College Plan's endowment structure, with a guaranteed payout in 10 to 20 years, fits that job.
TruStage
Credit union brand whose life policies are issued by CMFG Life
- You belong to a credit union that offers it, and you would rather buy coverage where you already do your banking.
- You want to finish the whole thing yourself, online or by phone, with no medical exam on any of the three life plans.
- Health questions are the part you dread, and guaranteed acceptance whole life asks none of them, with coverage starting once the first payment clears.
- You want term coverage that can run through age 80, and you are comfortable with the rate stepping up at each five year age band.
- You would like auto, home, renters or a funeral plan under the same brand, so the paperwork lives in one place.
If you already hold one of them
If a Gerber Life policy is already sitting in a drawer, look first at whose name is on it, because a Grow-Up Plan is designed to end up owned by the child it covers, and check whether the coverage has already doubled and whether the purchase option has been used. If you hold the TruStage policy, read the insurer named on the contract, since plenty of members assume the credit union carries the coverage and it does not. That policy stands on its own, and closing the account does not end it, though it can break the draft the premium comes out of. In both cases confirm the beneficiary is current and the amount still matches what your household would need, then leave a working policy alone, because coverage was priced on the health you had the day it was issued and that is usually worth more than a fresh quote.
Common questions
Which is better, Gerber Life or TruStage?
Neither, in the abstract, and for most readers the question answers itself once you name the insured. If the policy is on a child, Gerber Life is the one built for that, with the Grow-Up Plan written from 14 days old through age 17. If the policy is on an adult and you belong to a credit union, TruStage is built for that, with term, whole life and guaranteed acceptance whole life on its shelf. Where they genuinely overlap is adult coverage with no medical exam, and there the answer depends on your age, your health answers and your state, so the only real comparison is the one run on your own numbers.
Is Gerber Life the same company as Gerber baby food?
No, and Gerber Life says so plainly. The company states that the Gerber Life name is used under license from Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. and Gerber Products Company, and that Gerber Life is the marketing name for all direct to consumer business of Western & Southern Financial Group and its subsidiaries, which include Gerber Life Insurance Company. Western & Southern is a mutual company based in Cincinnati. A licensed name is a normal arrangement in insurance and it is not a warning sign. It just means the company you would file a claim with is the insurer named on your contract, not the one on the baby food label.
Do I have to belong to a credit union to buy TruStage life insurance?
TruStage is built around credit unions and states a close relationship with more than 3,200 of them, which is how most people first see the offer. It also quotes and takes applications on its own site and by phone. Eligibility can vary by plan and by state, so the quickest way to settle it is to ask TruStage directly or have a licensed professional check before you fill anything out. Gerber Life has no membership requirement of any kind, and its applications are taken online, by phone or by mail.
Can I buy a policy on a child or grandchild from either one?
This is the cleanest split between them. Gerber Life is where the Grow-Up Plan lives, a whole life policy on a child from 14 days old through age 17, in amounts of $5,000 to $50,000, bought by a parent, grandparent or legal guardian. It builds cash value, the coverage doubles at age 18 with no increase in premium on policies issued in 2009 or later, and it carries a Guaranteed Purchase Option so the young adult can add coverage later regardless of health or occupation. TruStage does not list a children's life plan; its life shelf is written on adults. If covering a child is the goal, that decides it.
Which one lets me skip the health questions?
Both of them have a plan for that, and the trade written into each is close to identical. Gerber Life's Guaranteed Life is for ages 50 to 80, in amounts of $5,000 to $25,000, with no medical exam and no health questions, and during the first two years a death from natural causes pays 110 percent of earned premiums while accidental death is covered in full. TruStage's guaranteed acceptance whole life also asks no health questions and requires no exam, and it carries a two year limited benefit period equal to 100 percent of premiums paid plus 10 percent, with accidental death paid in full and coverage beginning once the first payment clears. Gerber Life publishes its age band and its amounts, while TruStage states that age eligibility rules apply and quotes by plan and state, so ask for those details before you set the two side by side.
Who actually issues each policy, and how do I check financial strength?
Read the insurer name on the contract rather than the name in the advertisement, because in both cases they differ. Gerber Life Insurance Company issues its own plans, while Gerber Life term is issued by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company and distributed by Gerber Life Agency, LLC. TruStage life policies are issued by CMFG Life Insurance Company, one of six insurers named in the TruStage disclosures. Independent financial strength opinions for all of these are published at ambest.com, and every United States life insurer is also backed by a state guaranty association up to set limits.
Which one costs less?
There is no honest fixed answer, and anyone who gives you one without your details is guessing. Life insurance pricing turns on the insured age, the health answers, the plan, the coverage amount and the state, and a policy on a two year old and a policy on a 62 year old are not the same product to compare. Where these two do overlap, adult coverage with no medical exam, the sensible move is to quote both on your real numbers and then compare what each one actually pays and when, not just the monthly figure.
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Rates for Gerber Life and TruStage both depend on your age and health, which means the better buy for your neighbour may be the worse buy for you. A licensed professional will price both against what you already have and tell you which is genuinely better, including when the honest answer is to keep what you have.
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This comparison is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Product availability, pricing and underwriting differ by state, age and health, and change over time. Policy Review Center is a free comparison and referral service, not an insurance agency, insurer, or producer, and it connects you with independent licensed agents. Carrier names are used for reference only and do not imply any endorsement or affiliation.