Lincoln life insurance review: Lincoln Financial Group.

No. They are two different companies. Lincoln Financial Group (through The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company) is a large national insurer known for term and permanent coverage, especially universal and indexed universal life. Lincoln Heritage is a separate carrier in Phoenix, Arizona that focuses on final expense and burial coverage through its Funeral Advantage program. If you were looking for the burial-coverage company, see our Lincoln Heritage review instead.

It is the insurance company behind the Lincoln Financial name, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it is the entity that issues most Lincoln life insurance policies. In New York, policies are issued by Lincoln Life and Annuity Company of New York in Syracuse. So if your policy pages say Lincoln National, you are holding a Lincoln Financial policy, not a Lincoln Heritage one.

For permanent coverage, Lincoln earns a place on most shortlists. It is one of the largest life insurers in the United States, its permanent shelf is deep, and living-benefits riders are widely available. The current financial strength rating for The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company is published at ambest.com and is worth checking yourself. What a review adds is whether Lincoln is the best fit for your age and health, and that only shows up in a side-by-side comparison.

Lincoln writes level term life in 10-, 15-, 20-, and 30-year lengths, plus a deep permanent line: universal life, indexed universal life, and variable universal life. It also offers MoneyGuard, which pairs life insurance with long-term care benefits, and survivorship (second-to-die) coverage. Living-benefits riders are available on many policies.

Lincoln is known for universal life and indexed universal life rather than traditional whole life. Both are permanent coverage that builds cash value. The difference is that whole life fixes the premium and the growth, while universal life gives you flexibility on both. If a fixed whole life policy is what you want, it is worth comparing Lincoln against carriers that specialize in it, and a licensed professional can set the options side by side so you see the tradeoffs clearly.

Indexed universal life, or IUL, is permanent coverage whose cash value can grow based on a market index, with a floor that limits losses and a cap that limits gains. Lincoln is a well-known IUL carrier. These are good products when they are properly designed and properly funded, which is exactly what a review checks.

A Lincoln indexed universal life policy can be a strong one when it is designed and funded the way it was illustrated. Two things decide how an IUL performs: how it is built and how it is funded. If you already own one, request an in-force illustration from the carrier and have a licensed professional read it with you, which is exactly what a policy review covers.

Lincoln Financial focuses on term and permanent coverage rather than small burial policies. If final expense is what you are after, the company you are likely thinking of is Lincoln Heritage, a separate carrier built around that market. Our Lincoln Heritage review covers how its Funeral Advantage program works.

It depends on your age, sex, health, the type of policy, and the coverage amount. Term is typically the lowest-cost way in; permanent coverage costs more because it lasts for life and builds cash value. Lincoln does not post online quotes, so a quick call gives you a real number for your situation rather than a guess.

Existing policyholders can reach Lincoln Financial through the number on their policy or at lincolnfinancial.com. If you would like someone to read your policy with you first, a licensed professional on our team can do that and help you contact the carrier.