Neither company is better in the abstract, because they are built around different promises. Lincoln Heritage writes final expense and nothing else, and every Funeral Advantage policy comes with a Funeral Consumer Guardian Society membership that helps the family plan and price the funeral itself. Senior Life sells the insurance on its own terms, writes most of it face to face, and issues from age 0 through 85 so a household can cover more than one person. If that funeral help is what you want, start with Lincoln Heritage; if you would rather judge the policy on coverage and price alone, start with Senior Life and compare it widely.
At a glance
| Lincoln Heritage | Senior Life Insurance Company | |
|---|---|---|
| What they write | Final expense whole life only, since 1963 | Final expense whole life, plus a 20-year term option |
| Signature offering | The Funeral Advantage program | Immediate and graded final expense whole life |
| What comes with the policy | Free FCGS membership for funeral planning help | The coverage itself, with no bundled service |
| How you qualify | A few health questions, no medical exam | A few health questions, no exam or bloodwork |
| Waiting period | Day one for those who qualify; graded options otherwise | Day one on the immediate plan; graded plan for tougher health |
| Who can be covered | Adults buying burial coverage for themselves or a parent | Ages 0 to 85, concentrated on buyers 50 and up |
| Home office | Phoenix, Arizona | Thomasville, Georgia |
| Financial strength | Check the current rating at ambest.com | Check the current rating at ambest.com |
One sells a policy with a service attached. The other sells the policy.
Both companies write the same basic product. Small whole life, a few health questions in place of a medical exam, a premium that stays level, and coverage that does not expire while you pay it. The structural difference is what travels along with the policy. Lincoln Heritage bundles every Funeral Advantage policy with a membership in the Funeral Consumer Guardian Society, an outside organization that helps your family plan the service, compare prices across local funeral homes, and read the funeral contract before anyone signs it. That is a non-insurance benefit built into an insurance product, and Senior Life does not set out to replicate it. Senior Life puts its effort somewhere else. It keeps the offering to the coverage itself, issues from age 0 through 85 so a household can insure a parent, a spouse and a grandchild in the same sitting, and keeps a 20-year term option on the shelf next to the whole life. So the real question is not which company is stronger. It is whether you want the funeral help built in, or the coverage sized and priced on its own.
Who each one actually suits
Lincoln Heritage
A Phoenix-based insurer that writes final expense coverage and nothing else
- The part that worries you is not just the money, it is your family standing in a funeral home making decisions with no idea what anything should cost.
- You want a company that has done this one job and nothing else since 1963.
- A membership that reviews the funeral contract and compares local prices sounds like something your family would actually use.
- You would rather have the funeral planning help attached to the policy than have to go find it separately later.
Senior Life Insurance Company
A Thomasville, Georgia carrier built around small whole life burial coverage
- You would rather buy the insurance on its own and handle funeral arrangements your own way.
- More than one person in the house needs coverage, and issue ages that start at 0 let you handle a grandchild on the same visit.
- You want someone at your kitchen table who fills the application out with you, which is how most of this coverage is written.
- A term option matters to you, because Senior Life keeps a 20-year term next to its whole life and Lincoln Heritage does not sell term.
- You want one carrier that can cover a child or grandchild now and still write on you at 85, without moving the household to a second company.
If you already hold one of them
If you already hold one of these, start by valuing it rather than shopping it. A Lincoln Heritage policy carries the FCGS membership with it, so replacing that policy means giving up the funeral planning help too, which is easy to forget when you are looking only at premiums. A Senior Life graded plan whose first two years are already behind you is worth real money, because a new policy elsewhere can restart that clock if your health no longer qualifies you for day one coverage. Read the policy with someone licensed before you change anything, and understand that keeping what you have is a perfectly good ending.
Common questions
Which is better, Lincoln Heritage or Senior Life?
They answer different questions, so neither is better on its own. Lincoln Heritage is a dedicated final expense specialist whose Funeral Advantage program adds Funeral Consumer Guardian Society membership on top of the coverage, help with planning, pricing and the claim itself. Senior Life is a Georgia carrier that focuses on the insurance, writes most of it in person, and covers a wider age range. Pick based on whether that funeral help is something your family would use.
What is the Funeral Advantage program?
Funeral Advantage is Lincoln Heritage's signature offering. It pairs simplified issue final expense whole life with a free membership in the Funeral Consumer Guardian Society, an outside organization that helps a family document funeral wishes, compare prices at local funeral homes, and get guidance from a live representative at the time of a death. Ask Lincoln Heritage what the membership currently includes before you count on any specific service, since those details sit with the Society rather than on your policy. Senior Life sells the insurance without a bundled membership of that kind.
Does either company require a medical exam?
No. Both write simplified issue coverage, which means a few health questions on the application take the place of an exam, blood work and lab visits. Senior Life's site is explicit about it, promising no medical exams or bloodwork and an application with just a few health questions, and Lincoln Heritage underwrites its final expense coverage the same way. What the questions do is decide which version of the plan you qualify for, not whether you get to apply.
Is there a waiting period with either one?
It depends on which plan your health qualifies you for, and both companies work the same way here. Qualify on the health questions and the full benefit is generally payable from day one. Do not qualify, and you land on a graded plan, where a natural cause death in roughly the first two years returns your premiums with interest instead of the full benefit, and accidental death is typically covered from the start. Ask which version you are being offered before you sign, not after.
How much coverage can I get from each company?
Both are sized for a funeral and the bills that follow it rather than for income replacement. Per Senior Life, the maximum face amount is $30,000, and you can add coverage at any age up to 85 subject to a few health questions. Lincoln Heritage writes Funeral Advantage in the same small whole life range, and the current maximum is worth confirming with the company for your age and state, since these caps move. Most families buy well under either ceiling. The number worth sizing against is not a national average but the price list at the funeral home you would actually use, which they must give you on request.
Which one is cheaper?
There is no honest blanket answer, because final expense pricing moves with your age, sex, health, coverage amount and state, and the same person can get a very different result from each company. What we can tell you is what you are paying for in each case. Lincoln Heritage includes the FCGS membership in the coverage, which is a real service that costs something to provide. Senior Life prices the insurance by itself. The only comparison that means anything is both quotes run on your actual profile, next to a few other final expense carriers.
How are these policies sold and serviced?
Both reach buyers through their own agents rather than through a website checkout, and both are commonly written in person at the kitchen table, which is why so many people first hear about them from a mailer or a house call. For service later on, the agent named on your paperwork is the usual first stop, and each company's home office can point you to a servicing agent if that person has moved on. If you would rather have someone read the policy with you first and explain in plain language what you own, a licensed professional can do that.
If I already have one of these, should I switch to the other?
Not automatically, and often not at all. Coverage you already own was priced on the health you had when it was issued, so if your health has changed since, replacing it can cost more or may not be available on the same terms. Any honest comparison starts by valuing what you already hold, and a review that ends in keep what you have is a perfectly good result.
Can I hold policies from both companies at once?
Yes. There is no rule against owning coverage from more than one insurer, and plenty of households do, often because policies were bought at different life stages for different reasons. What matters is that the total coverage matches what your family would actually need, and that you are not paying twice for the same job.
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The right answer depends on you, not on the brochure.
Rates for Lincoln Heritage and Senior Life Insurance Company 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.