I Found Out I Have TruStage Life Insurance. Is It Enough?

Written by Cory Levine, Life Insurance Expert ✅

Founder of The Life Insurance Professionals · Licensed since 2018 · Boca Raton, FL, serving families nationwide

Licensed ExpertHundreds of Families Helped12 min read

Last updated: November 12, 2026 ·

Editorial disclosure

This article was written by Cory Levine, a licensed independent life insurance agent, for general education. It is not financial, tax or legal advice. Cory may earn a commission if you buy a policy through him, and that never changes what he recommends. Rates, benefits and availability vary by company, state and underwriting.

Helping families since 2018. Content follows our editorial standards to protect consumers.

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Cory Levine is an independent life insurance agent in Boca Raton, Florida, serving families nationwide. After losing his wife in 2017 and raising his children on his own, he helps families compare term life with living benefits, indexed universal life, permanent coverage and annuities, with honesty and no pressure. Read Cory’s full bio

Short answer: TruStage is a real life insurance brand, and its policies are issued by CMFG Life Insurance Company, which A.M. Best rates “A” (Excellent). But many people own a TruStage policy without really knowing what it does. Its term life premiums go up every five years, the coverage can end at age 80, and the amounts are small. If you found out you have TruStage, it’s worth a 15-minute review to make sure it actually fits your family.

How do people end up with TruStage without knowing it?

A client called me recently with a problem I hear more than you’d think. He told me he had applied for life insurance through Aflac, a brand he knew and trusted. He assumed that’s who his policy was with.

It wasn’t. The only thing he ever received was a monthly bill. That bill is how he found out his policy was with TruStage. He had one email about it in his inbox. He didn’t know how much coverage he had, what type of policy it was, or whether the price would ever change.

He was paying every month for something he’d never seen.

Another client told me he was shopping online through Ethos, just trying to learn about life insurance. He says he didn’t realize he had actually applied until money started coming out of his bank account. He believed he had $600,000 of term life insurance. When I reviewed his policy, he had $300,000 on a 10-year term policy and another $300,000 of accidental-only coverage, which only pays if he dies in an accident. If he passed from cancer or a heart attack, his family would get $300,000, half of what he thought he had. And in 10 years, even that could be gone.

I hear versions of this all the time. People are looking for an education on life insurance, and a few months later they notice a payment they don’t recognize.

Other clients had no idea their policy came with a two-year waiting period. Nobody explained it in plain English. The details were buried in insurance jargon, and the policy was positioned as “coverage” without saying what that coverage would and wouldn’t do in the first two years.

I’m Cory Levine. When my wife passed in 2017, I was left raising my children on my own. I learned the hard way that the policy is only half the plan. The other half is knowing exactly what you have, and knowing it will do its job. That’s why stories like his bother me.

What is TruStage life insurance?

TruStage is an insurance brand best known for selling through credit unions. Its life insurance is issued by CMFG Life Insurance Company (and in some cases other insurers listed in its disclosures). It sells three main types of life insurance, mostly online or by phone, with no medical exam:

• Term life: coverage up to $300,000 for applicants up to age 69. Premiums go up every five years.
• Whole life: coverage up to $100,000 for applicants up to age 85, with a level premium.
• Guaranteed acceptance whole life: no health questions, smaller amounts (roughly $20,000 to $25,000 max, depending on where you buy it), and a two-year waiting period.

Where do TruStage policies come from?

Because TruStage is often sold under someone else’s front door. You may have bought it through:

• Your credit union. TruStage works with thousands of credit unions, and the offer often shows up in the mail or your online banking.
• An online life insurance platform like Ethos. Ethos’s own website lists TruStage term, whole life and guaranteed acceptance policies among the products it sells.
• Online insurance marketplaces like SelectQuote. SelectQuote’s website says TruStage offers its Advantage Whole Life policy through SelectQuote.
• Other insurance brands. One of my clients says he applied through Aflac and ended up with a TruStage policy.
• TruStage directly, online or by phone.

None of that is wrong. But when you apply in one place and the policy comes from another, it’s easy to lose track of what you actually bought. That’s how people end up like my client: paying a bill with no idea what’s behind it.

What should I check if I have a TruStage policy?

1. How much of your coverage is accidental-only?

Look closely at your policy for “accidental death” coverage. It sounds like life insurance, but it only pays if you die in an accident. Most deaths are from illness, like heart disease and cancer. If part of your number is accidental-only, your family may be far less protected than you think.

2. Is your premium going to go up?

If you have TruStage term life, the answer is yes. TruStage says term rates rise every five years as you reach a new age band (30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and so on up to 75). That’s very different from the level term policies most families picture, where the price is locked for 10, 20 or 30 years. A cheap price at 40 can look very different at 60.

3. When does the coverage end?

TruStage term coverage can run until age 80, and then it stops. If you still need coverage at that point, your options get limited and expensive. TruStage does let you renew or convert to whole life, so ask what that would cost you before you need it.

4. Is the amount actually enough?

TruStage term tops out at $300,000, and whole life at $100,000. For a family with a mortgage, kids and an income to replace, that may not go far. Here’s how to figure out how much life insurance you need.

5. Is there a waiting period?

Several of my clients had no idea their policy had a two-year waiting period until I showed them. If you have the guaranteed acceptance policy, there’s a two-year waiting period. If you pass away from an illness during those first two years, your family gets back the premiums paid plus interest, not the full benefit. Accidental death is generally covered from day one. If you’re healthy enough to qualify for a regular policy, you may not need to accept that wait. Learn more about guaranteed issue and final expense coverage.

6. Does it protect you while you’re alive?

This is the one most people never ask about. TruStage’s own term life page doesn’t mention living benefits, and independent reviews note it doesn’t offer riders. Living benefits let you use part of your death benefit early if you’re diagnosed with a serious illness. When my wife was sick, I saw what a family goes through financially before the end. Read living benefits explained by a widower.

What happened with the 2026 TruStage outage?

On July 11, 2026, TruStage was hit by a cyberattack that took down large parts of its systems. For weeks, many customers had trouble logging in, making payments or reaching someone by phone. Local news in St. Louis reported families whose funerals were delayed while they waited on TruStage death claims, and the company faced more than a dozen class-action lawsuits over the slow recovery.

TruStage says the attack was contained, its contact centers reopened in August, and the delayed claims in those news reports were resolved. It has also warned that scammers have been posing as TruStage representatives, so only contact the company through its official website or the number on your policy.

TruStage has said it is not encouraging anyone to cancel or replace their coverage, and I agree you shouldn’t cancel anything in a panic. But if the outage made you realize you don’t know what your policy says, that’s a good reason to get it reviewed.

How do I find out what my TruStage policy covers?

1. Find your policy number. It’s usually on your bill or bank statement.
2. Call TruStage or log in to your online account and ask for a copy of your full policy.
3. Ask five questions: What’s my coverage amount? How much of it is accidental-only? Is this term or whole life? When does my premium go up next, and to what? When does my coverage end?
4. Check your beneficiary. Make sure the right people are named. If you have young children, read why you might name a trust as beneficiary.

Can’t find any paperwork at all? Our life insurance policy finder guide walks you through tracking a policy down.

What did I do for my client and his wife?

Once we knew what he had, we stepped back and looked at the whole picture, not just one policy.

• We reassessed what he and his wife actually needed. Income to replace, the mortgage, the kids, and what each of them would need if the other passed.
• We made sure they had a proper living benefits package, so a serious illness wouldn’t drain their savings while they’re still alive.
• We locked in their price, so they know exactly what they’ll pay and for how long, with no five-year surprises.
• We kept the old policy in force until the new coverage was approved. Never cancel a policy before the new one is in place.
• They got everything in writing, and they know who to call: me.

Now they know what they have, what it costs, and what it does. That’s what every family deserves.

Why does it matter who sold you your policy?

Here’s the pattern I see over and over. People buy online or over the phone and end up with a call center agent they can never reach again. Months later, they don’t know what they have, when they got it, what type of policy it is, or how much coverage their family would actually get.

Confusion, confusion, confusion. And confusion is how families get hurt, because they find out what the policy really does at the worst possible moment.

That’s why I work the way I do. You get one agent you can trust, and one agent you can call anytime. I’ll explain your policy in plain English, put it in writing, and I’ll still be here when you have a question next year, or when your family needs to file a claim.

Is TruStage ever a good fit?

Yes, for some people. If you want a small policy quickly, with no exam, or you have health issues that make a regular policy hard to get, TruStage may be a reasonable option. The insurer behind it is financially strong.

But if you’re healthy, have a family depending on you, or need more than a small amount of coverage, you may be able to get more coverage, a locked-in price and living benefits for a similar cost. Many people qualify for no-exam life insurance with much better terms than they expect. See what life insurance costs by age.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns TruStage life insurance?

TruStage is a brand of the TruStage family of companies. Its life insurance is issued by CMFG Life Insurance Company and, in some cases, other insurers listed in its disclosures.

Is TruStage a legitimate insurance company?

Yes. CMFG Life Insurance Company is rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best. The questions to ask are about the policy itself: the price changes, the coverage amount and when it ends.

Why does my TruStage premium keep going up?

TruStage term life is priced in five-year age bands, so your premium increases each time you move into a new band.

Can I get TruStage through Ethos?

Yes. Ethos lists TruStage term, whole life and guaranteed acceptance policies among the products it offers. If you applied through Ethos, check your policy to see which company issued it.

Was TruStage hacked?

TruStage was hit by a cyberattack on July 11, 2026 that disrupted its systems for weeks. The company says it was contained and services have been restored.

Does TruStage term life end at 80?

TruStage says term coverage can last until age 80. After that, you’d need to have converted to a permanent policy to keep coverage.

Should I cancel my TruStage policy?

Not until you’ve reviewed it and any new coverage is fully approved and in force. For some people keeping it makes sense. A quick review will tell you.

Can I bring my TruStage policy to an independent agent?

Yes. An independent agent can review what you have and compare it to other options. As an independent agent, I’m not tied to one company, so my job is to find what fits you.

Do you know what your policy really covers?

If you found out you have TruStage, from a bill, a bank statement, or an email you barely remember, don’t panic and don’t cancel anything. Just get the facts. I’ll review your policy with you, show you any gaps, and give you an honest answer about whether it’s enough.

📅 Book a free 15-minute call or call/text 561-542-8610.

Prefer to start on your own? Take my private 5-minute health check and I’ll tell you honestly where you stand.

Related reading: life insurance with living benefits · how much coverage your spouse needs · is employer life insurance enough?

Cory Levine | The Life Insurance Professionals. Licensed agent located in Boca Raton, FL, serving clients nationwide. This article is for educational purposes only. Product details are based on TruStage’s and Ethos’s published information, news reports and independent reviews as of November 2026 and can change; check your own policy documents for your exact terms. Client stories are shared with identifying details removed. TruStage is a trademark of its respective owner; Client stories reflect what clients told me about their own experiences. TruStage, Ethos, Aflac and SelectQuote are trademarks of their respective owners. The Life Insurance Professionals is not affiliated with any of them.

About Cory Levine

Cory Levine is an independent life insurance agent and founder of The Life Insurance Professionals, based in Boca Raton, Florida and serving families nationwide. Licensed since 2018, he has helped hundreds of families protect what matters most. After losing his wife in 2017 and raising his children on his own, he knows firsthand what the right coverage means to a family. Guided by his faith, Cory treats every family he helps as a responsibility, not a sale, with honesty, transparency and no pressure. He compares top-rated companies to find honest options: term life with living benefits, indexed universal life, permanent coverage, and annuities, including 401(k) rollovers and retirement income you can’t outlive. Florida License W526357.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” — Philippians 2:3 (NIV)