Quick Answer
Lincoln Heritage sells whole life burial insurance through its Funeral Advantage program. Its captive agents sell only Lincoln Heritage policies, so they can’t compare prices or coverage from other insurance companies. Lincoln Heritage’s premiums are substantially higher than comparable first-day coverage offered by competing carriers. Applicants who answer yes to certain significant health questions receive a modified plan that limits natural-death benefits for the first two years at ages 50 through 85, or three years under age 50. During those years, a natural death pays back only the premiums paid plus 10%, 20%, or 30%, depending on the policy year. Most all applicants can qualify for first-day coverage elsewhere at a lower price.
Key Points
- Lincoln Heritage charges substantially more than competing carriers for comparable first-day burial insurance coverage
- Its agents are captive. They can sell only Lincoln Heritage policies and can't compare other companies for you.
- Lincoln Heritage's published rate book shows a 65-year-old woman paying $107.70 a month for $10,000 of modified coverage versus $58.50 for immediate coverage.
- If you overpay by $40 a month for a Lincoln Heritage policy, that's $4,800 in additional premiums over 10 years
- The Funeral Consumer Guardian Society helps with funeral planning but doesn't pay funeral expenses
- Lincoln Heritage advertises payment within 24 hours after a claim is approved, not within 24 hours of death
GET MY QUOTEor call 888-862-9456
Company history and ownership
Jack Londen founded Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company in 1963. Today it’s part of Londen Insurance Group and is based in Phoenix, Arizona. It’s legally based (domiciled) in Illinois.
Funeral Advantage is underwritten by Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company. The company sells it through its own agents, who meet with people in person or by phone. You can’t buy a policy online. Funeral Advantage isn’t available in New York or Washington.
Financial strength
AM Best rates Lincoln Heritage A (Excellent) with a stable outlook. AM Best raised the rating from A- in July 2025 and confirmed it in August 2026.
That rating means Lincoln Heritage has the financial strength to pay claims. It’s important to separate financial strength from consumer value. A strong rating tells you nothing about whether the price is fair.
Funeral Advantage at a glance
Some plan details below come from Lincoln Heritage’s agent rate book and may have changed. Terms can also vary by state.
| Feature | Funeral Advantage |
|---|---|
| Plans | Final Expense (level), Twenty Pay (premiums for 20 years) or Modified Death Benefit |
| Issue ages | 30 days to 85 (Twenty Pay: up to 80) |
| Coverage limits | Up to $35,000 through age 80; up to $15,000 at ages 81 to 85; up to $15,000 on a modified plan. Lower limits apply when someone other than you or your spouse owns the policy. |
| Minimum premium | $15 a month, before riders |
| Premiums | Never increase; on Final Expense and modified plans they’re payable to age 100 |
| Policy fee | $3 a month on bank draft |
| Coverage starts | When Lincoln Heritage approves the application and the first premium is paid |
| Cancellation | Coverage stays in force as long as you pay the premiums |
| Modified death benefit | Ages 50 to 85: premiums paid plus 10% in year one, plus 20% in year two, then the full benefit. Under 50: a three-year schedule. |
| Terminal illness benefit | Included on the Final Expense and Twenty Pay plans |
| Contestability period | 2 years |
| Suicide exclusion | 2 years, with a refund of premium (1 year in Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri and North Dakota) |
| Optional riders | Child rider and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) rider |
| Funeral planning | Funeral Consumer Guardian Society membership, included at no additional membership cost |
| Not sold in | New York and Washington |
| Who sells it | Lincoln Heritage’s own agents |
The death benefit goes to your beneficiary, who can use it for any purpose. That gives your family flexibility: the money isn’t tied to one funeral home.
How Lincoln Heritage underwriting decides your coverage
There’s no medical exam. A Lincoln Heritage agent asks the application’s health questions, and your answers decide whether you can get coverage and which plan you get. The application also authorizes Lincoln Heritage to get your prescription history from pharmacies and use it to evaluate your application.
The application sorts the health questions into two groups. A “yes” to an uninsurable condition means you can’t get the policy. A “yes” to any significant health condition question means your death benefit will be modified.
| Result | If the applicant… |
|---|---|
| Uninsurable | Has tested positive for HIV, or has been diagnosed with AIDS or a life expectancy of 12 months or less |
| Uninsurable | Is currently bedridden, in a hospital or care facility, or receiving hospice care |
| Modified death benefit | In the past two years was diagnosed with, treated by a doctor for, or took medication for heart disease (such as a heart attack, heart surgery or congestive heart failure) or circulatory disease (such as a stroke, an aneurysm, or advice to have surgery to improve circulation) |
| Modified death benefit | In the past two years was diagnosed with, treated by a doctor for, or took medication for cancer (except basal cell skin cancer) or lung disease such as COPD or emphysema (asthma doesn’t count) |
| Modified death benefit | In the past two years was diagnosed with, treated by a doctor for, or took medication for liver or kidney disease, or had an organ transplant; Alzheimer’s, dementia, organic brain syndrome or ALS; or alcohol or drug abuse |
| Modified death benefit | In the past two years was diagnosed with, treated by a doctor for, or took medication for complications of diabetes, such as an amputation, diabetic coma, blindness or a kidney disorder |
| Modified death benefit | Has had, or been advised to have, a diagnostic test related to any condition above (other than HIV or AIDS) and hasn’t received the results yet |
| May qualify for immediate coverage | Answers “no” to every question. That doesn’t guarantee approval: Lincoln Heritage still reviews the application, including your prescription history, before it decides. |
This summarizes Lincoln Heritage’s Funeral Advantage application (form ICC13FEAPPR). Questions can vary by state and change over time.
What the modified plan costs
A “yes” to one significant health question doesn’t just limit your benefit. It nearly doubles your price. According to Lincoln Heritage’s published rate book, a 65-year-old woman buying $10,000 of coverage pays:
| Plan | Monthly premium | What a natural death pays in the first two years |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate coverage (Final Expense) | $58.50 | The full $10,000 |
| Modified coverage | $107.70 | Only the premiums paid, plus 10% in year one or 20% in year two |
That’s $49.20 more per month, about 84% higher, for coverage that limits natural-death benefits during the first two years. These are historical published rates, not current quotes.
What Lincoln Heritage’s underwriting guide tells agents
Lincoln Heritage’s agent rate book explains how agents should answer the health questions. Its instructions go further than the application’s wording:
| The underwriting guide says | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| For the significant health conditions, a chronic condition diagnosed, treated or medicated at any time results in a modified death benefit | The two-year window doesn’t always help: an older chronic condition from the significant health list, such as chronic lung disease, still means the modified plan |
| Significant conditions also include angina, coronary artery disease, TIA (mini-stroke), peripheral artery disease (PAD), oxygen use, chronic bronchitis, any chronic lung disease other than asthma, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, dialysis, being advised to have an organ transplant, and cancer in remission if you still take medication or get treatment to keep it from returning | Many common conditions lead to the modified plan |
| Any memory-related illness counts, and someone else, such as a spouse, child or sibling, must own or pay for the policy | Dementia means the modified plan and a different owner or payer |
| Diabetes without complications doesn’t require a “yes” | Controlled diabetes alone doesn’t trigger the modified plan |
| A prescription check may be run on every Final Expense and Twenty Pay application, and if it shows you qualify only for the modified plan, the policy can be changed before it’s mailed | Answering “no” doesn’t lock in the immediate plan |
| Bedridden includes anyone who can’t get in or out of a bed or wheelchair without help; a care facility includes assisted living, nursing homes, group homes and rehab centers | More people are uninsurable than the short question suggests |
| In North Carolina, the modified plan is guaranteed issue, with no health questions; in California, HIV that never progressed to AIDS can get the modified plan | Two state exceptions |
Three things stand out:
- The two-year look-back isn’t the whole story. Most questions ask about the past two years, and if you still take medication for an older condition on the list, the answer is “yes.” The underwriting guide adds that a chronic condition from the significant health list leads to the modified plan no matter when it was diagnosed or treated.
- High blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes without complications aren’t on the list. The guide says diabetes without complications doesn’t require a “yes.” Lincoln Heritage still checks your prescription history, so answer every question accurately.
- One “yes” is enough. A single “yes” to any significant health condition question means a modified death benefit.
Buying a policy for a parent or other relative
According to the company’s agent instructions, Lincoln Heritage lowers the coverage limit when someone other than the insured person, their spouse, or a parent of a minor child owns the policy. An adult child insuring a parent 60 or older can buy up to $15,000; for a parent under 60, the limit is $10,000. Lincoln Heritage also requires a phone interview with the person being insured. If that interview can’t be completed, the policy may be issued as a modified plan.
Waiting periods: immediate vs. modified coverage
Immediate coverage: the Final Expense and Twenty Pay plans pay the full benefit from day one. Lincoln Heritage says most applicants qualify for it based on their health answers.
Modified coverage: if you die from natural causes in the early years, your family gets back the premiums you paid plus a percentage, not the face amount. The percentage is figured on your premiums, not on your coverage. Here’s the schedule from Lincoln Heritage’s rate book:
| If death from natural causes happens in | Ages 50 to 85 | Under age 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Premiums paid plus 10% | Premiums paid plus 10% |
| Year 2 | Premiums paid plus 20% | Premiums paid plus 20% |
| Year 3 | Full benefit | Premiums paid plus 30% |
| After that | Full benefit | Full benefit |
Take the 65-year-old woman from the example above with a $10,000 modified plan. If she dies of natural causes at the end of the first year, her family gets back roughly $1,380, not $10,000. At the end of the second year, it’s roughly $3,015.
Lincoln Heritage’s website describes the early-years limit as applying to non-accidental deaths. Its rate book lists the schedule without mentioning accidents, so ask how your policy treats an accidental death in the early years.
For some unfortunate applicants, full protection doesn’t start for years. That’s a terrible plan to buy if you truly qualify for first-day coverage.
A modified plan is different from guaranteed acceptance life insurance, which asks no health questions at all.
Contestability is a separate rule. Every Funeral Advantage policy, immediate or modified, has a two-year contestability period. During those two years, Lincoln Heritage can deny a claim if the application contained a material misstatement. Answer every health question accurately. Our guide to the contestability period explains how this works.
The policy also has a suicide exclusion with a refund of premium during the first two years (one year in Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri and North Dakota).
The Funeral Consumer Guardian Society (FCGS)
Lincoln Heritage includes membership in the Funeral Consumer Guardian Society with Funeral Advantage at no additional membership cost. A former funeral director founded it in 2000. Buying a Lincoln Heritage policy is the only way to join, and Lincoln Heritage is the only insurance company it works with.
What it does:
- You fill out a final wishes form ahead of time.
- After a death, your family calls a 24-hour line and gets a personal funeral advisor.
- The advisor compares prices at funeral homes and reviews the funeral contract.
Lincoln Heritage says the service saves families an average of $1,850 on a traditional funeral and up to $1,100 on a cremation. Those are the company’s own figures, not an independent study.
What it doesn’t do:
- It doesn’t pay a dime toward the funeral.
- It doesn’t guarantee lower prices.
- It has no legal or financial authority over funeral homes.
Is the service worth what you pay for the policy?
Funeral-planning help was probably worth more years ago, when families had few easy ways to research funeral homes. Today, you can look up funeral homes, compare prices, read reviews and find planning guides online. AI tools are making those tasks even easier.
Now look at the money. If Lincoln Heritage costs you $40 more a month than a comparable first-day policy, that adds up:
- 10 years: $4,800 extra
- 15 years: $7,200 extra
- 20 years: $9,600 extra
Those are illustrations, not the actual difference for every applicant. Depending on your eligibility and the price, that same money could buy more life insurance from a competing carrier. And remember: the FCGS doesn’t pay funeral expenses. The insurance policy pays the death benefit.
Why pay thousands more over the years for funeral-planning assistance when you might be able to use that same money to buy more life insurance coverage?
Riders and add-ons
These terms and prices come from Lincoln Heritage’s rate book. Ask the agent for the current terms in your state.
- Child rider: covers a child, stepchild, grandchild or great-grandchild between 30 days old and 17. Each unit is $5,000 of term coverage that lasts to age 25, up to 5 units per child, for $2.00 a month per unit. The child must pass the rider’s own health questions. At 25, it can be converted to a permanent policy of the same or a lower amount.
- Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) rider: each unit pays $5,000 for an accidental death, $10,000 for a death in a car accident, $20,000 for a death in a common-carrier accident (such as a bus or plane) or from an act of war or terrorism, and $2,500 for a single dismemberment. It also pays up to $1,000 to bring the body home if death happens more than 200 miles from home. You can buy up to 8 units, at $1.00 to $2.25 a month per unit depending on age. It pays only for qualifying accidents, not illness.
Pricing and cost factors
Your premium depends on your age, sex, coverage amount, any riders, and which plan you get. Tobacco matters too: the application asks whether you’ve used any form of tobacco in the past 12 months. According to the company’s agent instructions, chewing and smokeless tobacco count, but nicotine patches and vapes without tobacco don’t. Premiums never increase.
Lincoln Heritage’s published rates
Here’s what $10,000 of coverage costs under Lincoln Heritage’s published rates, non-tobacco, paid monthly by bank draft. Each figure includes the $3 monthly policy fee.
| Age | Women, Final Expense (immediate) | Men, Final Expense (immediate) | Women, modified | Men, modified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | $39.60 | $49.70 | $87.70 | $108.30 |
| 65 | $58.50 | $69.30 | $107.70 | $131.30 |
| 75 | $103.10 | $125.90 | $151.70 | $192.30 |
| 80 | $145.00 | $183.20 | $188.70 | $212.70 |
Source: Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company, Final Expense Plans Agent Rate Book. Rates shown are historical examples and may differ from current premiums.
Each figure is Lincoln Heritage’s monthly rate per $1,000 of coverage, times 10, plus the $3 policy fee. For example, a 65-year-old woman pays $5.55 × 10 + $3 = $58.50.
What these numbers show:
- The modified plan costs far more and pays far less. At 55 and 65, it costs roughly 85% to 120% more than Lincoln Heritage’s own immediate plan. A 65-year-old man pays $131.30 a month instead of $69.30, and his family gets back only premiums plus 10% or 20% if he dies of natural causes in the first two years.
- Tobacco raises the immediate-plan price. A 65-year-old man who uses tobacco pays $97.10 a month for the Final Expense plan. Modified-plan rates are the same whether or not you use tobacco.
- Twenty Pay costs a little more each month, but premiums end after 20 years. A 65-year-old woman pays $63.30 a month for 20 years, compared with $58.50 a month for life on the Final Expense plan.
How Lincoln Heritage compares
In my experience as an independent broker, Lincoln Heritage’s premiums are consistently substantially higher than comparable first-day coverage from competing carriers. They’re often 30% to 60% higher than comparable first-day plans from Aetna, Family Benefit Life or Mutual of Omaha.
That difference adds up over the life of a policy. As the funeral planning section shows, even $40 more a month comes to $4,800 over 10 years, and your own difference depends on your quotes.
To compare fairly, write down these five things from any quote:
- The coverage amount
- The monthly premium
- Whether it’s immediate or modified coverage
- What the policy pays for a natural death in the early policy years
- The tobacco status used
Then compare the same coverage and the same type of plan from several companies: first-day coverage against first-day coverage.
Claims, cancellations and replacements
Claims: Lincoln Heritage advertises that approved claims are paid within 24 hours. The clock starts after the claim is approved, not when the death happens. The beneficiary first sends the required documents, such as a certified death certificate. If the death happens during the two-year contestability period, the company can review the claim against the application before it approves it.
Canceling: contact Lincoln Heritage in writing and ask for written confirmation. The policy builds a very small cash value slowly, so canceling in the early years returns little or nothing.
Replacing: make sure the new policy is approved and active before you cancel the old one. A new policy starts its own contestability period, and if your health has changed, you may not qualify for the same coverage again.
Ratings, complaints and customer reviews
| Measure | Result | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| AM Best financial strength | A (Excellent), stable, affirmed August 2026 | AM Best |
| Better Business Bureau | Lincoln Heritage reports an A+ rating; reviews and complaint counts change often | BBB.org |
| NAIC complaint index | Changes every year | NAIC Consumer Insurance Search |
| State complaints | Look up or file a complaint | Your state Department of Insurance |
Online reviews are mixed. Positive reviews often mention fast claims and help with funeral planning. Negative reviews often describe sales pressure, billing problems and poor communication. Keep in mind that a BBB grade isn’t a financial-strength rating.
Common misunderstandings and sales tactics
- “No medical exam” doesn’t mean full coverage. Your health answers can still put you in the modified plan.
- Answering “no” doesn’t lock in the immediate plan. Lincoln Heritage’s prescription check can move you to the modified plan before your policy is mailed.
- “Claims paid in 24 hours” means 24 hours after approval, and approval can take longer during the contestability period.
- Government-style ads for a “program” or “state benefit” are private marketing for one company’s policy.
Who Lincoln Heritage may be suitable for
You might consider Lincoln Heritage if:
- you’re willing to pay substantially higher insurance premiums to get the included funeral-planning service; or
- you insist on meeting an insurance agent face-to-face in your own home.
Neither reason makes the policy a better value.
Shop elsewhere first if you:
- can qualify for first-day coverage with another company;
- were offered the modified plan and haven’t compared other companies;
- want to compare prices from more than one insurer before you buy;
- need more than $35,000, or more than $15,000 after age 80 or on a modified plan;
- are an adult child buying for a parent and need more than $15,000;
- live in New York or Washington, where Funeral Advantage isn’t sold.
Better alternatives to Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage
The best alternatives are simplified issue whole life policies from highly rated companies that offer immediate first-day protection. These carriers use short health questionnaires to decide eligibility but don’t require medical exams.
Competitors like Aetna, Trinity Life and Family Benefit Life routinely approve applicants for first-day coverage, and Aflac and Mutual of Omaha are worth comparing too. Every insurer has its own health rules, so one of these companies can approve first-day coverage for someone Lincoln Heritage would place on its modified plan. Some competitors also offer graded or modified plans, so always ask which plan you qualify for before you buy. Which company is best depends on your age, health and state.
What this means for you
- If Lincoln Heritage offers you the modified plan, get a first-day coverage quote from other companies before you sign. You’d pay far more than Lincoln Heritage’s immediate plan for a policy that pays back only premiums plus 10% or 20% for a natural death in the first two years.
- If you qualify for Lincoln Heritage’s immediate coverage, compare the same coverage amount with other first-day plans before you buy.
- If you’re buying for a parent or other relative, expect a lower coverage limit and a phone interview with the person being insured.
- If you’re over 80, Lincoln Heritage’s rate book limits coverage to $15,000, which may not cover a full funeral.
- Whatever you buy, answer every health question accurately. Lincoln Heritage checks prescription history, and a wrong answer can cost your family the claim during the first two years.
What Randy thinks about Lincoln Heritage
This section is my professional opinion, based on more than a decade as an independent life insurance broker.
Captive agents can’t shop the market for you
Lincoln Heritage agents can only sell Lincoln Heritage policies. They’re there to sell you Lincoln Heritage, not shop the market to find out whether Mutual of Omaha, Aetna, or another company could give you better coverage for less money. That’s the difference between dealing with a captive agent and an independent broker.
Independent brokers like Funeral Funds can compare rates from multiple top-rated insurance companies and find the one that best fits your age and health profile. Captive agents can’t do that. Sad, but true!
Lincoln Heritage’s combination of higher premiums and often delayed benefits makes it one of the least efficient ways to buy burial insurance.
Modified plans go to people who could qualify elsewhere
Immediate coverage goes to people whose health fits Lincoln Heritage’s narrow health underwriting guidelines. If you have health issues they don’t like, you get the modified plan. The problem is that Lincoln Heritage may sell this plan to people who could have qualified for first-day coverage elsewhere, and it won’t tell you about a better policy with better pricing.
In my experience, the vast majority of the people I help qualify for first-day coverage. That’s because Funeral Funds is an independent broker who can compare multiple carriers for you at the same time.
The funeral planning service
In short, Funeral Advantage combines a small whole life policy with a call-center-style support service, wrapped in branding that attempts to sound impressive. The same type of help can be found for free through local funeral homes or nonprofit consumer groups, or even here on my website at funeralfunds.com. The FCGS isn’t a scam, but it’s not the financial safety net many buyers assume it is after sitting through a sales presentation in their home or over the phone.
Who really benefits from this policy?
Lincoln Heritage has the financial strength to pay claims. But in my experience, its premiums run substantially higher than comparable first-day coverage from competing carriers, and its captive agents can’t show you those other prices. They can’t sell another company’s policy, so they have no way to offer you a cheaper one.
If you end up in the modified plan, it’s worse. Lincoln Heritage’s own published rates show the modified plan costing far more than its immediate plan, while paying back only premiums plus 10% or 20% for a natural death in the first two years. You pay more and your family gets less during those years.
When you buy from a captive agent without comparing other companies, you don’t know whether you’re overpaying. Comparing policies gives you a chance to find better coverage for less money.
Funeral Funds recommendation
Lincoln Heritage isn’t competitive on price or coverage timing compared with first-day options. Its modified plans, high premiums and limited flexibility make it one of the least consumer-friendly options in the marketplace.
Simply put, you deserve better. Most people qualify for first-day coverage at a significantly reduced cost. The smartest approach is to compare policies side by side through a licensed independent broker who can access the top-rated companies nationwide.
For permanent coverage that starts immediately, please call 888-862-9456 or visit www.FuneralFunds.com. You’ll speak directly with a licensed agent who works for you, not the insurance company.
Protect your family with the coverage you actually need, not the one that looks good in an ad.
