Foresters Life Insurance & Marijuana Use [Review]
Posted in Life Insurance Company Review last updated on July 5, 2021Another life insurance company has joined the small, but growing, group of cannabis-friendly options.
Most insurance companies discriminate against recreational cannabis, auto-declining all applications. It’s even worse if an applicant lies about it and the company discovers THC during the life insurance drug test.
December 2019 Update: Foresters just revised their guidelines. They will now approve clients at standard non-tobacco rates with up to 6x/week marijuana use. This is for a no exam policy!
Many companies stigmatize medical marijuana too.
However, the industry is slowly changing as more companies are doing the research, and more states are legalizing.
With so few options to choose from (roughly a dozen cannabis-friendly ones), it’s more important to look at the underwriting guidelines – even before looking at price. This idea sounds counter-intuitive, but some companies will offer preferred rates for smoking more than twice a week where others will drop you to standard for more than once a month.
It’s not an equal comparison before knowing the underwriting guidelines.
To view instant life insurance quotes, use the INSTANT QUOTES form on this page and look at the rates for Forester’s.
Quick Summary
Foresters is on the friendlier end of underwriting for recreational cannabis. They aren’t the most progressive on the list, but they’re close.
All other underwriting factors being equal, they’re a good choice if you smoke up to 6x/week.
A Brief History of Foresters
Foresters was founded in 1874 to provide affordable life and disability insurance to the average working American family.
Instead of a corporation with a board and shareholders, Foresters is a fraternal benefit society. Its members govern it. There are no shareholders.
Foresters’ Financial Strength
AM Best has given Foresters an A rating for the last 17 years in a row. An A means they have excellent financial stability and a healthy future outlook.
How Foresters Underwrites Cannabis
All life insurance companies treat recreational and medical cannabis differently.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s legal in your state, or not. Insurance companies and everyone who touches your application i
Foresters accepts recreational use up to 6 times per week as standard non-tobacco. That’s the best-case scenario. You still have to qualify based on your health and family history.
For anyone smoking or ingesting more than 6 times per week, the underwriters will look at the application on a case-by-case basis.
Medical marijuana patients aren’t limited by how frequently they take their medication. The underwriters will assess applications based on the medical condition that cannabis is treating.
Types of Foresters Life Insurance Policies
Foresters offers both fully underwritten and no-exam policies.
You can customize the policies with an array of riders to suit your families needs.
Foresters Term Life Insurance
Term insurance covers a specific number of years, usually 10 to 30. You can get shorter terms if those make more sense for your family’s needs.
If the covered person passes on during the term, the beneficiary receives the face amount.
The fully underwritten and no-exam term policies are the same in most respects. There are a few differences related to the amount of risk Foresters is willing to take on without detailed information about a person.
No exam policies cost more. That’s the primary difference.
Both types of term insurance include a free conversion option. This feature allows you to convert your policy to a permanent policy. This feature, which most term policies offer, are a way to extend coverage beyond the term.
The conversion must be done by the end of the initial term period less 5 years. If you have a 30 year term, you can convert up to year 25. If you’re hitting your golden years, you need to convert the policy before hitting age 65.
To change over, you don’t need to take the exam again or answer any health questions. Just complete a very short application and you’re all set.
Fully Underwritten Term
The minimum face amount starts at $100,000 in coverage. Foresters doesn’t place any limit on the maximum available. However, all amounts are subject to underwriting approval. Super high face amounts require proof of super high income.
| Term Length | Non-Tobacco | Tobacco |
| 10-Year Term | 18 – 80 | 18 – 80 |
| 15-Year Term | 18 – 70 | 18 – 70 |
| 20-Year Term | 18 – 65 | 18 – 60 |
| 25-Year Term | 18 – 60 | 18 – 55 |
| 30-Year Term | 18 – 55 | 18 – 50 |
The fully underwritten policy takes a little longer for approval because you’ll need to take the life insurance medical exam.
No-Exam Term Life
The no-exam policy offers lower face amounts than the fully underwritten version. The minimum for all ages starts at $50,000. From ages 18 to 55, you can get up to $400,000 in coverage. After 55, that drops to a $150,000 maximum.
| Term Length | Non-Tobacco | Tobacco |
| 10-Year Term | 18 – 80 | 18 – 80 |
| 15-Year Term | 18 – 70 | 18 – 70 |
| 20-Year Term | 18 – 65 | 18 – 60 |
| 25-Year Term | 18 – 60 | 18 – 55 |
| 30-Year Term | 18 – 55 | 18 – 45 |
While a no-exam policy is more convenient, it’s also more expensive than the exam option. By taking the exam, you’ll save yourself money every month.
Term Riders
Riders allow you to customize your insurance. You can change aspects of your policy to cover the risks that worry you the most. For example, if you work in a hazardous occupation, you might add a disability income rider in case something happens that prevents you from working.
Riders available for the Foresters term policies are:
- Accidental Death Benefit – covers chronic illness, critical illness, and terminal illness
- Family Health Benefit
- Common Carrier Accidental Death
- Waiver of Premium
- Disability Income
- Children’s Term
Foresters Smart Universal Life Policy
A universal life policy is a type of permanent life insurance. It lasts beyond age 100 – the natural lifespan of most people.
Universal life policies have a cash value accumulation in addition to the face amount paid to beneficiaries.
The cash value builds as you pay premiums. You can use the available amount for anything you like, surprise medical bills, vacations, or even a new car.
Foresters’ policy has a minimum withdraw amount of $500. You must hold the policy for at least one year before taking advantage of this perk.
Depending on your needs, you can customize how the benefits work in either level or increasing benefits.
- Level Benefits – remains the same over time
- Increasing Benefits – equal to the face amount plus the cash account value (premiums also rise over time)
Most people make this choice based on their current financial situation versus where they expect their life to take them. For example, a young doctor finishing her residency can reasonably expect her income to increase over the next several years.
You can also take advantage of the charity benefit provision if you’re inclined to use your life insurance for philanthropy.
Finally, you can opt for a no-exam version of this policy. It has similar limitations to the term policy in terms of benefits.
Fully Underwritten Smart Universal Life
You have different face amount options depending on your age at the time of application. Foresters allows children to get permanent life insurance. However, if they’re using recreational cannabis under 18, there may be some underwriting issues.
| Age 0 – 15 | $50,000 – $499,999 |
| Age 16 – 70 | $100,000 – $499,999 |
| Age 71 – 75 | $50,000 – $499,999 |
| Age 76 – 85 | $25,000 – $499,999 |
No-Exam Smart Universal Life
Foresters cuts off their application age for their no-exam policy at 75. At age 76, you can still get the smart universal policy, but it will require the medical exam.
| Age 0 – 15 | $10,000 – $150,000 |
| Age 16 – 55 | $25,000 – $400,000 |
| Age 55 – 75 | $25,000 – $150,000 |
Smart Universal Life Riders
Like the term policy, you can customize this one with riders. These attachments allow you to cover additional risks to help you worry about one less thing.
- Accidental Death Benefit
- Family Health Benefit
- Common Carrier Accidental Death
- Waiver of Monthly Deduction
- Children’s Term
- Guaranteed Purchase Option
Foresters Advantage Plus Whole Life Policy
Advantage Plus Whole Life is more rigid than the universal life policy. You have fewer customization opportunities. Both the premiums and face amount cannot be changed after the policy starts.
It’s similar in that it has both the benefits and a cash value component. Whole life policies tend to have a more conservative growth on their cash value. People with lower risk tolerances tend to find these policies more attractive.
You can borrow from the cash value of the policy. The interest rates on this one are variable.
Fully Underwritten Advantage Plus
The charts below show the minimum and max face amount on the policy that you can take out at varying application ages.
| Age 0 – 15 | $25,000 – $150,000 |
| Age 16 – 70 | $100,000 – $499,999 |
| Age 71 – 75 | $50,000 – $499,999 |
| Age 76 – 85 | $25,000 – $499,999 |
No-Exam Advantage Plus
| Age 0 – 15 | $25,000 – $150,000 |
| Age 16 – 55 | $25,000 – $400,000 |
| Age 56 – 75 | $25,000 – $150,000 |
Advantage Plus Riders
Riders allow you to add extra coverage on your policy. They also add slightly to the premiums.
- Children’s Term
- Accidental Death
- Guaranteed Insurability
- Waiver of Premium
- Disability Income (Accident Only)
- 10-Year Term
- 20-Year Term
- Common Carrier Accident
- Paid Up Additions
- Accelerated Death Benefit
- Family Health Benefit
Conclusion
Up to 6x per week without penalty is great for cannabis-friendly companies. Foresters also tends to be on the more affordable end of life insurance companies.
How Marcan Insurance Can Help
We specialize in finding the right insurer for people who smoke recreationally, to treat a medical condition, or work in the industry.
Because each company has different underwriting standards when it comes to cannabis, finding out the details can be time-consuming and difficult. We’re here to make that easy.
We promise to always go the extra mile because of our belief that every family has the right to affordable coverage without discrimination. Give us a call at (888) 987-8447 with any questions. All calls are kept in confidence, and we’re happy to help.
