Ethos

Ethos, online life insurance with instant quotes

Ethos is an American company that sells life insurance over the internet. Its approach replaces the traditional process —weeks of paperwork, phone calls, and waiting— with a fully digital application in which the applicant answers health questions online, without medical exams, and gets a rate in real time. The company states that coverage can be activated in about ten minutes and that it has more than 700,000 customers in the United States.

Life insurance products

The catalog covers several types of protection:

• Term life insurance, including 20- and 30-year options.
• Whole life insurance.
• Permanent life insurance.
• Guaranteed issue life insurance.
• Final expense insurance.
• Indexed universal life (IUL) insurance.
• No medical exam life insurance.

The company offers coverage up to $3 million and sells policies issued by various partner insurers, so users can compare their best price among multiple carriers.

Annuities and estate planning

In addition to life insurance, Ethos sells annuities: fixed growth MYGA, market indexed growth FIA, and income annuities. In the estate planning area, it offers online wills, living trust creation, estate planning, and an estate organization checklist. These services are provided through Ethos Estate Planning, LLC, a subsidiary of the company that does not act as a law firm or provide financial, tax, or legal advice. Estate plans are free with life insurance or can be purchased separately; the company values them at $898 for the policyholder and spouse.

Founding and technological approach

The idea for Ethos came about when co-founder Lingke Wang, as a college student, was placed in an expensive life insurance policy he didn't need and couldn't afford. He found that many families faced the same situation with an outdated process and opaque options. In 2016, classmates Peter Colis and Lingke Wang founded the company with the goal of making life insurance affordable, accessible, and straightforward, using technology and data to turn a slow process into a fully online experience.

Carrier network and recognition

Ethos works with highly experienced partner insurers that, according to the company, have been paying claims for over a hundred years and have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in claims. The company states it has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and cites third-party recognition: best no exam life insurance according to Business Insider (March 2025), first place in estate planning on the App Store (January 2025), and mention by Forbes Advisory (August 2025). Former baseball player David Ortiz, a member of the MLB Hall of Fame, appears as a paid spokesperson.

Operations and structure

Ethos Technologies Inc. operates in some states under the names Ethos Life Insurance Services or Policy Bull, with California license number 0L28949 and Arkansas number 100164629. Policies are issued by the insurers listed in its carrier list, and products and their features may not be available in all states. The company maintains an office in San Francisco and a mailing address in Austin, Texas, and has specific programs for agents, with its own professional access and an affiliate program.

Locations

Main office: 1606 Headway Circle #9013 Austin, TX 78754

San Francisco office: 90 New Montgomery St #1500 San Francisco, CA 94105