Securian Financial, a US provider of insurance and retirement solutions, has updated its variable universal life (VUL) insurance product VUL Defender, introducing improvements to underwriting, digital capabilities and policy servicing alongside greater investment flexibility and enhanced cash value potential.
The changes are intended to help financial professionals build longer-term protection strategies as life expectancy rises. Securian is encouraging advisers to reassess whether the life insurance policies they recommend will provide sufficient protection throughout their clients’ lifetimes, including for those who live beyond 100.
The enhanced policy retains its guaranteed death benefit, which Securian describes as among the most competitive in the market, while offering competitive premiums and additional options for policyholders. An optional No-Lapse Guarantee Agreement (NLGA), available for an additional charge, is designed to maintain coverage to age 100 and beyond, subject to the policy’s terms and conditions.
VUL Defender also provides access to more than 75 investment allocation options. Policyholders who add the NLGA face no restrictions on their investment allocations, while optional protection for terminal illness, chronic illness and long-term care offers additional flexibility as their circumstances change.
Alongside these product features, Securian has enhanced underwriting processes, digital capabilities and ongoing servicing. The company says these improvements are designed to make the policy easier for financial professionals to manage and help simplify the experience for clients.
The product was first introduced in 2015, with a focus on providing a competitive guaranteed death benefit. The latest update builds on that foundation by combining long-term protection with greater investment choice and stronger cash value potential.
Securian Financial has operated for more than 145 years and serves more than 23 million customers across the US and Canada. Its insurance and retirement products are distributed through employers, financial professionals and affinity groups, supporting individuals, families and businesses.
VUL Defender is available in the District of Columbia and all US states except California, Connecticut, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming. Minnesota Life Insurance Company issues the product outside New York, while Securian Life Insurance Company issues it in New York.
Securian Financial head of life and annuity product development Ben Roth said, “Life expectancy has evolved, and the way we help clients plan needs to evolve with it. Permanent life insurance is often purchased with a very long-term objective—to provide protection and ultimately leave a legacy. If that’s the goal, financial professionals should ask themselves a simple question: Is the protection strategy guaranteed to last as long as the client might? We believe securing a no-lapse guarantee to age 100 and beyond leads to a better planning conversation and offers clients peace of mind that they should not be dealing with a potential coverage lapse when they’re least able and prepared to do so.”
Roth added, “VUL Defender has always been about protection. The evolution of VUL Defender takes that promise further—with stronger long-term value, greater flexibility and an experience built around how financial professionals and clients want to do business today. It is protection built for performance and for longer lives.”
Copyright © 2026 FinTech Global
