I carried term life insurance for a few years as required for a business deal. I did an online search, which came up with a company I'd never heard of, called WAEPA, Worldwide Assurance for Employees of Public Agencies. I am not now, nor have I ever worked for a Public Agency, but my dad did, and that was all the link I needed. It was super cheap and every year I got about a 25% premium rebate. This was in the early 2000's and I remember completing a healthcare questionnaire, but no physical. I was in my forties and have had cancer, plus I have a heart condition, so I was elated to find such a deal.
Fast forward to now: I am married, FIRE and no longer need life insurance, but for our other insurance needs, we use a broker. She came up with Civil Service Employees (CSE) Insurance, because DH works for a utility company. Saves us a ton of money.
Takeaways: Explore all affiliations. Buy Term Life only. Don't let yourself be upsold to something more expensive that you don't need. Also, time for an attitude adjustment, jplee3. Get excited about the chance to learn, dig in and save money in the process. It's a chance to strengthen your problem-solving muscles, which we all know makes your mustache even more badass. You can do this and it's easier than you think.