Yes, you can. The choices get narrower as you get older, and the prices climb, but 65 is nowhere near the cutoff.
It helps to think about it by age.
65 to 70. You still have most of the menu. Term life is available, usually in 10 or 15 year lengths, and so is permanent coverage. If you’re in decent health, this is the cheapest it will ever be from here on. We compare the two main kinds in term versus whole life.
In your 70s. Term gets harder to find and shorter, and many insurers stop offering new term policies somewhere between 75 and 80. Whole life is still available. This is also when no-exam life in Colorado starts to look appealing, since you answer health questions and skip the nurse visit.
80 and up. Most of what’s left is final expense coverage, which is a small whole life policy, often $5,000 to $25,000, meant for funeral costs and loose ends. Many insurers will write these up to about age 85. Our page on life insurance in Pueblo covers final expense in more detail.
If your health is the worry. Guaranteed issue policies ask no health questions at all. The trade is a waiting period, usually two to three years, before the full benefit pays out. If you pass away from illness in that window, your family typically gets the premiums back with interest. They cost more, so they’re a last stop, not a first one.
A fair question at this age is whether you need it at all. It tends to make sense if someone depends on your income or pension, if you’d leave a mortgage or debts behind, or if you just don’t want your kids covering the funeral. If none of that applies, it’s fine to pass.
And be careful with the TV ads. We dug into the final expense scam question, and the gist is that the product is real but the prices vary wildly.