Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation: The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of Globe Life have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Therefore, they do not include all of the disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for annual financial statements. However, in the opinion of management, these statements include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the condensed consolidated financial position at March 31, 2021, and the condensed consolidated results of operations, comprehensive income, and cash flows for the periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. The interim period condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements that are included in the Form 10-K filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 25, 2021.

New Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in the Current Year
Standard	Description	Effective Date	Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements
ASU No. 2020-08, Codification Improvements to Subtopic 310-20, Receivables-Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs	The standard was issued as an amendment to ASU 2017-08, and clarifies that callable debt securities with a premium should be amortized to the next call date.	This standard became effective on January 1, 2021.	The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Pronouncements Yet to be Adopted
Standard	Description	Effective Date	Effect on the Consolidated Financial Statements
ASU No. 2018-12/2019-09/2020-11,  Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts, with clarification guidance issued in November 2019 and 2020.	ASU 2018-12 is a significant change to our current accounting and disclosure of long-duration contracts, which is our primary business. The guidance was primarily issued to: 1) improve the timeliness of recognizing changes in the liability for future policy benefits and modify the rate used to discount future cash flows, 2) simplify and improve the accounting for certain market-based options or guarantees associated with deposit (or account balance) contracts, 3) simplify the amortization of deferred acquisition costs, and 4) improve the effectiveness of the required disclosures.	As a result of the issuance of ASU 2020-11 in November 2020, the effective date for this standard was changed to January 1, 2023. Early adoption is available.	The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact this standard will have on the consolidated financial statements and disclosures, specifically assessing key accounting policies, assumption and data inputs, controls, and enhanced system solutions. As of the balance sheet date, the Company is continuing to upgrade its valuation systems as part of its implementation plan. In addition, significant progress has been made allowing the Company to execute parallel valuation runs on major blocks of business and is updating its accounting policies. Due to the overall nature of the standard, the impact on the consolidated financial statements is expected to be significant. At this time, the Company does not have an estimate of the impact. The Company does not expect to early adopt this ASU and has selected a modified retrospective transition method.