Buying Life Policies as Investments
A Life settlement is a financial transaction in which a life insurance policy holder sells a no longer wanted or needed policy to an investor for more than the cash surrender value offered by the life insurance company. The investor pays all subsequent premium payments to the life insurance company and receives the contract face value at maturity.
For the policyholder, life settlements have opened up a secondary market providing enhanced market values for his or her policy, rather than the lower cash surrender value offered by the life insurance company. For the investor, a portfolio of life settlements offer a comparatively low risk-return trade-off compared with equities and the stock market. Further, life settlements diversify overall investment risk because mortality rates are not correlated with other asset classes. Institutional investors in life settlements include investment banks, insurance companies, private banks, hedge funds, pension funds and wealthy private investors. In the mid-90s, another step in this evolution took place. The industry recognized the ability for seniors who do not necessarily have terminal illnesses, but in many cases, have significant chronic or degenerative conditions, to benefit from the same type of transaction. This transaction became known as a “life settlement”, the type of transaction offered by our providers. Because its attractiveness to both buyers and the current policy holders makes it a true win-win scenario, the Life Settlement market grew to approximately $5 billion by the turn of the century. With approximately $500 billion of outstanding life insurance on people 65 or older, and with a continuing growing supply coming from the aging baby boomers, the market is poised for continued rapid growth. Contact us to learn more about how Life Settlement Portfolios work and if one is right for you. |
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