Valuing Life Settlements

Financial planners and retirees are starting to embrace life settlements as a tool to generate income for seniors. Determining the value of a life insurance policy before starting a life settlement is an important first step in selling one's life insurance. The value of a life insurance policy is affected by a numerous factors relating to the insured, policy and policy owner among other things.

A significant component to establishing the life settlement value of a policy is the insured's life expectancy. This is probably the most important factor aside from the policy's face value itself in determining a life settlement value. The insured's age, health, medical conditions, family history and gender are all evaluated to determine a life expectancy by buyers and outside medical appraisers. A policy insuring someone with a short life expectancy is more valuable than one insuring someone with a longer life expectancy.

The type of life insurance policy also plays into the valuation. While, non convertible term policies are not typically sold on the secondary market, Whole Life, Universal and convertible term policies are actively being purchased. Usually the Universal Life policies are the most sought after as they offer flexible payments and sometimes have accumulated cash value which can be used to pay premiums in the future.

Another important factor in valuing a life insurance policy are the owners themselves. If the owner has a divorce or bankruptcy on their record, some buyers may fear the policy will be claimed by a creditor or former spouse. The owner's state of residence also affects a life insurance policy's value. Since states regulate the secondary market of life insurance, some states are more restrictive than others about the transaction and investment aspect of a life settlement. The competitive environment that results affects the offers that buyers ultimately make to policy sellers.

The life settlement market itself has an impact on the value of life insurance policies. The buyers of life insurance policies are typically large financial institutions such as retail banks, hedge funds and investment funds. When these institutions have capital to deploy the life settlement market becomes more competitive and policies carry a premium. However, the financial institutions don't have as much money to invest in policies, the life settlement market may see discounting of policies.

Policy owners that understand the factors contributing the value of their life insurance policy are more apt to maximize their asset's value. By recognizing what makes a policy attractive and valuable they can better plan if and when to sell their life insurance.

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