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Exchange Your Life Insurance Policy for a Life Settlement

Life insurance policies are taken with certain objectives in mind, such as providing for your dependents if you die too early. As the dependents become independent, and your own monetary needs increase owing to old age health problems, the life policies could become quite unattractive. The premium payments could become an unaffordable financial burden in such cases.

Until recently, there were only two alternatives for the policyholder in such a situation. The person could let the policy lapse, losing all the investment in the form of premium payments made over the years. The second option was to surrender the policy to the insurance company. The company typically paid a surrender value of 3-5% of the policy's face value to the policyholder.

A new option is now available in the form of a life settlement. A class of new investors would buy your life insurance policy, which is freely assignable. They would undertake to pay the future premiums and also pay you a lump sum that could on the average be three times the surrender value.

More and more investors are entering the life settlement market, making it possible for sellers of unwanted life insurance policies to obtain attractive prices. And there are several brokers in the life settlement, who would compare the prices and get you an attractive offer.

Reasons for Selling Life Insurance Policies

In addition to changing life circumstances, there could be other reasons why you want to sell your life policy for a life settlement.

Your policy might have become outdated, with much better policies in the market now. You might decide to abandon life policy as an investment, or to use the proceeds of selling the existing policy to buy another with more attractive terms. This is reported to be the most common reason for selling existing life policies.

Better financial options might be available in other forms. You could invest the life settlement proceeds in a retirement community home, with facilities typically needed by retired persons. Or, you could buy an annuity that provides very attractive returns and even provides a death benefit.

You could also opt to go on a vacation trip you have wanted for long, now that you are free of many obligations. Instead of keeping an unneeded life policy going, you might decide to go on this vacation.

It is also possible that the premium amounts on your policy are escalating. You might find it better to opt for a life settlement rather than pay increased premiums. The proceeds of the settlement might help you meet heavy medical expenses.

You might also find that your estate could be planned better if the life policy is exchanged for a life settlement.

For these and other reasons, a good market has developed for life settlements.

Many States Have Regulated Life Settlements

Many states have passed laws that offer greater protection to buyers of life settlements. Some states restrict sales of policies to cases where the policyholder is terminally ill, however. Even in states that have no regulations, you can expect normal protection against fraud.

How Are Life Settlement Amounts Determined

Factors like your current age, state of health and economic environment determine the amount that you could expect as life settlement.

It is also possible that your application for a settlement is not accepted by a settlement provider, or that the offer of the provider is not considered satisfactory by you. In such cases, you could approach another provider.