A viatical settlement is the sale of a life insurance policy by the policy owner before the policy matures. Such a sale, at a price discounted from the face amount of the policy but usually in excess of the premiums paid or current cash surrender value, provides the seller an immediate cash settlement. Similar to reverse mortgages, viatical settlements involve insured individuals with a life expectancy of less than five years. In countries with high health care costs (such as the United States), this is a practical way to pay extremely high health insurance premiums and other senior care expenses that severely ill people face. Some people are also familiar with life settlements, which are similar transactions but involve insureds with longer life expectancies (two to fifteen years). - From Wikipedia and other sources 5/2007New Free Ebook on Understanding Life Settlements
Providence, RI (PRWEB) July 31, 2006 -- Consumers can now access a free e-book, Understanding Life Settlements, at http://www.insurancesettlementreview.com.
A life settlement is a cash payment made to a life insurance policy holder in exchange for the policy. Because the purchaser is not the insurance company but rather a third party, a life settlement is part of a booming secondary market in life insurance.
Understanding Life Settlements explains the history of the life settlement, describing how this option arose to meet the needs of insured people with limited life expectancy.
Seniors especially find life settlements appealing because they can sell insurance policies that they no longer need or want. Seniors used to have the options of either letting a policy lapse or cashing in the policy to the insurance company.
Life or senior settlements offer a third possibility. When they investigate the possibility of a life settlement, policy holders will see that the price they can obtain for a policy on the secondary market is higher than its cash value, which is the amount they would collect if they cashed in the policy to their insurance company.
Understanding Life Settlements discusses various circumstances that could motivate a policy holder to sell his or her policy on the secondary market. In addition, the book describes the process and the roles of the life settlement agent and broker.
Life or senior settlements can benefit many policy holders, but not all. So Understanding Life Settlements lists the necessary qualifications for the policy holder and the life insurance policy. The book also includes brief case studies of actual life settlement transactions.
Although seniors are the usual life settlers, anyone with a certain life expectancy can benefit from the secondary market in life settlements and senior settlements. Understanding Life Settlements provides basic information that potential life settlers will find valuable.
Look for Understanding Life Settlements at http://www.insurancesettlementreview.com
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