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 5/20072007 Top Ten Value Towns for Those Considering Retirement
(PRWeb) December 21, 2006 -- Thinking of retiring and relocating? Warren Bland, PhD., an award winning geographer at Cal State has just released his new "Top Ten Value Towns" picks for 2007. According to Bland,"not all great retirement towns come with a high price tag."
The top US "value" towns to retire are (in order of least to most expensive):
1.
Hot Springs, Arkansas
2.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
3.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
4.
Bowling Green, Kentucky
5.
Lawrence, Kansas
6.
Columbia, Missouri
7.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
8.
Gainesville, Florida
9.
San Antonio, Texas
10.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Dr. Bland's model uses 12 criteria most important to retirees. They are landscape, climate, quality of life, cost of living, transportation, retail services, health care, community services, cultural activities, recreational activities, work/volunteer activities, and crime.
Bland is a well-known expert in his field. He has been quoted in AARP Magazine, the NY Times, the LA Times, Consumer's Digest, US News and World Report and many others. He is also the author of "Retire in Style, 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada", published by Next Decade, Inc. (www.nextdecade.com) and available through all booksellers.
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