Our Mission: Provide Cash for Seniors | Relief from Premiums
Trust Life Settlements is committed to broadening awareness of life settlements among seniors as a possible source of cash for greater financial stability in their retirement years, and to provide premium relief for policies no longer wanted or needed.
Although it has been nearly ten years since the Great Recession started in December 2007, many Americans are still struggling to recover from a financial crisis that has forever reshaped the retirement lifestyle for many senior consumers. Thousands of aging baby boomers, particularly those who lost their jobs and were forced into early retirement during the economic downturn, have found themselves with insufficient retirement assets to last another 30 years. Other seniors who were well into their retirement years when the crisis hit have seen their retirement nest egg become depleted. Unfortunately, some retirement portfolios may never recover before the end of the senior’s life expectancy.
Following the recent cost of insurance increases imposed by some major carriers, many policyholders are burdened with expensive premiums on Universal Life insurance policies that have outlived their original purpose. Even seniors owning multimillion-dollar coverage are faced with policies on the verge of lapsing because the cash build-up was depleted due to the prolonged low-interest rate environment.
Unfortunately, many senior consumers are unaware that a life settlement may be a solution to provide cash for lifestyle expenses, medical expenses, long-term care, or as a source of funds for investment purposes.
According to the Life Insurance Settlement Association, each year more than $100 billion face value of life insurance lapses by seniors over the age of 65. Most were not aware that a life settlement could have been an option.
Our Goal: Gain Trust | Strengthen Consumer Confidence
Trust Life Settlements recognizes that some seniors may be hesitant to pursue a life settlement because they have lost confidence in the financial services industry in the aftermath of the economic crisis. Others may be hesitant to sell their policies because they lack certainty regarding the industry’s regulatory environment.
To engender trust, our company has taken the bold step of forming alliances with certain life settlement brokers who have agreed to accept lower commissions (via a flat-fee structure versus a percentage of the offer).
As the industry currently exists, each entity involved in the brokering and acquisition of a life insurance contract is typically compensated through commissions that are taken before the policy seller receives a lump sum payment. These commissions are usually based on a complex formula involving the face value of the policy or the total amount of the offer.
While Trust Life Settlements believes that brokers and other secondary market entities are entitled to be adequately compensated for their efforts, we saw an opportunity to modify the status quo. We were able to convince certain life settlement brokers to accept a reduced commission on eligible transactions* (see footnote below), in order to pass a greater share of the settlement proceeds on to the seller.
Our flat-fee structure is limited only to life insurance contracts that meet our internal eligibility standards, which enables Trust Life Settlements to operate on an efficient policy-sourcing business model that balances the costs of administrative overhead while passing on a greater share of the settlement to the policy seller.
In terms of establishing confidence in the industry’s regulatory environment, life settlement regulations have been adopted by the majority of states. According to the Life Insurance Settlement Association, 42 states and the territory of Puerto Rico now regulate life settlements, affording approximately 90% of the United States population protection under comprehensive life settlement laws and regulations. Some states have recently enacted laws that require life insurance carriers to inform policy owners about the possibility of a life settlement as an alternative to lapse or surrender.
