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FINRA Investor Alert: Life Settlements

Seniors Beware: What You Should Know About Life Settlements

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published an Investor Alert on life settlement. Life settlement is the transaction that involves selling one's life insurance policy to a third party that did not issue the policy for a lump sum payment whose value is higher than the policy's cash surrender value but less than the net death benefit.

Because life settlement is targeted at senior people, the industry can be subject to sales practice abuses. Potential investors should take caution when consideration selling one's life insurance policy. Things to consider might include: know the price of other life insurance policies that you want to replace with, know if the price is fair (since there is not secondary market, the only way to price a policy would be to do your research of the policies that are out there in the market), and understand how life settlement might impact your participation in state or federal public assistance.

SLCG supports the dissemination of information that can inform and educate everyday investors. For a view of the work we do, please visit our dedicated website and read our research on such relevant topics as equity-indexed annuities.

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