The Insurance Studies Institute (ISI) has undertaken an analysis
of consumer decision-making behavior affecting the purchase
and ownership of life insurance. In order to complete this
work, ISI conducted several surveys and personal interviews,
partnered with the University of Minnesota, and examined
other surveys conducted by the Society of Actuaries and the
Agent’s Sales Journal. See Appendix A for survey resources and
research methodology. While people typically purchase life
insurance in their 30s and 40s, this research targets individuals
over the age of 65. The research focus was to capture the
opinion of consumers who have had the opportunity to not
only purchase life insurance, but to assess its practicality
throughout their working and retirement years.
The surveys show that 80% of seniors have at one point in
their lives purchased life insurance, but that their needs for
life insurance have changed over time. Evidence suggests that
regardless of why life insurance is purchased, it is often not held
until maturity. Even though life insurance is typically purchased
to provide protection for beneficiaries, 40% of seniors report
that they have terminated a policy. The majority of those
policyholders claim they no longer needed the coverage.
Over the last decade, a secondary market has developed that
allows seniors to realize the true value of their life insurance
policies by selling their policies to investors. The surveys reveal
that when seniors are informed of this option, known as a life
insurance settlement, they find it to be an attractive alternative
to lapsing or surrendering a policy. Many who previously
terminated a policy without knowledge of life insurance
settlements are disappointed that they were not made aware
of the option. As one respondent put it, “It would’ve been nice
to get some money back after so much was paid into it [the life
insurance policy].” However, low familiarity and understanding,
resulting in large part from insurer anti-life settlement practices
and somewhat from inconsistent messaging in the media,
prevent most seniors from considering it as a viable option.
More than half of seniors do not know they can sell their
policies. They are not aware of the value that may be available
from a life insurance settlement. Consumers have not been
adequately educated and conflicting messages have led to
skepticism of the option’s validity. The life insurance industry
feels threatened by the rise of the Life Insurance Secondary
Market (“LISM”)1
, which is reflected in their messaging. Life
insurers have employed many questionable methods to thwart
the growth of the LISM, even going so far as to threaten to fire
insurance agents for participating in a life insurance settlement,
which is in direct conflict with their fiduciary duty and a
violation of some state laws.2
Media articles are inconsistent
and often use sensationalism to negatively portray the life
insurance secondary market.3
These issues, along with inferior industry education, represent
roadblocks for seniors who deserve clear, trustworthy, and
comprehensive information about the life insurance settlement
option.
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