What is a viatical settlement in life insurance?

A viatical settlement (from the Latin "viaticum") is the sale of a policy owner's existing life insurance policy to a third party for more than its cash surrender value, but less than its net death benefit. Such a sale provides the policy owner with a lump sum.

Similarly, you may ask, what does viatical settlement mean in insurance?

A viatical settlement is an arrangement in which someone with a terminal disease sells his or her life insurance policy at a discount from its face value for ready cash. The buyer cashes in the full amount of the policy when the original owner dies. A viatical settlement is also referred to as a life settlement.

Secondly, what is the difference between a viatical settlement and a life settlement? A viatical settlement is the sale of an existing life insurance policy at a discount from its value for cash. A life settlement is a trade between the policyholder and the purchaser. This type of settlement is designed for those with longer life expectancies.

In this manner, how much do viatical settlements pay?

In general, the larger the life insurance policy size, the larger the life settlement offer. This is because the death benefit payout to the investor is larger. So an average life settlement offer on a $100,000 policy may be around $20,000 and an average offer on a $1,000,000 may be around $200,000.

Are viatical settlements protected from creditors?

Also, a viatical settlement may be considered income for tax purposes. Finally, a viatical settlement may be subject to the claims of creditors. On the other hand, a life insurance policy's death benefit proceeds are generally not income taxable, nor subject to the claims of creditors.

32 Related Question Answers Found

How do viatical settlements work?

A viatical settlement (from the Latin "viaticum") is the sale of a policy owner's existing life insurance policy to a third party for more than its cash surrender value, but less than its net death benefit. Such a sale provides the policy owner with a lump sum.

How do you buy life settlements?

There are three basic ways that Life Settlement investments are bought and sold:

Direct Purchases of Life Insurance policies. This requires a large outlay of cash along with expertise to buy the right policies.
Direct Fractional Life Settlements.
A Life Settlement Private Equity Fund.

Can I sell my life insurance policy for cash?

Yes, it is possible to sell your life insurance policy for cash in a transaction called a life settlement. People 65 or older can typically sell their life insurance policy as long as the face value of the policy exceeds $200,000.

What is credit life?

Credit life insurance is a type of life insurance policy designed to pay off a borrower's outstanding debts if the borrower dies. The face value of a credit life insurance policy decreases proportionately with the outstanding loan amount as the loan is paid off over time, until both reach zero value.

How are viatical settlements taxed?

When you receive a viatical settlement, the funds are tax-free. In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) exempted viatical settlement proceeds from income and capital gains tax. Prior to the implementation of that law, viatical settlements were taxable.

What is the best life insurance?

Best Whole Life for Building Cash Value: MassMutual.
Best Whole Life for Pricing: Northwestern Mutual.
Best Whole Life for Dividend Returns: New York Life.
Best Whole Life for Optional Benefits (Riders): MetLife.
Best Whole Life for Final Expense Coverage: Transamerica.
Best Whole Life for No Medical Exams: Mutual of Omaha.

What is a single life settlement option?

Definition of 'Settlement Option' Definition: Under a settlement option, the maturity amount entitled to a life insurance policyholder is paid in structured periodic installments (up to a certain stipulated period of time post maturity) instead of a 'lump-sum' payout.

How do you buy life insurance policies?

How to buy life insurance

Learn the life insurance vocabulary.
Determine how much life insurance you need.
Get a free quote and pick a life insurance policy.
Collect the documents you need to get started.
Complete the application and phone interview.
Get a medical examination.
Wait for underwriting approval.
Sign the documents and pay for your policy.

How do I invest in viatical settlements?

A viatical settlement allows you to invest in another person's life insurance policy. With a viatical settlement, you purchase the policy (or part of it) at a price that is less than the death benefit of the policy. When the seller dies, you collect the death benefit.

How much is normally paid to a policyowner in a life viatical settlement?

Viatical Settlement

Can pay up to 80% of the policy's face value. There are no future premium payments. Generally tax exempt. Broker's fees and commissions can be up to 30% of your payout.

When can viatical settlements be issued?

In a viatical settlement, the insured has been diagnosed terminally ill, generally with a life expectancy of 24 months or less. Similarly, the IRS uses a 24-month time frame when determining whether the proceeds of a viatical settlement paid to an insured are exempt from taxation.

What is a life settlement contract?

A life settlement refers to the sale of an existing insurance policy to a third party for a one-time cash payment. After the sale, the purchaser becomes the policy's beneficiary and assumes payment of its premiums. By doing so, he or she receives the death benefit when the insured dies.

What is a viatical settlement broker?

A Viatical settlement broker is someone who negotiates a viatical settlement on behalf of a life insurance policy owner. Viatical brokers work with a number of viatical providers, which is another term for the financial institutions that buy these policies, to find the best price for their client's insurance policy.

What is a Viator?

A viator is a person who has been diagnosed with a terminal or life-threatening illness and decides to sell their life insurance policy to take advantage of a portion of the death benefits.

Who does a viatical settlement broker represent?

“Viatical settlement broker" means a licensed agent who acts on behalf of a viator and for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration offers or attempts to negotiate viatical settlements between a viator and one or more viatical settlement providers.

Who receives the endowment value of a whole life policy?

The policy becomes a "matured endowment" when the insured person lives past the stated maturity age. In that event the policy owner receives the face amount in cash. With many modern whole life policies, issued since 2009, maturity ages have been increased to 120.

What is the maximum tax free amount that can be paid under a viatical settlement involving a terminally ill insured?

Under this law, both accelerated death benefits and proceeds from a viatical settlement are tax-free to terminally ill policyholders with a less than 24-month life expectancy. There's no limit to the amount of money a terminally ill policyholder can receive tax-free through a viatical settlement.