You've built real cash value in a whole or universal life policy. But the surrender check the carrier offers is often far below what the same policy could be worth to buyers on the secondary market.
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Yes — and whole life is exactly what the secondary market is built to buy. It is permanent coverage with real cash value, so unlike term there is no conversion step; it can go to buyers as it stands.
The catch most owners miss: the cash surrender value is the carrier's internal number, not what the policy is worth on the open market. Buyers price it as a long-term asset, which is why a sale is often more than the cash surrender value — our guide to cash surrender value explained shows why the carrier's figure runs low.
Whether yours fits depends on the insured's age (generally 65+), the death benefit, and any change in health since issue. Our overview of selling a life insurance policy covers the process for any policy type.
Universal life is just as sellable — and for many owners, just as worth checking.
Universal life is one of the most commonly sold policy types on the secondary market — permanent coverage with cash value, but with flexible rather than fixed premiums. That flexibility is what puts these policies under pressure later in life: as the insured ages, the cost of insurance rises, premiums climb, and an underfunded policy can drift toward lapsing, forfeiting everything paid in.
Most owners assume the only choices are to keep paying or surrender for the cash value. But to an institutional buyer, a universal life policy is an attractive long-term asset — real cash value, a permanent death benefit, a familiar structure. What drives its value is the same as any permanent policy: age, death benefit, health, and how it is funded.
To a buyer, whole and universal life are one category: permanent, cash-value coverage. A few factors shape what one is worth — and our guide to companies that buy life insurance policies covers who the buyers are.
Life settlements generally make sense once the insured is 65 or older — and value rises the closer the insured is to life expectancy.
A change in health since the policy was issued can raise what it is worth to buyers assessing it as a long-term holding.
Larger face values are generally more attractive to buyers acquiring policies as long-term assets.
How a policy is funded, and how its costs behave over time, shapes its appeal — part of why universal life sells so often.
Buyers want confidence the coverage will pay out, so the financial strength behind the policy matters.
Surrender the policy and you get the carrier's number. The secondary market may value the same policy well above where that offer stops — and the space between is the gap.
Surrender value is what the policy is worth to the carrier; market value is what a buyer might pay. Shown as proportion, not a promise — every policy is different.
A short eligibility check tells you whether your policy is a fit for the secondary market — in less than 60 seconds, free and with no obligation.
No conversion to do, no chasing buyers yourself. Lifestone is the connector, not the buyer — we handle the parts that involve your carrier.
We look at your policy — type, death benefit, premium structure, age and health — to see whether it is a fit. No cost, no obligation.
We present your policy to institutional buyers, let them compete, and handle the paperwork and carrier coordination.
Offers come back through us. Because buyers price the same policy differently, competition surfaces a stronger number than any single offer.
If an offer fits, you accept and receive a lump sum; the buyer takes over the premiums. If not, you walk away — no obligation at any step.
Lifestone is the connector, not the buyer — a family-owned life settlement company that connects sellers with institutional buyers and shops your policy so they compete. Our overview of selling a life insurance policy covers what happens after an offer.
Yes. A whole life policy is permanent coverage with real cash value — exactly what the secondary market buys, with no conversion step the way term requires. If the insured is 65 or older with a meaningful death benefit, it can go to buyers as it stands, often for more than the cash surrender value — though only a review of your policy can say for sure.
Start with a free, no-obligation review. Lifestone shops your policy across institutional buyers who compete for it. If one fits, you accept and the buyer takes over the premiums; if not, you walk away.
Yes — universal life is one of the most commonly sold policy types on the secondary market. Its flexible-premium, cash-value structure appeals to institutional buyers, and owners often sell when premiums rise or the policy risks lapsing.
Often, yes — many sellers receive more than their carrier’s cash surrender value, because buyers price the policy as a long-term asset rather than at its internal value. But no honest company promises a number or a multiple; only a real review can tell you.
Institutional investors — large investment funds and specialty finance firms — buy through the life settlement market, taking over the premiums and receiving the death benefit later. Lifestone is the connector, not the buyer: a family-owned life settlement company that connects sellers with institutional buyers and shops the policy so several compete for it.
No. Lifestone does not buy policies. We are a family-owned life settlement company that connects sellers with institutional buyers — we shop your policy so they compete, then bring the offers back. You decide, and the review is free with no obligation.
Surrendering hands the policy back for the carrier's number. A free, no-obligation review tells you whether the secondary market values it higher — before you decide.
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