What is a Life Insurance Policy Worth? Understanding Life Settlements

If you’re asking, “What’s my policy worth?”, you’re not alone. Many seniors and policyholders considering a Life Settlement want to know how much cash their policy could generate.

The value of a life settlement depends on key factors:

  • Age and health of the insured

  • Type of policy (e.g., term, universal, whole life)

  • Death benefit and premiums

  • Market demand and current investor interest

  • Life expectancy estimates

  • Policy riders (e.g., long-term care)

Generally, older individuals with declining health and larger policies receive higher offers. However, values vary widely—so accurate policy evaluation is essential.

That’s where Summit Life Settlements comes in. As a trusted life settlement broker, we connect you with licensed buyers, driving up competition and maximizing your offer. We manage every step of the process—so you can focus on your financial future.

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Policy Type

The type of life insurance you have—term, whole life, or universal life—can signaficantly affect the value of a life settlement.

Whole and universal life policies usually get higher offers because they’re permanent and can build cash value. Whole life builds savings over time, while universal life offers flexible premiums and adjustable death benefits, making them more attractive to buyers.

Term policies can still qualify, especially if they’re convertible.

Additional Riders

Riders like long-term care, accelerated death benefits, and waiver of premium can make your policy more valuable.

  • Long-term care helps cover care costs.

  • Accelerated benefits pay out early if you’re terminally ill.

  • Waiver of premium stops premiums if you become disabled.

These features attract more buyer interest in a life settlement.

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Age and Health of the Insured

Life settlements usually pay more for older or less healthy individuals.

Why? Because buyers expect to pay premiums for a shorter time.

If you’re 65 or older or have serious health issues, your policy could be worth significantly more.

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Financial Stability of the Buyer

The buyer’s financial stability plays a big role in how much they’ll offer.

Well-funded, reputable buyers are more likely to offer higher payouts because they can keep paying the premiums until the policy pays out.

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Underwriting and Risk Assessment

Buyers will review your health records and life expectancy to understand the risk. This process, called underwriting, will help them decide how much they’re willing to pay for your policy.

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Cash Surrender Value

Your policy’s cash surrender value acts as a base starting point. Buyers will offer more than this amount to make the sale worth it for you.

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Market Conditions

Settlement offers increase when buyer demand is high and conditions are favorable. Things like interest rates, the economy, and regulations can affect how much buyers are willing to pay. It’s important for sellers to stay informed by working with a reputable life settlement broker.

Policy Types Considered

Outstanding Loans

If you have a loan against your policy, it will reduce the payout because the loan must be paid off first. Buyers will include these loans when making their offer.

Age and Health Parameters

Life Expectancy Assessment

Investors consider things like your age, gender, health history, and lifestyle and look at your medical records and use life expectancy tables to guess how long you might live. This helps them figure out how much premium they will pay before the policy pays out. 

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Premium Costs

Buyers consider how much the premium cost will be over the term of the policy. If premiums increase a lot—especially with universal life policies—it can affect their profit, so they need to be sure they can afford to pay these premiums to make the deal work.

Settlement Amount

The offer depends on the policy’s face value, cash surrender value, and the insured’s health. It’s a cash payment you get now in exchange for your policy rights. Investors want to give you a good payout so that you settle while making sure their investment makes sense.

Avoid Lapse in Coverage

Time Value of Money

Investors look at how long they’ll keep paying premiums and how much money they’ll get back later. If it takes a long time and costs a lot, their profit goes down. They use internal rate of return calculations to see if the profit is worth the costs today.

Why Use a Life Settlement Broker?

What's My Policy Worth? - life Settlement - Man on a Summit. Why Use a Life Settlement Broker

When you’re wondering, “What’s my policy worth?” A life settlement broker can help you understand your eligibility and estimate the potential value of your life insurance policy.

Life Settlement Brokers have the expertise to guide you through the complex life settlement process. They help you at every step, offering advice on market trends and potential offers. Because they work with many life settlement providers, brokers can access a larger pool of buyers meaning you’re more likely to get competitive offers.

Brokers act as the middleman between you and buyers. They keep you informed and empowered, making the experience easier and more transparent.They use their negotiation skills and market knowledge to get the highest price for your policy. Plus, they handle all the paperwork and negotiations, so you don’t have to worry about the details.

Brokers earn a commission only after the sale is complete, so there are no upfront fees for you. This means you get expert help with no obligation to sell and no financial risk.

With their knowledge and focus on customer satisfaction, brokers help you get the best outcome when selling your policy. If you’re thinking about a life settlement, working with a trusted broker like Summit Life Settlements is a smart choice. Our team provides personalized service to understand your unique situation and will work hard to get you the best deal.

We help unlock the hidden value of your life insurance policy and support you in making smart financial decisions. Contact Us today to learn how we can assist you through the process, answer your questions, and help you get the most from your policy.

Summit Life Settlement

Initial Consultation and Evaluation

Consultation: The process begins with an initial consultation where the broker gathers information about the policyholder and the policy.
Evaluation: The broker performs a preliminary evaluation to determine if the policy is a good candidate for a life settlement.

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Policy Review and Documentation

Document Collection: The broker collects necessary documents, including the policy, medical records, and any other relevant information.
Review and Analysis: A thorough review and analysis are conducted to assess the policy’s value and potential market interest.

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Marketing and Bidding Process

Marketing: The broker markets the policy to a network of potential buyers.
Bidding: Buyers submit bids, and the broker facilitates a competitive bidding process to maximize the sale price.

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Offer and Negotiation

Offer Presentation: The broker presents the highest offers to the policyholder.
Negotiation: The broker may negotiate with buyers to improve the offers.

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Sale Agreement and Closing

Agreement: Once an offer is accepted, the broker assists in drafting and finalizing the sale agreement.
Closing Process: The closing process includes transferring ownership of the policy and disbursing the funds to the policyholder.

Summit Life Settlement

Overall Time Frame (6-12 weeks)

Total Duration: Through the Summit Life Marketplace, a process that normally takes months can be reduced to weeks. Our aim is to complete the transaction within 6 to 12 weeks. This timeline may vary based on the complexity of the policy, the responsiveness of the buyer, and the efficiency of the documentation.

Why Choose Summit Life Settlements to Represent Your Case?

A life settlement can be a smart financial option if you no longer need or can’t afford your life insurance policy. To get the best value, it’s important to work with a trusted life settlement broker. A good broker understands the market, connects you with serious buyers, and helps you get strong offers for your policy.

At Summit Life Settlements, we make the process simple and stress-free.Our free life settlement calculator is a simple tool that gives you a preliminary estimate to help answer the question, “What’s my policy worth?”

Our Summit Life Marketplace connects policyholders directly with licensed buyers, helping you get the highest value for your policy. We take care of the details so you can focus on what matters most.

Our team carefully reviews your policy, including its cash surrender value and market value, so you can make informed decisions. From your first consultation to the final sale, we guide you every step of the way with expert advice and personal support.

You’ll always know what to expect, thanks to our clear communication and commitment to excellent service. Whether you want to fund retirement, pay for medical costs, or improve your financial situation, a life settlement could be the right move.

Let Summit Life Settlements help you unlock your policy’s full value. Contact Us today to get started!

Five key factors include the type of policy, premium costs, policyholder’s life expectancy, insurance carrier, and policyholder’s location.

Premium costs influence the life settlement value as buyers take over payments to keep the policy active. The premium schedule helps buyers decide how much they’ll pay for the policy.

A permanent life insurance policy with at least a $100,000 face value is needed for a life settlement. Term policies must be converted to permanent plans unless the policyowner is terminally ill with less than two years to live. Generally, higher face values and older policyowners increase value in the secondary market.

Life expectancy is based on the policyowner’s age and health. Typically, older age and poorer health increase the policy’s value. To qualify, the policyowner should be at least 65 years old.

Buyers consider the insurance company’s reliability to ensure it can pay the claim. Policies from higher-rated companies usually fetch higher prices.

Yes, and you should. Working with a life settlement broker ensures your policy is shopped to multiple qualified buyers, creating competition that helps you receive the highest possible offer.

The value of your policy depends on several factors including your age, health status, policy type, death benefit amount, and premium costs. To get an accurate estimate, you can try our free life settlement calculator or our Life Settlement Evaluation Report whihc serve as great preliminary evaluation tools.

Buyers base their offer on your life expectancy—the shorter it is, the higher the policy’s value. That’s because the buyer continues paying premiums until the policy pays out. If you’re in declining or impaired health, your policy is typically more valuable.

Your policy’s cash surrender value is what your insurance company will pay if you cancel the policy. This amount is often much lower than what you could get through a life settlement, especially if your health has changed or premiums are rising.

The first step is a no-cost evaluation from a licensed life settlement broker like Summit Life Settlements. We’ll review your policy, health history, and market conditions to give you a clear idea of your policy’s potential value.

In some cases, a retained death benefit or hybrid option may be available. This allows you to keep a portion of your death benefit while still selling the rest for cash. It can be a great solution if you want both liquidity and future coverage.

Policyholders must be U.S. citizens and residents to qualify. This requirement exists because buyers rely on regular health updates, which are challenging to obtain across international borders due to differences in laws and tracking limitations. U.S. residency ensures smooth compliance and consistent updates throughout the life settlement process.