Liquidity

Life settlement sales made by seniors have doubled over the past two years to $11.8 billion. The financial crisis appears to have had an impact on sales as seniors are likely looking at all of their assets for sources of funds and liquidity. Experts do caution, however, that there are other ways to realize the value of a life insurance policy that do not involve loss of life insurance coverage: "If you're thinking about selling your life insurance mostly because you're strapped for cash, there...

A recent Wall Street Journal article indicates that the number of government-backed reverse mortgages has increased 20% from the same period last year. This stands in contrast to the number of new home equity loans which decreased 70% from the same period last year. The increased interest in reverse mortgages is directly related to the fall-out from the financial crisis. Seniors who have suffered as a result of decreasing asset values in the capital markets see home equity as a potentially...