Knowledge Center

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Featured Resources

Preparing for Retirement

Retirement is more than just turning in your notice at work and packing up your desk. Beyond looking at your finances, there is other planning that should go into the decision to retire.  Define "retirement". What does retirement look like to you? Are you sitting on the beach somewhere or traveling the world? Many people […]
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Why Advisors Should Learn About Life Settlements

Nearly 90% of financial professionals with senior clients have never helped guide them through a life settlement transaction according to a recent poll we conducted. And only 13% had their clients' life insurance appraised within the last six months. This lack of education means there is a lot of money being left on the table each year.
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How to Use Life Insurance to Fund Retirement

Life insurance in retirement can be a tricky topic to navigate for planning professionals. The biggest question we hear from advisors and their clients is, “How can this policy benefit me while I’m retired?” To which our response is typically about how that depends on the client’s financial goals which have been determined with their […]
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Facts About Life Settlements That Every Financial Advisor Should Know

Over the past several years, life settlements have taken center stage in the financial world as regulations around life insurance have increased. And as such, they have become a valuable tool in comprehensive planning.
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How to Determine if a Life Settlement is the Right Choice

Are you wondering whether a life settlement is the right choice for your client? Selling a life insurance policy is a big decision that you should be sure is the right option before recommending it to your client. However, when a senior, and possibly their family, is struggling under the immense burden of financial stress, […]
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How Life Settlements Can Enhance Your Practice and Senior Clients' Lives

  Life settlements have been an accepted financial tool for over 30 years, but many financial professionals are still unfamiliar with the details of how the transaction works. The life settlement option can be a great benefit to seniors struggling with issues like how to pay for long-term care, mounting medical bills, or a dwindling […]
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How Ashar Supports Planning Professionals

With our turnkey approach to policy appraisal and the life settlement process, you’ll have confidence that your clients, their families, and their businesses have the representation that serves their best interests.
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Success Stories: Meet Joe & Debbie

A life settlement created a major liquidity event allowing Joe and Debbie to afford costly medical expenses and reduce financial stress.
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Exchange Life Insurance Assets for Cash Today

A life settlement is a valuable solution to solve many issues retirees face including funding long-term care, medical expenses, and alleviate future premium payments.
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Who Is Ashar Group?

Ashar Group is a licensed life settlement broker that acts as a fiduciary to protect the best interests of policy owners in the life settlement process.
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Alternative Solution to an Accelerated Death Benefit

An accelerated death benefit (ADB) on a life insurance policy enables the policy owner to receive a portion of the death benefit in the event of being diagnosed with a terminal illness or other life-threatening conditions that reduces your life expectancy to less than two years. But what if are you expected to live beyond […]
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What About Clients Who Want to Sell Their Policy to Trusts?

Excerpt from the 55th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning: Q&A with Larry Brody
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FAQs

Will I need a medical exam?

Unlike applying for insurance coverage, no medical exam is required in the life settlement process. Buyers will review the last 3 years of medical records for the purpose of providing offers. Certain situations do not require any medical review at all.

Is a life settlement legal?

The right to sell your life insurance policy, like any other piece of property/asset, is available in all 50 states.

How common are life settlements?

With the retirement crisis and increased medical costs, more senior policy owners are using life settlements to unlock the value of unwanted/unneeded life insurance policies and use the funds for all sorts of needs like funding retirement, long-term care, or medical expenses.

I see a lot of ads on T.V. about selling my life insurance. How is Ashar different?

Companies on TV are licensed to represent investors, not policy owners. Their objective is to pay the lowest amount possible for a policy without competition. Ashar is a fiduciary to the policy owner and through our competitive auction process, we secure hundreds of millions each year for families looking to solve everyday needs. Since 2003, Ashar has been focused solely on the life settlement and life insurance policy valuation space and has earned the reputation of a trusted resource.

How can I ensure I have representation that protects my best interests?

While we’re licensed to represent the seller in a life settlement transaction, Ashar also works alongside financial professionals for the clients they serve. We believe policy owners are best served when their planning professionals are involved in any complex decisions about their life insurance. Either way, our sole fiduciary duty is to you – the policy owner. Ashar has relationships with thousands of reputable financial professionals in every practice area – insurance planning, tax planning, retirement planning, wealth management, charitable planning, etc. If you need a recommendation, let us make the connection. We’re here to help.

If my policy has value now, won’t it have more in the future?

It depends on several factors like cost of insurance changes or significant changes in insured’s health. Like all markets, sometimes it’s a seller’s market and sometimes it’s a buyer’s market. Also, the market is impacted by buyer’s purchase parameters. Ultimately, families should consider the cost of continued premiums and managing the policy should they decide to keep it in the hopes of selling it in the future. What if the insured lives longer than projected? Does the policy owner have the liquidity available to maintain the policy?

How do I know if I will qualify?

Most buyers are looking at policy type, age and health of the insured, and premium requirements to make a determination of offer. Each life settlement buyer is a fiduciary to multiple investors, each with their own unique set of purchase parameters. Based on policy details and insured health status, we will reach out to our extensive network of institutional buyer relationships for offers. If you have an unneeded/unwanted policy, are ages 60s to 90s, and have had a decline in health since your policy was issued, you could qualify for a life settlement solution. Younger insureds with significant health issues can also qualify.

What is my policy worth?

The overall value depends on several factors: policy type, premium amount, cash surrender value, insured’s health, and buyer’s purchase parameters. Most policy owners only know what the death benefit is in the event of the insured’s passing. Beyond that, some policies accumulate cash value – the amount the policy owner would receive if the policy were surrendered (less any carrier/outstanding fees). In the life settlement transaction, there are two values: the offer that is received without a policy auction and the fair market value (highest value) – achieved only through a true policy auction. Find out if your policy could have value.

 

How long does the life settlement process take?

Ashar can provide a range of potential value with some policy and medical information within a day or two. The entire process takes on average about the same amount of time as selling your house. Ashar’s experienced team is dedicated to compressing timeframes and delivering a quick result to every policy owner and financial professional we serve.

Who’s actually buying my policy?

Experienced life settlement resources work with qualified licensed purchasers. These purchasers are obligated to the investors they represent and are comprised of some of the most well-known institutional investment groups – pension plans, private equity, and asset managers. Ashar requires each buyer relationship to complete a due diligence process. We never work with purchasers who represent individual investors, or those that do not abide by all applicable regulatory requirements.

Are life settlement proceeds taxable?

Money received from a life settlement is tax free up to the basis (premiums paid into the policy). From the basis to the cash surrender value is treated as ordinary income. All proceeds that exceed the cash surrender value is taxed as capital gain. *Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. Ashar does not provide tax advice. Please speak with your tax professional for more information.
Current Tax Law

What’s the difference between Ashar and buyers?

Direct buyers’ fiduciary duty is to the funds they represent when purchasing policies, not the client. Their objective is to pay the lowest amount possible, so they receive the highest return for their investors. Ashar sits on the same side of the table as you and your client. Our sole responsibility is to the policy owner. Through our competitive auction platform, we leverage multiple buyers’ offers to negotiate the highest offer. While a direct buyer’s offer will be higher than the policy’s cash surrender value, only through a true competitive auction can the seller receive the fair market value for their policy.

Should I submit my clients’ information to multiple life settlement companies?

No, maintaining control of the information submitted to buyers ensures your client’s data is used solely for the purpose of obtaining the highest value. It’s all about buyer competition, not life settlement fiduciaries sending mixed messages to the market. Ashar will securely submit the policy to licensed buyers and facilitate the auction process on behalf of your client. Controlled, exclusive policy control is in the best interest of the policy owner and receives the most aggressive offers during the auction process.

What does independent representation mean to me?

Ashar does not sell life insurance, manage assets, nor purchase policies. This means we are dedicated to ensuring your clients receive the highest offer for their life insurance policy and we will protect the integrity of the process and the relationships you have spent your career building.

How does Ashar protect my client’s data?

First, Ashar does not partner with lead gen companies that sell your client’s data to other companies. Second, Ashar transfers data through our secure policy auction platform and shares it only with necessary parties.

Who does Ashar represent?

As a licensed life settlement broker, Ashar has a fiduciary duty to protect the best interests of the policy owner/seller in the life settlement process. We sit on the same side of the table as you and your client. It’s always about what’s best for the policy owner, not the buyer. Whether it’s our expedited approach or a more traditional path of taking the policy to market, the result will be defensible with all parties feeling confident that the seller’s needs were met. Taking the time to properly position the policy and force competition between a group of vetted, qualified buyers ensures the seller receives much higher offers than the opening bid of a single buyer.

What training and support does Ashar offer my organization?

Ashar’s executive team members are respected thought leaders in the secondary market, speaking both nationally and internationally on the topics of life settlements, policy valuations, and the impact of increased longevity on planning with senior clients. They’re supported by a team of experienced analysts who keep the promises they make on the front stage. We offer exclusive education for teams like yours so they learn new ways to meet client needs – whatever they may be. From one-on-one sessions to webinars, guest speaking events, marketing tools, newsletter content, and more, we meet you where you are so you can meet your goals. Topics range from general market overviews to success stories to in-depth life insurance policy valuation methodologies. The education possibilities are endless.

What makes Ashar different than other life settlement companies?

Ashar is a nationally licensed independent seller’s representative and does not sell life insurance, manage assets, nor purchase policies. Backed by our proprietary auction platform, our team of longevity and in-house valuation experts deliver the best results for policy owners.

Is the life settlement industry regulated?

Every state allows for the life settlement transaction. Like any other asset/property, it is a policy owner’s right to sell a life insurance policy. Some states even require disclosure of the life settlement option as an exit strategy. Additionally, all forms are regulated by each state’s department of insurance.

How does Ashar ensure client best interests and our advisors are served?

In the age of best interest regulations, many are concerned with the potential liability of not disclosing the life settlement option and a policy owner canceling a life insurance contract that was worth five to 10 times more than the cash surrender value. We represent thousands of policy owners each year to provide information so they can decide whether to keep or sell their life insurance.

Who’s buying these policies?

Experienced life settlement resources work with licensed purchasers. Each of these purchasers represent multiple funds comprised of some of the most well-known institutional investment groups – pension plans, private equity, and asset managers. Ashar requires each buyer relationship to complete a due diligence process. We never work with purchasers who represent individual investors, or those that do not abide by all applicable regulatory requirements.

Is Ashar a licensed fiduciary to represent my clients?

Yes, we represent thousands of policy owners each year to provide information so they can decide whether to keep or sell their life insurance. We understand how to protect client’s information and abide by all applicable regulatory requirements.

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