If passed, the bill could make billions of additional dollars available to the elderly
A new legislative proposal has been advanced to let seniors in Ontario get much-needed money by tapping an asset they own, but typically cannot use: their life insurance policy.
This week, MPP Michael Colle introduced Bill 162. It seeks to amend Section 115 of the Ontario Insurance Act, which prevents anyone other than an insurer or a duly authorized agent from selling a life insurance policy. If passed, the bill would allow an open and free market where aging life-insurance holders could sell their policies as life insurance settlements, according to a think piece published by the Province.
“A life settlement pertains to the sale of an unneeded, in-force life insurance policy for an amount that is more than the policy’s cash surrender value but less that its death benefit,” said Leonard H. Goodman, founder and chair of the Life Insurance Settlement Association of Canada (LISAC) and author of the piece.
“Life settlements are an excellent option for millions of seniors who need or prefer cash under their current circumstances rather than the eventual payment of the full death benefit,” Goodman said. He claimed to personally know people whose $1.7-million term policy fetched $500,000 as a life settlement, and others who received $100,000 for a $400,000 policy. Even policies with $100,000 terms have been sold for more than $30,000 or $40,000.
Settlements are also a good option because they typically fetch amounts many times greater than the cash surrender value. Citing a study of 9,002 policies by the London School of Business, Goodman said that a life settlement’s value produced more than four times the cash surrender value that insurance companies offer.
Unwanted or no-longer-affordable policies are sold by millions of seniors around the world; US seniors are getting more than $7 million daily from life settlements, and will get about $3 billion yearly over the next decade. But according to Goodman, the Ontario Insurance Act has kept seniors from using life settlements for over 80 years.
“It is estimated that 80% of life insurance policies lapse or are cancelled, which means insurance companies never pay the full amount, thereby, saving billions every year,” he said. “This is money that stays in their pockets rather than going into seniors’ pockets, where it rightfully belongs.”
Right now, Goodman said, there are more than 2 million seniors in Ontario, which represents 15.6% of the population; in a decade, that percentage will increase to 23%. “This is a significant segment of the population, many of whom will need additional financial resources in the future, and life settlements can play an important and viable role in maximizing the value of an asset that more than half of them own,” he said.
Related stories:
Canadian seniors deserve right to sell their life insurance, says advocate
Canada ousted from top ten in global retirement well-being rankings
This week, MPP Michael Colle introduced Bill 162. It seeks to amend Section 115 of the Ontario Insurance Act, which prevents anyone other than an insurer or a duly authorized agent from selling a life insurance policy. If passed, the bill would allow an open and free market where aging life-insurance holders could sell their policies as life insurance settlements, according to a think piece published by the Province.
“A life settlement pertains to the sale of an unneeded, in-force life insurance policy for an amount that is more than the policy’s cash surrender value but less that its death benefit,” said Leonard H. Goodman, founder and chair of the Life Insurance Settlement Association of Canada (LISAC) and author of the piece.
“Life settlements are an excellent option for millions of seniors who need or prefer cash under their current circumstances rather than the eventual payment of the full death benefit,” Goodman said. He claimed to personally know people whose $1.7-million term policy fetched $500,000 as a life settlement, and others who received $100,000 for a $400,000 policy. Even policies with $100,000 terms have been sold for more than $30,000 or $40,000.
Settlements are also a good option because they typically fetch amounts many times greater than the cash surrender value. Citing a study of 9,002 policies by the London School of Business, Goodman said that a life settlement’s value produced more than four times the cash surrender value that insurance companies offer.
Unwanted or no-longer-affordable policies are sold by millions of seniors around the world; US seniors are getting more than $7 million daily from life settlements, and will get about $3 billion yearly over the next decade. But according to Goodman, the Ontario Insurance Act has kept seniors from using life settlements for over 80 years.
“It is estimated that 80% of life insurance policies lapse or are cancelled, which means insurance companies never pay the full amount, thereby, saving billions every year,” he said. “This is money that stays in their pockets rather than going into seniors’ pockets, where it rightfully belongs.”
Right now, Goodman said, there are more than 2 million seniors in Ontario, which represents 15.6% of the population; in a decade, that percentage will increase to 23%. “This is a significant segment of the population, many of whom will need additional financial resources in the future, and life settlements can play an important and viable role in maximizing the value of an asset that more than half of them own,” he said.
Related stories:
Canadian seniors deserve right to sell their life insurance, says advocate
Canada ousted from top ten in global retirement well-being rankings
