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What Are The Settlement Options For Life Insurance?

Choosing the right settlement option for your beneficiary is important, and there are several life insurance settlement options available. Here’s a breakdown of the most common settlement options:

Settlement OptionDescriptionAdvantagesDisadvantages
Lump-sumEntire death benefit paid in a single transactionImmediate access to the entire sumMay not be the best option if the beneficiary won’t manage a large payout responsibly
Life incomeConverts the death benefit to fixed, regular annuity payments for the rest of the beneficiary’s lifeProvides the beneficiary with a lifelong income streamAgreements tend to be inflexible
Fixed incomeSpecifies a fixed amount of money each month until the death benefit and any cash value runs outPrevents the beneficiary from spending the entire death benefit all at onceMay be allowed to change the payment amount after the policyholder’s death
Fixed periodShares the payments over a set period instead of guaranteeing a certain amount until the money runs outAllows the policyholder to set the fixed period to end when the mortgage will be repaidPayments may be lower than a life income settlement
Interest incomeRetains the death benefit and invests it so that it earns interest. The interest is then paid to the beneficiary to provide a regular incomeProvides a regular income while investing for future financial securityBeneficiary will have to pay tax on the interest earned
Interest accumulationInsurer holds the death settlement on the beneficiary’s behalf and invests it, letting the cash value grow like a savings accountBeneficiary can withdraw funds when they need toMay achieve better growth by receiving a lump sum settlement and reinvesting the money elsewhere

When the insured party dies, the beneficiary must submit a paper or online claim to receive the death benefit. They will need to provide copies of the policy document and death certificate. After the claim is processed, the insurer transfers the death benefit in a lump sum or in a series of payments depending on the settlement option chosen.

If you need access to money tied up in your life insurance policy, you could withdraw some of the cash value or take out a loan against it if you have an invested whole life policy. Alternatively, you could surrender the policy and receive a lump payment from the insurer, but this will likely be significantly lower than the amount you paid in. Alternatively, you could sell your policy for cash to a third party in a transaction known as a life settlement, which usually pays more than surrendering the policy. However, bear in mind that selling or surrendering your policy means you forfeit any death benefit for your beneficiaries and lose any remaining coverage.

Visit LifeInsurance.org to read expert reviews and compare life insurance plans, side by side.

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