Life settlement marketplace

    Welcome to Settle. See what your life insurance policy could sell for.

    Welcome to Settle. See what your policy could sell for.

    Most life settlements involve policyholders age 65 or older with at least $100,000 in coverage. Results are estimates only and not guaranteed. Availability varies by state.

    Sell the policy you no longer need. Before you let it go.

    Settle helps policy owners see what a life insurance policy could sell for, then connects them with licensed buyers through our provider partners. Free, and you never have to sell.

    Most life settlements involve policyholders age 65 or older with at least $100,000 in coverage. Results are estimates only and not guaranteed. Availability varies by state.

    Why people sell

    Reasons people sell their policy.

    Premiums got too expensive

    Costs often climb with age. Selling ends the payments and turns the policy into money you can use now.

    Retirement needs changed

    Savings may need to stretch further than planned. A sale can add cash for everyday living or care.

    The kids are grown

    The family a policy was meant to protect may now be financially independent and no longer need it.

    Health care costs are rising

    Long-term care and medical bills add up. Some owners use a sale to help pay for the care they need.

    A term policy is ending

    Some term policies can be converted and sold before they expire, instead of lapsing with nothing back.

    The business no longer needs it

    Key-person or buy-sell policies can lose their purpose after a sale, retirement or change in partners.

    See more in Resources
    The problem

    Information defines outcomes.

    What a policy owner knows before giving up a policy decides how much of its value they keep.

    Most policies never pay out.

    More than 92% of life insurance face amount ends without paying a death benefit. Policies lapse, or are surrendered for a fraction of their value.

    Surrender values are falling.

    The average cash surrender value fell 27% in a single year, from $33,493 in 2024 to $24,360 in 2025.

    The surrender letter won’t mention a sale.

    Insurers explain how to cash out or cancel. Few owners are told a licensed buyer might pay more.

    LISA 2025 Annual Market Data and LISA, “Explaining Life Settlements.”

    Market dataLISA 2025 Annual Market Data
    Average life settlementAverage cash surrender valueLapse
    $0$40,000$80,000$120,000$160,000$200,000$240,0002025$0Let it lapse2025$24,360Surrender it2025$212,066Sell it

    Averages across 2,955 policies sold through LISA members in 2025. About 8.7 times the surrender value. Not Settle results, and not a prediction for any policy.

    Selling a policy has never been simple.
    Few owners are told it’s possible
    Medical records and paperwork
    Offers that are hard to compare
    Settle’s aim is to make the first step simple.
    Free appraisal
    No obligation to sell
    Real people to talk to

    You’ve been told to surrender it, or let it lapse. There may be a better option.

    In 2025, the average life settlement was $212,066. The average cash surrender value was $24,360. That’s about 8.7 times more.

    LISA 2025 Annual Market Data. Market averages, not Settle results.

    Our advantage

    Licensed buyers make the market. We bring your policy to them.

    Settle is a life settlement marketing company. With your permission, your policy is reviewed by institutional buyers through our licensed provider partners, so you can see what the market may pay before you decide anything.

    Our network
    Policies licensed buyers review

    Policies sold in 2025

    2,955

    Life settlement market volume, 2023

    $4.67B

    Paid to owners, past five years

    $3.6B

    Source: Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA). Industry figures, not Settle results. Not every policy qualifies.

    Who qualifies
    An older couple laughing together over breakfast

    You may qualify if the policy still has work left in it.

    Most people who sell a policy are 65 or older with at least $100,000 in coverage. If these fit, a free appraisal takes about a minute and commits you to nothing. Not every policy qualifies.

    You're 65 or older

    Most people who sell are.

    Age is the first thing buyers look at. It shapes how long a policy may stay in force, so these policies are the ones buyers most often review.

    Policy statement with glasses

    Your coverage is $100,000 or more

    The death benefit, not the cash value.

    Buyers look at the face value of the policy. Smaller policies can still be reviewed, but most prefer coverage at or above this level.

    Magnifying glass over policy papers

    You own universal, whole or convertible term

    Many term policies can be converted first.

    Permanent policies are built to stay in force for life. If yours is term, it may be convertible, and we can check that for you.

    Scales weighing keep and sell

    Your health has changed

    Unlike buying insurance, this can raise the value.

    With your permission, buyers review existing medical records. A change in health since the policy was taken out is one of the main things they weigh.

    Our belief

    Built for the right situation.

    A sale isn’t right for everyone. We’ll tell you plainly whether it’s worth your time, before you share a single document.

    A good fit if you:

    · no longer need the coverage, or can’t keep paying for it

    · are 65 or older, or have had a change in health

    · have $100,000 or more of coverage

    Not the right fit if you:

    · have family who still depend on the death benefit

    · may need life insurance again and couldn’t qualify

    · need money within days, not weeks

    Our approach

    Our selling process

    Answer six questions online and see an estimated range in about a minute.

    Phone checklist beside a coffee cup — about a minute

    With your permission, licensed buyers review your policy and records through our provider partners.

    Magnifying glass over policy papers

    See each offer next to your surrender value. Accept one, ask questions, or walk away.

    Envelope with a letter — accept, ask or walk away
    Our fees

    More of the value stays with you.

    Settle charges you nothing for the appraisal or the process. If a sale closes, Settle may be paid by our provider partners, never by you.

    SellingSurrendering
    Money to you2025 market average$212,066$24,360
    Cost to startAppraisal and paperwork$0$0
    Future premiumsWho keeps payingThe buyerpays them from the sale onwardNonecoverage ends

    Your cost with Settle$0

    Cost breakdown

    Appraisal$0

    Settle fee to you$0

    Obligation to acceptNone

    Averages are LISA 2025 Annual Market Data, not Settle results or a prediction for any policy. Every offer and its terms are shown to you before you accept. Selling ends your coverage.

    Paperwork
    Records, statements, forms2 formsYour dashboard

    Two forms, signed online.

    A medical release and a policy release, signed in your dashboard. We request the records for you.

    Your options
    LapseSurrenderKeep payingSell

    Every exit, side by side.

    See each offer next to your cash surrender value before you decide. If keeping the policy is better, we’ll say so.

    Our answers

    Questions, answered

    The sale of an existing life insurance policy to a licensed buyer, for more than its cash surrender value and less than the death benefit. The buyer takes over the premiums and receives the benefit later.

    Owners have had the right to sell a policy since the U.S. Supreme Court said so in 1911. Most states regulate life settlements to protect policy owners.