By Larry Simon, Founder and CEO, Life Settlement Solutions, Inc.

In this issue of Life Settlements MarketWatch, we are celebrating a special milestone – the fifth anniversary of Life Settlement Awareness Month (LSAM)®. It is fascinating to look back on the changes our industry has seen since we began the month-long educational event five years back.

Press Releases

Even in the wake of the world’s biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression, interest in the life settlement market remains strong from both financial professionals and their clients, and investors. The benefits of using life insurance as an asset over the past 18 months have become even more appealing to consumers as many have seen their retirement funding diminish. Likewise, investors have been attracted to the life settlement market as it is one of the few non-correlated assets with receivables from highly rated insurance carriers.

As our readers know, Stranger Originated Life Insurance (“STOLI”) programs have been a hot topic and the focus of media coverage and legislative and regulatory activities for the past three years

The Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA) hosts a number of educational and legislative events each year.

A flood of financial professionals are entering into the marketplace, including insurance agents, CPA networks, life settlement brokers, estate and financial planners, BGAs, broker-dealers, and insurance entities

Direct acquisitions of life settlements are often managed through an LSS custom managed account