The typical settlement transaction involves a policy bearing a face value of $1.5 to 2 Million. The typical insured is aged 74 years or more, and is considered to be a “wealthy” or “high net worth” individual. These characteristics indicate that policy owners who offer their policies for sale in the secondary market are doing so within the context of a more comprehensive financial planning process. Therefore, it makes sense to consider the life insurance settlement process as both a means to uncovering other client needs and as an end in itself. In short, as policy owners’ financial circumstances change, opportunities to identify and present the settlement option as a viable planning concept will continue to arise. Over the last few years a very large investment market in life insurance settlements has emerged. Owning life insurance is actually a form of investment, and the return on that investment is the death benefit paid to the policy's beneficiaries. Historically a life insurance policy is one of the most reliable investments available anywhere, because the death benefit is guaranteed by the full faith and credit of very highly rated institutions with many billions in assets. The emergence of the life insurance settlement market is without doubt one of the most exciting and fundamental changes to the life insurance industry in over 150 years. The life settlement financial transaction is truly a win-win for both the policy owners that sell the policy, and for the investors that buy them. The win-win nature of the life settlement financial transaction is a primary reason for the markets explosive growth.