(Image: Sergey Nivens/Thinkstock)
This is a very special blog — it's the 100th time that we have written about life settlements. We started writing these about 10 years ago as there were so many questions and concerns about the relatively new life settlement business.
We thought that if we addressed the issues, state regulations, taxation, highlighted sample cases, etc., that producers would gain a comfort level about the business and would learn to recognize settlement opportunities for clients and prospects.
(Related: 5 Life Settlements That Didn't Get Away)
It doesn't seem possible that it is still necessary to write so frequently about life settlements because, by now, they should be a mainstream transaction used routinely as an alternative to lapsing or surrendering a policy. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case and, therefore, policyowners may be losing out on cash at a time when they most likely need it.
Here are four topics foremost on our minds that we thought now would be a good time to share with you again:
1. It continues to astound us how many consumers still don't know about life settlements, even though they have been around for over 20 years and, even more surprising, is how many producers still lack the knowledge to recognize and to handle settlements.
n both scenarios, it is policyholders who suffer the consequences. This situation is due, at least in part, to the insurance companies that still prohibit their producers from engaging in life settlement transactions on behalf of their clients. There is a light is at the end of the tunnel, however, as there is some form of consumer disclosure requirement in 9 states and so perhaps insurance companies won't be getting away with this anti-consumer behavior for much longer.
Robin S. Weinberger, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, has served as general agent and director of national accounts for Connecticut Mutual and vice president of marketing for Sun Life of Canada. She is also an active personal producer. Since 2003, Weinberger has specialized in life settlement brokerage services and is currently the director of national accounts for Life Insurance Settlements Inc. She can be reached at 
Peter N. Katz, J.D., CLU, ChFC, has spent more than 30 years in the life insurance and financial services industry as an advanced markets attorney and in product development. He is currently a life settlement broker and co-director of national accounts with Life Insurance Settlements Inc., as well as a consultant specializing in life insurance advanced sales illustrations. He can be reached at 
