SIMPLY DOING THE RIGHT THING. ALONE.
Every time for every client.
We have a simple mission
It isn't rocket science. We started 1908 to do right by our clients, so that you can do right by yours. That philosophy, backed by our capital markets and life settlement experience, is the foundation of how we work with you and how we maximize and protect your client's proceeds.
Every time.
It would have been easier to go along. To play the game. Early on, it would have paid better to accept the obfuscation and favorable economics built into the incumbent channel. We chose not to.
Instead, we built an alternative: one that puts your client's interests first, in how we engage you and the market, the results we help you get, and how we charge for our service.
Extensive capital markets and other financial services experience
30+ years combined life settlement experience
10 years engaging the top wealth management firms in the world
What is different about us
The same policy and the same client. Different values and priorities, and a different result.
As sophisticated as you
With 1908: We come from your world and speak your language. Client engagement and price discovery work the way they do across the rest of your practice.
Typical brokered sale: An opaque, closed process you're asked to take on trust.
Respect for your relationships
With 1908: We work for you, so we never insert ourselves between you and your client.
Typical brokered sale: The broker inserts itself between you and your client.
Client privacy
With 1908: Every file redacted of PII and shared only in our secure, encrypted ShareFile bid room.
Typical brokered sale: Case files unredacted and typically shared broadly, with little control over distribution.
Your visibility
With 1908: You're in the bid room. Every interaction and bid is logged and auditable.
Typical brokered sale: You get the broker's account of the negotiations and selective disclosure.
Real price discovery
With 1908: One blind, best-and-final round across ~10 vetted Providers, compelling max bids quickly.
Typical brokered sale: Multiple, open rounds ("negotiations"); the winner only has to beat the runner-up, not to their true maximum value, which if often much higher.
Fee
With 1908: 7.5% of proceeds above cash value (min. $12,500).
Typical brokered sale: Typically 30% or more (often confusingly described as "lesser of 8% of face value and 33% of value.")
Time to bids
With 1908: Under 15 days.
Typical brokered sale: At least 90 days.
Time to funding
With 1908: About 60 days.
Typical brokered sale: 130+ days.
AS HEARD ON THE SMARTER PLANNER PODCAST
From Surrender to Sale: The Game-Changing Approach to Life Settlements
Scott walks through the three paths for a policy a client no longer needs (lapse, surrender or sale) and how a properly structured competitive auction gets clients the most for it.
With host Belle Osvath, CFP® · January 2025
AS HEARD ON THE SMARTER PLANNER PODCAST
From Surrender to Sale: The Game-Changing Approach to Life Settlements
Scott walks through the three paths for a policy a client no longer needs (lapse, surrender or sale) and how a properly structured competitive auction gets clients the most for it.
With host Belle Osvath, CFP® · January 2025
Boldly different, highly focused
It really isn't rocket science. It's not alchemy. We started with a simple desire to do the right thing for our clients - fiduciary wealth advisors and principled, Best Interest-oriented life insurance professionals - so that you can do the right thing for your clients. And that philosophy, combined with our capital markets and life settlement experience, is the foundation of how we engage you and ensure the best possible experience and maximum proceeds for your clients.
Every time.
Transparency
You are in the bid room, seeing every interaction with stakeholders, not relying on our descriptions of engagement or characterizations of demand; all activity and bids are logged, creating a full audit trail.
Smarter Price Discovery
Comprehensive, blind, best-and-final, ("private value") auction ensures higher gross winning bids than "common value" auctions, which reward bargain hunting, anchoring the winning bidder to the second highest bidder, not their true value.
Equitable Compensation
7.5% of the gross proceeds less the cash surrender value (min of $12,500) vs. brokers' >30% (often confusingly described as a % of face value - do not be fooled). When our licensed broker is in the transaction, we add 1% additional fee.
Simplicity, Expediency
We remove all the non-value-add steps that brokers use to create the illusion of complexity, but that ultimately serve only to prolong the process, resulting in a much faster time-to-understanding what your client will receive (<2 weeks) and funding in 60 - 75 days, not 120+.
Respect for You
You are engaged throughout the process and we do not waste your time or insult your intelligence with misleading descriptions of superfluous activities to justify an otherwise indefensible commission or defend an opaque, prolonged process.
Secure
All document sharing and storage takes place on an encrypted ShareFile platform, ensuring maximum security of all client information; no e-mail.