Life insurance policies offer a sense of security for many seniors. However, as their situations change, some may find that they struggle to pay their premiums and that they would benefit from accessing their policy benefits right away. Enter AIR Asset Management.
AIR Asset Management is an investment firm that prioritizes finding low-risk investments that aren't correlated with other asset classes. As of 2024, the company manages more than $700 million in assets. Although it also offers clients annuities and private credit investments, AIR's largest area of focus is on life settlements.
AIR Asset Management founder Richard Beleutz got his start trading mutual funds for hedge fund clients, but he soon found himself drawn in a different direction.
"I like the life settlement market better because it's more aligned with the end users of the product than mutual funds," Beleutz says. "Trading those mutual funds drove up expenses, so that wasn't sustainable trade. I think that trade was around for maybe five or six years, whereas life settlements have grown since the 80s."
Beleutz also found that the life settlement industry allowed him to use investment dollars for the greater good. "When we buy a policy, we pay five to seven times the cash value on average," he says. "That's fine money for the seniors, and it really addresses one of the socially responsible elements of senior financial independence."
Now, AIR Asset Management is expanding its industry footprint by collaborating with Q Capital Strategies. The Q Capital team has more than 50 years of experience in the life settlement industry, which has allowed them to streamline the process for investors and policyholders.
One of the company's most effective tools is its proprietary QUOTE software, which provides a centralized, efficient platform for every step of the life settlement process. QUOTE is continually being optimized, and it remains the leading software in the life settlement industry.
Critics of the industry sometimes claim that it's inherently exploitative. However, Q Capital Strategies places a premium on transparency and remains actively involved in promoting industry regulation. Founder, President, and CEO Steven Shapiro is an elected board member of the Life Insurance Settlement Association (LISA).
Although Q Capital secures reliable, low-risk returns for investors, its policyholder-centered approach to sourcing policies benefits all involved parties.
Because it partners with so many different investors, Q Capital can purchase a broader range of life insurance policies than many competitors can, and the settlements it offers customers are among the highest in the industry.
What's more, the company's approach to policy sourcing isn't purely transactional. Representatives invite interested policyholders to get in touch to discuss their options.
If it appears that a life settlement would meet the policyholder's current needs, Q Capital can then negotiate a fair price. If a life settlement isn't in the policyholder's best interests, the company can help point them in the right direction.
Beleutz is proud of the work the AIR Asset Management and Q Capital teams have done for clients and policyholders, and he sees it as something bigger than himself.
"We are a top performer in the space," he says. "There's a lot of a lot of heavy lifting that we do, and I attribute that to the strength of our team."
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