When we say no.

Most settlement companies wouldn’t publish a page like this. We do, because trust is earned by showing your work. Here are three recent cases where the right answer was to walk away.

Case 1: The accelerated death benefit was enough

Florida · age 67 · Stage III pancreatic cancer · $250,000 universal life policy

The patient came to us looking for $80,000 to cover at-home care and a final family trip. We started the eligibility check and our specialist flagged something her insurance broker hadn’t mentioned: her policy had an accelerated death benefit (ADB) rider that would pay up to $200,000 directly to her, tax-free, with no medical underwriting beyond her oncologist’s certification.

We recommended she activate the ADB rider through her insurer instead. Net to her was within $15,000 of what we could’ve offered, with less paperwork and a 2-week timeline instead of 6-8 weeks. She kept the remaining death benefit for her grandchildren.

Case 2: The Medicaid impact was too high

Texas · age 58 · Stage II breast cancer · $500,000 whole life policy

Texas has a $2,000 Medicaid asset limit. A $200,000+ settlement would have disqualified the patient from Medicaid coverage during ongoing treatment. The clean way to handle this is a special needs trust established before proceeds arrive — but trust setup takes 4-8 weeks, and her treatment couldn’t wait.

We connected her with an elder law attorney to plan around the issue. The recommendation was to wait, complete treatment under Medicaid coverage, then revisit the settlement question if needed. She’s now in remission and the policy is still in force.

Case 3: A policy loan was the right tool

New York · age 71 · Stage III lung cancer · $750,000 whole life policy

The patient needed exactly $40,000 to bring an out-of-state grandchild home and cover three months of expenses while his wife took unpaid leave. A settlement would’ve paid 5-10x that amount but also surrendered the death benefit his wife would otherwise inherit.

We recommended a policy loan from his insurer instead. The loan was processed in 10 days, didn’t require medical records, and preserved the full death benefit for his wife. We made $0 on this case. We’d do it again tomorrow.