Life Partners, a company that lets investors buy parts of strangers' life-insurance policies, has made large fees while often underestimating the life expectancies of people whose policies its customers invest in. Full Story »
Posted by Mike LaBonte - via Wall Street Journal (Most Emailed), Wil Kristin (t), Ayo Cari Rumah (t), urmi das (t), Moises Figueroa (t)
Interesting story about a legal but not well-known form of investing. There is a lack of balance, though, and no alternative viewpoints e.g. by insurance industry experts.
On first glance, this appears to be about socially responsible investing (or lack thereof). In fact, it is a story about ethics, but not morality. The company (Life Partners) has a long history of engaging in unethical business practices i.e. deceptive advertising and failure to adequately inform investors of the true risk based on valid actuarial estimates of mortality.
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