I am not talking about net worth; I am talking about your life. How much is it worth? This is a question many of us have pondered at one time or another, rhetorically of course.

Now through a trendy new investment strategy: you can cash-in on your personal value through a Life Settlement. I was shocked to read on SmartMoney.com that people actually sell their life insurance policies to investors – an estimated $10-$15 billion in face value alone last year.

Whether people need extra money to pay their bills because social security no longer covers medical expenses or, alternately, they realize they are financially set and have no reason to keep paying life insurance premiums – calling a life settlement broker is now an option.

The sobering criteria: to be a wise investment, you must (according to life expectancy charts) only have about 12 years left. These voulture-esque investors don’t want to be kept waiting too long. After all, one man’s death has become another man’s pay day.

Despite the benefits and drawbacks of cash-in-hand, people need to be cautious of the motives behind the transactions, like why is their insurance worth so much to these investors? And maybe a more important question: is it a good thing that people can be bought and sold like stock?