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March 14, 2014

MJ Structured Settlement Annuities in Deceptive Structured Settlement Marketing

by Structured Settlement Watchdog® 

MJ Structured Settlement Annuities, Inc. is a less than 3 year old  Coral Springs Florida corporation that markets structured settlement payment rights with what is in my opinion a misleading company name.

The name MJ Structured Settlement Annuties is misleading because what is being marketed as structured settlement annuities is not an insurance product, it is structured settlement receivables, which are not annuities or an insurance product.  And there is a difference. 

According to the Florida Department of Financial Services, Todd Lesk, the CEO of MJ Structured Settlement Annuities, Inc.  is licensed as an insurance agent in Florida but does not show an appointment with Genworth, Liberty Life, MetLife, New York Life, The Hartford or Presidential Life. An MJ Structured Settlement Annuities website page displays the trademarked logos of each of these companies.

I have canvassed all of the life insurance companies in the above group that currently issue a structured settlement annuit. At the time of the publishing of this blog post, Liberty Life has come back and said that there is no appointment to sell structured settlement annuity and and no authority to use the Liberty Mutual logo. Let's see what the others say.

Yet on the Facebook page for MJ Structured Settlement Annuities, Inc.

"CDs generally offer anywhere from .98% to 2.00% interest. Structured settlement annuities offer upwards of 4.00-8.00% interest (based on interest rates at the time of purchase). Why settle for less when it comes to your finances? Click on this link to see if a structured settlement annuity is right for you".

Let's be clear, again,  that an investor in structured settlement receivables IS NOT buying a structured settlement annuity.

  • There is no transfer of ownership of the annuity; and
  • There are questions about whether investors in structured settlement payment rights are entitled to the same statutory protections as those who actually purchase annuities or are receiving structured settlement payments as compensation for damages they have suffered.
  • They are marketed by merchants who may not be licensed and/or appointed with the structured settlement annuity issuers whose logos may be used by the promoter.

MJ Structured Settlement Annuities Misleading Advertising May 15, 2012

A yellow page listing for MJ Structured Settlement Annuities lists a street address and suite number identical to Client First Settlement Funding , although there is nothing in the state of Florida filings for MJ that suggests any relation between the companies. Download MJ Structured Settlement...ton, FL, 33431 - YP same address as Client First Funding 3-14-2014 Yellow Pages

The nascent availability of structured settlement receivables to individual investors had led to questionnable market conduct which that I have repeatedly questioned. Certain actors in the secondary market shamelessly draw scrutiny to the market which provides plenty to write about.

A pending bill in Florida legislature seeks to amend the Florida Structured Settleent Protection statutes to cap discount rates and curtail forum shopping in courtrooms such as that of Judge Michelle Morley in Sumter County among others, by limiting the filing of petitions to transfer structured settlement payment rights to the county of residence.

 

Posted at 12:26 PM in Boca Raton Florida Structured Settlements, Coral Springs Structured Settlements, Florida Structured Settlements, Orlando Florida Structured Settlements, Palm Beach Structured Settlements, Secondary Market Annuities | Not Annuities | Don't Be Fooled, Secondary Market For Structured Settlement Payment Rights, Structured Settlement Payment Rights, Structured Settlement Protection Acts, Tampa Structured Settlements |

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Guide to Structured Settlements 2025

  • What is a Structured Settlement? What You Need to Know
    Structured settlements and what you need to know about them including a helpful introductory video featuring A.M. Best Client Recommended Structured Settlement Expert and Registered Settlement Planner John Darer of 4structures.com LLC
  • How Do Structured Settlements Work? How Structured Settlements Work
    How structured settlements work, including 4structures.com LLC's super helpful structured settlement flow chart/diagram showing how structured settlements fit in on the spectrum of settlement planning solutions.
  • Rated Ages and Structured Settlement Cost
    Rated Ages for Structured Settlement Annuities present advantages to all parties. Shift the mortality risk to a life insurance company which specializes in assessing mortality risk to price its life insurance and annuity products. Rated ages boost your structured settlement annuity benefit per premium dollar, or your yield on lifetime payments. Rated ages help to reduce the cost of funding a Medicare Set Aside arrangement where a Structured MSA, is being used [WCMSA, LMSA or NFMSA].
  • Top Structured Settlement Annuity Companies 2025
    Which life insurance companies issue structured settlement annuities in 2025? A list of current structured annuity issuers, the location of their home offices and their financial ratings from A.M. Best, Moodys, Fitch, Standard & Poors and/or other Tier1 NAIC ratings, with links to their websites and other useful information. Last updated November 3, 2024
  • Treasury Funded Structured Settlements
    Treasury Funded Structured Settlements are a settlement option for the most conservative using the OTHER permissible qualified funding asset under IRC 130(d), United States Treasury Bonds in addition to, or instead of, structured settlement annuities. Treasury Funded Structured Settlements can also be used to fund installment sales, also known as structured sales and other non qualified structured settlements.
  • Compare Structured Settlement IRR to Other Settlement Alternatives
    Use the Taxable Equivalent Yield chart to help compare the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of a structured settlement to other alternative or complementary investments. Need help with the chart? Call 4structures.com® LLC at 888-325-8640
  • Structured Settlement Payments | Types of Structured Settlements 2025
    In 2025, you can structure your settlement payments in various ways. A structured settlement allows for multiple payment types within one agreement. You can tailor and merge different structured settlement payments to suit your individual needs, either alone or alongside other financial instruments. If desired, diversify your structured settlement by utilizing multiple annuity issuers, treasury-funded structured settlements, index-linked structured settlement payments, and market-based structured options.
  • Structured Attorney Fees for Tax Deferral for Attorney Contingency Fees
    Structured attorney fees offer a financial strategy that provides a unique method for deferring taxes for attorneys and their firms. Attorneys can structure or defer their legal fees independently of whether the plaintiff structures their settlement. There are various ways to structure attorney fees, including capped or uncapped index-linked structured settlement annuities with payments adjusted according to the S&P 500 or another index's positive changes. Trial lawyers might also opt for a special deferred payment/compensation arrangement if they seek market-based returns without a cap. As the year-end approaches, consider adding structured attorney fee specialist John Darer® to your settlement planning team for 2025.
  • Structured Settlement Annuity Company Customer Service Phone Numbers
    Receiving structured settlement payments from your own structured settlement or inherited structured settlement? You'll like this huge time saver. Click the title for a link to a comprehensive list of customer service telephone numbers that includes both current AND former structured settlement annuity issuers and reinsurers. If you have simple bank or beneficiary changes, or if the insurance company that issued the structured annuity has merged, sold or spun off its block of structured annuity business (e.g. Aviva, Allstate, Transamerica, AEGON, GE Capital, Liberty, CNA, Confederation Life), oran annuity issuer has changed its name and you're trying to track them down. Here you go! The list is regularly updated. Last updated December 9, 2024.
  • Structured Settlement Quote Lock-Ins | What You Need To Know
    What does a Structured Settlement Lock-In Mean? How do plaintiffs, defendants and insurers benefit from a structured settlement quote lock in when finalizing a settlement? How does the defendant/insurer/court benefit from using a structured settlement lock-in? Where to be careful when using structured settlement lock ins.
  • What Are Structured Settlement Annuities?
    Structured settlement annuities are annuities that can provide one or more customized annuity payment streams in a single contract. Read about structured settlement annuities here.
  • History of Structured Settlements
    Tracing the roots of structured settlements history from 1918, when Congress exempted damages for personal injury or sickness from income tax, to the establishment of structured settlements as a core personal injury settlement planning tool to the present day.
  • What Are Market Based Structured Settlements?
    Market based structured settlements are an alternative or supplementary structured settlement solution for the plaintiff, attorney or law firm that: 1. Can afford to take some market risk 2. Have discretionary settlement dollars. Claimants and attorneys alike may find that market-based structured settlements provide the opportunity to receive tax-free income, or tax-deferred income, while enjoying growth potential.
  • iStructure |Uncapped Fixed Index Structured Settlement Annuity
    iStructure is an innovative game changing fixed index structured settlement annuity for plaintiffs or attorneys. with an intermediate to long term horizon
  • Structured Settlements and Longevity Risk| What Are the Odds?
    Do your financial resources give you enough road, or will the road run out before you do? A structured settlement annuity helps mitigate the risk of outliving your savings, no matter how long you live. A structured settlement can include one or more customized payment streams and types.

Qualified Settlement Funds

  • What is a Qualified Settlement Fund?
    Qualified Settlement Funds | What You Need to Know
  • Firmwide Qualified Settlement Funds Debunked
    Firmwide qualified settlement funds have been heavily promoted to trial lawyers, but have been debunked in a detailed analysis in a July 2022 legal opinion a tax partner at the law firm of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP. Trial lawyers and firms who have established Firmwide QSFs or coinsidering establishing a Firmwide QSF should read the analysis as part of their evaluation.

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Structured Settlement Best Practices Corner

  • New York Insurance Advertising law requires the full name of the Insurer to be listed along with the city and state of the principal office. Stating that you represent these fine companies using Insurance company logos without the preceding information are also illegal
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Why Take a Structured Settlement?

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