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May 13, 2017

Lake Worth "Structured Advisor" in Questionable Sales Pitch

by Structured Settlement Watchdog

It's bad for consumers of financial services and an insult to the people who actually have credentials, licenses and verifiable relevant experience when individuals or companies make misleading claims about what they have.

A 26 year old Florida resident, set up a website in January 2017 that claims to have 30 years of combined work experience in the structured annuity industry and elsewhere on the site claims to have certified experience. The website, structuredadvisors(dot)com claims part of its business is helping you... planning for retirement 

What is an Industry?

The companies and activities involved in the production of goods for sale- Cambridge Dictionary

What Does Structured Annuity Industry imply?

The companies and activities involved in the production of annuities. 

Does Client First Funding Issue Annuities?

No, purchasing payment rights from structured settlements does not involve the manufacture or sale of an annuity. When a structured settlement factoring transaction is consummated the structured annuity does not move. 

Does Peachtree Settlement Funding Issue Annuities?

No, purchasing payment rights from structured settlements does not involve the manufacture or sale of an annuity. When a structured settlement factoring transaction is consummated the structured annuity does not move. 

What Does Years of Combined Experience Mean?

A couple of excellent articles on the subject

"Years of combined experience" :how does add up?  by Harry Styron August 17, 2010

What is the combined experience of a company? by Dana Sparks

Arguably the sales manager of " Structured Advisors", Daniel Mustelier, has no experience in the structured annuity industry (see below). Furthermore, according to his LinkedIn profile on the date of this post, from 2006-2008 the co-owner of the company, Kris Crossley "provided technology and pricing to retail and institutional traders" From 2008-2012 his Linkedin says Commodity Broker and there is a gap from 2012-2017. Crossley had no endorsements for annuities. Let's forget about certified for a moment. I'm pretty good at math, so where is the 30 years in structured annuity coming from?

" Structured Advisors"

It does not appear that "Structured Advisors" Sales Manager Daniel Mustelier has any experience in the structured annuity industry. Neither he, nor any of the companies with whom Mustelier states has worked for, issues structured annuities. Mustelier holds no insurance license in his home state of Florida according to the Florida Department of Financial Services. He appears to hold no professional credentials related to insurance or annuities (a form of insurance). It appears that Mustelier's work experience includes  experience in the factoring industry, which can be clearly distinguished from structured annuities since participants in that industry (1)do not manufacture, (2) are not licensed to sell and (3) do not purchase structured annuities.

Daniel Mustelier received his Bachelors from Florida Atlantic University in 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile. His work experience since January 2012 included about a year as an employee of cash now pusher Peachtree Settlement Funding where he "Work(ed) alongside attorneys and paralegals to assemble documentation to support an approval for a client’s funding". Then he spend 1 year and 4 months at Client First Settlement Funding, another cash now company. That takes us to 2014.  Structured Advisors is not registered with the Florida Secretary of State, but Mustelier states that he has been associated since January 2017.  The website associated with the business was registered to Daniel Mustelier in January 2017, same as Crossley.

In 2016, Daniel Mustelier was booked for resisting a police officer in his hometown of Lake Worth, Florida.  Here is the mugshot

What Does Certified Mean in the Context of Advisors?

Certification provides independent verification of a certain level of expertise in a particular area. Basically, it means you have completed the steps required to receive a particular designation. But this basic definition comes with a weakness--in some cases, individuals can become "certified" simply by paying a particular membership fee or by attending the required seminar. Such certifications are meaningless and a waste of time and money.

Certifications that mean something are about achieving designations that demonstrate to your employer and/or clients that you are, indeed, an expert in a particular area or areas, and that a reputable, recognizable organization is willing to attest to that.  

Advisor Designations: What Does Certified Really Mean?  Deborah Nason  CNBC August 4, 2016

Where is "Structured Advisors" "certification"?

Conclusion 

There is nothing unusual about structured settlement factoring industry spinoffs.  But to insinuate something that you are not in advertising to financial consumers should never be tolerated.  When it comes to structured settlements or structured annuities only seek advice from credentialed advisors.

 

 

 

 

Posted at 01:38 PM in Factoring Company Bad Business Practices, False Advertising Re Creating, Buying or Selling Structured Settlements, Florida Structured Settlements, Lake Worth Structured Settlements, Palm Beach Structured Settlements, Structured Settlement Factoring News, Structured Settlement Watchdog® |

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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
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    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
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  • 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.
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    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?

  • A structured settlement offers guaranteed financial security to personal injury victims, wrongful death survivors and their families. A structured settlement involves a customized stream of payments, provides long-term stable tax-free income, for a period of years or a lifetime. Unlike other income annuities. a structured settlement annuity can have multiple payment streams to address multiple needs in a single contract.

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