Structured Settlements 4Real® Blog: Structured Settlements | Settlement Planning News and John Darer Reviews

4structures.com, LLC | Highest Accredited A+ Rating | Better Business Bureau

by John Darer® CLU ChFC MSSC RSP CLTC

4structures.com, LLC takes customer service seriously. The company places a great deal of importance on listening to its customers, communicating with them and addressing their needs. Our clients' happiness is very important to us. This is reflected in the A+ rating the Better Business Bureau has given 4structures.com, LLC since the company was first rated in 2004. The A+ Better Business Bureau rating is the highest rating possible from the BBB.

4structures.com, LLC meets the Accredited Business standard set by the BBB and subscribes to the BBB Code of Business Practices (BBB Accredation Standards)

Link to verify the Better Business Bureau A+ rating for 4structures.com, LLC

In all the years 4structures.com, LLC has been in business, neither the company, nor its principal have received any complaints filed through the Better Business Bureau or been the subject of any complaints filed with any state insurance department in a state in which it is authorized to do business. We're very proud of that record

But we are mostly proud of all of the good things we do every day and have done for clients over the years to help them achieve final resolution of their cases and move through a major financial transition.

More information about 4structures.com, LLC   Structured Settlement and Settlement Planning Company based in Stamford CT and licensed in many other states.  4structures President John Darer is licensed in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Penssylvania, California and many other states.

 

 

 

 

Structured Settlement Annuity Issuer Contact Numbers | Old Structured Settlement Need Info?

by John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC

4structures.com LLC maintains a list of Customer Service Telephone Numbers for Current and Former Structured Settlement Annuity Issuers. Structured Settlement Annuity Company Customer Service Phone Numbers (4structures.com)

In addition 4structures.com LLC continues to build links to access helpful administration forms for payees of qualified structured settlement annuities, non qualified structured settlements, structured attorney fees and more.

Common Change Requests for Structured Settlements

• Change of address
• Set up EFT
• Change of bank for EF
  
• Check beneficiary
• Name or change beneficiary
• Add a contingent beneficiary 
• Change of Payee
• Payment split due to divorce

4structures' John Darer maintains this as a service not only for his own clients, but as a courtesy for all consumers of structured settlements  

When I first entered the structured settlement industry there were more than 20 life insurance companies offering structured settlement annuities.  Some of those companies who have ceased writing structured settlement annuities, maintain service departments for the run- off business, while other companies have sold those blocks. In some cases the structured settlemnet annuity block has been sold more than once. In one case, Allstate, its New York company and its non-New York company were sold to different purchasers.

Sometimes the servicing has been outsourced offshore, with well intentioned service subcontractors in place. But the representatives in some cases are sorely lacking in the historical context, giving you the feeling that they are merely schooled in or reading from a list of talking points. This has in some cases led to consumer confusion. 

If you're one of those consumers click on the above link.

The structured settlement business is seeing the best year in its history, despite fewer markets. 5 of the biggest months for structured settlement annuity production in the history of structured settlements have occurred in the last 9 months! 2023 is set for an all time record year for production.

 

 

Better Than 5% Income Tax Free on Structured Settlements

by John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC

Now is the time to make good use of stuctured settlements and build enduring guaranteeed income streams

Compelling yields in Excess of 5% are possible on intermediate and long term cash flows.  On November 1, 2022 for example, I locked-in a 10 year certain plan with a 5.7% Internal Rate of Return with a  daily rate from United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York. 

So what does 5.7% tax-free mean?

Taxable Equivalent Yields at Different  Hypothetical Tax Rates

15%        6.705%

18%        6.951%

28%        7.916%

31%        8.261%

33%        8.507%

40%        9.500%

50%      11.400%

See expanded taxable equivalent yield chart

What about investing in the Stock Market?

Well you're not going to put all your eggs in one basket are you?  But let's say you did and if you had the fortitude to stay in the S&P 500 from January 3, 2000 to December 31, 2021 you would have averaged 9.52%.

However, if you missed just the 20 biggest trading days in the S&P 500 from January 3, 2002 to December 31, 2021 you would have averaged only 2.6%. If you missed the 30 biggest trading days the averag would onl have been 0.43% (and it goes downhill from there), according to the J.P. Morgan Asset Mnaagement 2022 Retirement Guide published March 3, 2022 p 44. Read Structured Settlement Rate of Return Compared to Alternative Investments (4structures.com) for more details.

Note: Structured settlement rates vary by insurance company and other factors such as duration. Read more about structured settlement quotes

Influx Media LLC of Melville NY Plagiarized Copyrighted Work of 4structures.com LLC for Client

by John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC

On the one hand, I thought that perhaps I have to thank my competitors from Melville, New York for copying our 2017 blog post announcing that I earned a new professional designation. But really, what part of "Copyright 4structures.com LLC, and its licensors. All rights reserved. No use without permission" does Influx Media , LLC, the Melville NY based digital marketing agency for Settlement Success Intermediaries, not understand? 

Instead of asking for permission, I discovered that Influx Media, LLC, the registrant of the domain settlementsuccess(dot)com and the company hired by Settlement Success Intermediaries, deliberately ignored our copyright, plagiarized and republished more than 30 John Darer authored blog posts from the 4structures.com LLC website, without authorization, without attribution to the author  (having deliberately removed the author by line on all but one post) on a website in the name of the Settlement Success Intermediaries website between March 2 and March 7, 2019 and again yesterday. The posts that Influx Media, LLC  plagiarized in the name of Settlement Success Intermediaries were at all times the intellectual property of 4structures.com LLC.

Excerpt of the first of 5 pages of more than 30 blog posts plagiarized from 4structures.com LLC's  website by Influx Media, LLC  and then republished without authorization,  on the Settlement Success Intermediaries' website, which was designed by Influx Media, LLC of Melville, New York

 

While the published posts on 4structures.com offer buttons for readers to share on Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook,  right clicking to copy is intentionally disabled. It would taken some effort by Influx Media LLC to plagiarize all the content and republish our original work without authorization, and which would not have been given, and without attribution.

Needless to say 4structures.com LLC does not tolerate such conduct with respect to its intellectual property.

Influx Media,LLC , a digital marketing company of apparently questionable ethics,on this showing,  is based at 600 Broadhollow RD. Suite 203 Melville, New York and its Managing member is Don Citron.  Caught with the hand in the proverbial cookie jar on March 27, 2019, Carlos Rodriguez provided a weak defense for his company's multiple deliberate and unethical actions. Influx Media, LLC reckless behavior put their client Settlement Success Intermediaries at risk and drew unwanted attention. At the request of  the owner of Settlement Success Intermediaries, Influx Media, LLC removed all of the plagiarized posts and the section of the SSI website they appeared in.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is For Lazy Birds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day | We Remember Them

Wishing everyone an enjoyable Memorial Day holiday weekend. As we kick of the summer, let us remember and honor those of all colors, creeds, genders, orientations, political persuasions, countries of origin, those great grandfathers and great grandmothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, classmates, neighbors, co-workers and dogs, all of them Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

 

John Darer Certified Financial Transitionist (CeFT) | Only 2 Structured Settlement Experts with CeFT® in USA.

by John Darer® CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT® RSP CLTC

John Darer Earns CeFT Professional Designation

I'm pleased to share the news that I have earned the professional designation of Certified Financial Transitional, which ups my settlement planning game and adds a unique value proposition to parties in litigation, attorneys and mediators.

What is a Certified Financial Transitionist^® (CeFT^®)?

Every person will experience at least one of the following major life transitions, and the likelihood that more than one at a time will be experienced increases with age.

• Personal injury, wrongful death or employment settlement
  
• Inheritance
• Loss of a parent
• Loss of a spouse
• Divorce
• Major career change
• Retirement
• The sale of a business
• Pro sports or entertainer contract
• Windfall from lottery or sweepstakes

Whether it starts with a personal injury or employment settlement, inheritance, the sale of a business, or maybe both simultaneously, a transition can thrust individuals and families into a position where what was once considered stable is suddenly in flux. 

Traditional financial planning definitely covers the bases when it comes to important topics such as taxes, investments, cash flow, and estate planning; but that’s only half of the experience of financial change. The other half is the human experience of adapting to change. 

As a Certified Financial Transitionist^®, John Darer® understands human transitions on their deepest levels. He knows what influences the way we think and act when our world has suddenly and irrevocably changed. He’s able to identify when a transition is going well and he has protocols and tools to further enhance the experience.

John Darer® is one of only two structured settlement and settlement planning experts to earn the CeFT^® in the United States

If you are struggling with a transition, he knows how to keep you safe and help you work through your difficulties.

About the CeFT® Training Program

The Sudden Money^® Institute (SMI) has spent 17 years studying the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of change. They’ve even delved into what thought leaders in the business world say about change and adaptation. As important, they know that perceptions and expectations about change are powerful and can profoundly affect thinking and decision-making.

The Sudden Money^® Institute created the Certified Financial Transitionist^® (CeFT^®) designation, a step up designation  (from CFP, ChFC and similar), to give financial planners and their clients science-based, field-tested tools and protocols designed specifically to merge the personal side and the technical side of financial change. This new designation comes only after candidates demonstrate fluency in the stages of transition, the use of SMI’s proprietary materials, and the unique skill set of the CeFT^®. That yearlong-plus process includes mandatory coaching, over 30 hours of coursework, and a Day-Long Certification Exam that tests content, communication, and listening, through a written exam, essays, role play and an oral exam.

The result? Professionals who can create solutions that are customized for each client’s unique values, relationships, and vision of the future.

In addition to being a Certified Financial Transitionist,  John Darer has earned and maintains the the following professional designations:

• Master Structured Settlement Consultant  (MSSC)
• Certified Structured Settlement Consultant (CSSC)
• Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
• Registered Settlement Planner  (RSP)
• Chartered Life Underwriter  (CLU)
• Certified in Long Term Care   (CLTC)
• Certified Insurance Fiduciary  (CIF) 

Read John Darer Structured Settlement Expert Settlement Adviser NY|CT|NJ|USA (4structures.com)

John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC - 4structures.com, LLC | Structured Settlement and Settlement Planning Experts | LinkedIn

Last updated March 15, 2024

 

What is a Funding Agreement?

by John Darer® CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT® RSP CLTC

What is a Funding Agreement?

A funding agreement is a low-risk, fixed-income B2B investment that an institutional investor may purchase similar to a period certain annuity. In a funding agreement, one provides a lump sum to the issuer of the funding agreement in exchange for a predictable fixed return, often based on a recognized short term interest rate benchmark interest rate average calculated from estimates submitted by the leading banks around the world. Mutual funds and pensions often purchase funding agreements because of the certainty associated with them. Other B2B areas may lend themselves to a funding agreement solution.  Many of the same companies offering structured settlement annuities offer funding agreements through their appointed agents, however there are other providers.

Non Qualified Assignments Funded with a Funding Agreement Instead of an Annuity

Corebridge Finanicial undewriting companies American General Life Insurance Company and United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York offer non qualified assignments with future payment obligations funding with a funding agreement " Funding Agreement Structured Settlement

For more information about funding agreements and solutions offered by 4structures.com LLC please visit Funding Agreements to Resolve B2B disputes, Environmental Clean Up, Policy Buyouts (4structures.com)

Differences Between Funding Agreement and Annuity Underwriting

• Payments for life are a possibility with an annuity, but not with a Funding Agreement. It follows that there is no medical underwriting or rated ages with funding agreements which are a possibility with structured settlement annuities.
• Financial Underwriting is required with a Funding Agreement as part of due diligence required by the issuers.

Last updated July 28, 2023

Structured Settlement Transparency & Ethics

by John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC

My firm, 4structures.com LLC and several others have a long-established practice of structured settlement transparency and encourage others to do the same.  In our case such transparency is embodied both in a written statement on our website as well as in a declaration or affidavit that we prepare to accompany moving papers where the settlement, includes a proposed structured settlement that must be approved by a judge.

Our structured settlement affidavit/declaration is modeled after the Bronx County New York structured broker's affidavit, including both a structured settlement commission disclosure and an affirmation that we will not provide information regarding the structured settlement to any structured settlement factoring company. 

In addition, 4structures.com LLC is one of the few settlement advisors that has a written statement concerning its policy about structured settlement factoring on its website.

John Darer, President of 4structures.com, LLC is a Certified Background Checked Member of the National Ethics Association

 

 

 

Can Non US Citizens and Foreign Nationals Receive US based Structured Settlements?

by John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC

Yes, Non-US Citizens and Foreign Nationals Receive US based Structured Settlements

Travelers to the United States who suffer serious personal injuries on their travels are not precluded from the benefits of structured settlements. Nor are foreign nationals who are parties to lawsuits with jurisdiction in Federal or state courts the United States 

Examples

1. The spouse and children of a successful businesswoman who was killed or rendered paraplegic as the result of an accident while on assignment for work in the U.S.
2. The undocumented alien you represent who was seriously injured on a construction site,
   
3. The 6-year-old who got his fingers caught in the revolving door at a hotel on a family vacation to the United States
   
4. The 10-year-old from Canada, who was scalded by hot coffee on a flight between Orlando and Dallas on the way back from Disney World
5. The child of a deceased US green card holder who is not a US citizen but has a derivative claim.
   
6. The student from Trinidad is severely injured as a bicyclist in Union Square while riding to school at NYU in New York City
   

It is possible for foreign nationals to obtain the same types of structured settlement payments as someone who is a US citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

Some structured settlement annuity issuers will not write lifetime payments on foreign nationals residing outside the United States, while others require periodic proof of living, typically by signing an " I'm not dead yet" affidavit on the presence of a notary public annually.

The reason for this is that the insurance company must consider the risk of an obligation to make payments only as long as a person is alive, when the annuitant lives in an area where verification of such information from public records is difficult. Compare this to the facility of being able to determine mortality of annuitants in the United States via the Darth Vader sounding "Social Security Death Master"

As part of case preparation prior to a settlement conference, plaintiff lawyers should have their foreign national clients complete and submit an IRS Form W-7. 

The IRS form W-7 is used to establish a taxpayer identification number for individuals who are required for U.S. tax purposes to have a U.S. taxpayer ID, but who do not have and are not eligible to get a social security number (SSN). The ITIN is for federal tax purposes only. It does not entitle you to social security benefits and does not change a person's   immigration status or your right to work in the United States. It could take 6-8 weeks to obtain an ITIN, so don't wait until the case is settled.

Download IRS Form W-7

At least three of the life insurance companies issuing structured settlement annuities will mail checks, in US dollars, directly to foreign nationals in their country of residence, whether that be Mexico, Germany, Canada, Trinidad, South Korea, Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Philippines, or any not on the OFAC List

Structured settlements for personal physical injury, physical sickness, workers compensation and wrongful death that are established correctly, afford the payees customized tax-free income under US tax law.

Please note:

• If the plaintiff is a citizen of a country that taxes worldwide income however, there could be issues that need to be addressed. One country for example will only extend a tax exemption if an admitted market (in that country) is used to fund the structured settlement.
• On the other hand, in a case I participated in, favorable income tax rulings for our clients were obtained from both Canadian and Quebec tax authorities on a US wrongful death case where survivor spouse and dependents were Canadian resident nationals, and the structured settlement was set up for the survivors with a US qualified assignment company and annuity issuer.
  

There are still plenty of reasons to do a taxable structured settlement (e.g. if stable income is needed or desired).

Travelers to the United States who suffer serious personal injuries on their travels are not precluded from the benefits of structured settlements. Nor are foreign nationals who are parties to lawsuits with jurisdiction in Federal or state courts the United States 

Examples

1. The spouse and children of a successful businesswoman who was killed or rendered paraplegic as the result of an accident while on assignment for work in the U.S.
2. The undocumented alien you represent who was seriously injured on a construction site,
   
3. The 6-year-old who got his fingers caught in the revolving door at a hotel on a family vacation to the United States
   
4. The 10-year-old from Canada, who was scalded by hot coffee on a flight between Orlando and Dallas on the way back from Disney World
5. The child of a deceased US green card holder who is not a US citizen but has a derivative claim.
   
6. The student from Trinidad is severely injured as a bicyclist in Union Square while riding to school at NYU in New York City
   

It is possible for foreign nationals to obtain the same types of structured settlement payments as someone who is a US citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

Some structured settlement annuity issuers will not write lifetime payments on foreign nationals residing outside the United States, while others require periodic proof of living, typically by signing an " I'm not dead yet" affidavit on the presence of a notary public annually.

The reason for this is that the insurance company must consider the risk of an obligation to make payments only as long as a person is alive, when the annuitant lives in an area where verification of such information from public records is difficult. Compare this to the facility of being able to determine mortality of annuitants in the United States via the Darth Vader sounding "Social Security Death Master"

As part of case preparation prior to a settlement conference, plaintiff lawyers should have their foreign national clients complete and submit an IRS Form W-7. 

The IRS form W-7 is used to establish a taxpayer identification number for individuals who are required for U.S. tax purposes to have a U.S. taxpayer ID, but who do not have and are not eligible to get a social security number (SSN). The ITIN is for federal tax purposes only. It does not entitle you to social security benefits and does not change a person's   immigration status or your right to work in the United States. It could take 6-8 weeks to obtain an ITIN, so don't wait until the case is settled.

Download IRS Form W-7

At least three of the life insurance companies issuing structured settlement annuities will mail checks, in US dollars, directly to foreign nationals in their country of residence, whether that be Mexico, Germany, Canada, Trinidad, South Korea, Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Philippines, or any not on the OFAC List

Structured settlements for personal physical injury, physical sickness, workers compensation and wrongful death that are established correctly, afford the payees customized tax-free income under US tax law.

Please note:

• If the plaintiff is a citizen of a country that taxes worldwide income however, there could be issues that need to be addressed. One country for example will only extend a tax exemption if an admitted market (in that country) is used to fund the structured settlement.
• On the other hand, in a case I participated in, favorable income tax rulings for our clients were obtained from both Canadian and Quebec tax authorities on a US wrongful death case where survivor spouse and dependents were Canadian resident nationals, and the structured settlement was set up for the survivors with a US qualified assignment company and annuity issuer.
  

There are still plenty of reasons to do a taxable structured settlement (e.g. if stable income is needed or desired).

Structured Settlements. Settlement Planning, Sudden Money and Financial Transitions

4structures.com LLC AM Best Recommended Structured Settlement Expert 2016 | 4th Consecutive Year

by John Darer®, CLU ChFC MSSC RSP CLTC

A.M. Best has named 4structures.com LLC a Recommended Structured Settlement Expert Service Provider for 2016, the 4th consecutive year that it has earned the BestMark.  As part of its screening process A.M.Best asked for and independently validated 8 client references, people who had actually done structured settlement business with 4structures.com LLC.  Furthermore, only professionals whose credentials have been verified by A.M. Best receive the BestMark.

The independent validation and the number of required references and credential verification is  is what sets A.M. Best apart from many other commercial review sites, that can be manipulated.

A.M. Best Company started out in financial reporting in the 1899 and has grown to more than 50 publications and services that meet the diverse demands of the ever-changing insurance industry. Today, more than 400 analysts, statisticians and editorial personnel are dedicated to providing the insurance industry with the most complete, accurate and up-to-date financial and operating information.