Structured settlement expert John Darer reviews the latest structured settlement news, information and provides expert opinion and commentary, including settlement planning issues/ ideas for settlement management, incisive Structured Settlement Watchdog® reports that may be helpful to lawyers, plaintiffs, claims adjusters, judges, the news media, sellers, buyers of structured settlement payment rights and interested others, The style is spicy, informative, irreverent and effective. The most prolific structured settlement blog, Now in 18th Year! Check back daily for something new.
CBC Settlement Funding is All Fakakta in Conshohocken
"Structured settlements can provide long-standing income for minors. They gain access to funds at 18 years old to prevent frivolous spending and to protect financial security". CBC Settlement Funding website
Let's see...
Oy, the wordsmithery! Long-standing means something that has existed(or stood) for some time. Conjures up the image of long-standing water, a sort of "bug heliport"
Each structured settlement is bespoke, custom tailored at or around the time of settlement to provide future income.
Gaining access to funds at age 18 does not prevent frivolous spending.
What is perhaps one of the dumbest and cheesiest ideas that you may encounter if you're receiving structured settlement payments is the idea that you should sell your structured settlement payments (for pennies on the dollar), to have money to buy holiday gifts.
Sell Your Structured Settlement Payments in Time for the Holidays?
"People are experiencing financial uncertainty due to current inflation and might struggle to catch up on monthly expenses. Even though holidays are so far away, they are approaching and with them, expenses rise significantly". July 14, 2022 solicitation tweeted out by structured settlement payment purchaser.
Say you wanted to raise $1,000 for holiday gifts, when you factor in the court filing fees, legal fees and buyer's profit margins, you're always going to lose money, possibly multiple times what seek to get out for holiday money.
Annuity.org could not wait until July 1st to revive the tired "Bobby Bonilla Day" story. So, they revived it for the Ides of March. Go
Madoff died in April 2021 at FMC Butner
figure! Business must be slow.
Annuity.org's 35-year-old research challenged staff writer Catherine Byerly, who was only 12 years old in July 1999, gossiped about Bonilla "getting into shouting matches with team manager Bobby Valentine wasn’t exactly helping team moral (sic). (There were even allegations, later denied, that Bonilla threatened to fight Valentine after a heated exchange in the dugout)", snipped Byerly.
Many other athletes, with more storied careers than Bobby Bonilla, have taken deferred payments.
Ken Griffey, Jr. $112M contract deferred $3.59MM/year from 2009-2024. Despite being retired and not playing for the Reds since 2008, Hall of Fame slugger Ken Griffey Jr. is the 6th highest-paid players on the Cincinnati Reds.Multiple Sources.
Manny Ramirez $160M contract deferred $1.968MM/year from 2011-2026
Matt Holliday $120M contract deferred $1.5MM/year from 2020-2029
Bruce Sutter $4.8MM contract deferred $1.12MM/year from 1991-2022
Source: CBS News, Chris Bengel July 1, 2021 Bobby Bonilla Day: 10 other athletes who are getting big checks from deferred payments
Bonilla career stats performed well below his peers with deferred payments.
But for the fact the Mets and others were scammed by the late crooked Bernie Madoff, there would be no Bobby Bonilla Day. Instead of "celebrating" Bonilla, consider Bonilla's deferred compensation peers as a better role model for annuities. Madoff was a crook who destroyed lives and died a miserable death at FMC Butner.
You would think that Annuity.org would have the class to not keep proliferating the Bonilla story with the title "Commonalities of Bernie Madoff, Baseball & Annuities". According to the New York Department of Financial Services, "an annuity is a contract issued by an insurance company. An annuity is a contract between a purchaser and an insurance company in which the purchaser agrees to make a lump sum payment or series of payments in return for regular disbursements, beginning either immediately (within 12 months) or at some future date". If the deferred payments to Bonilla were simply a contract signed by Bonilla and the Mets, and the Mets were self-insuring, relying on the assumptions of investments made with Bernard L. Madoff, it doesn't fall within that definition.
Instead of celebrating "Bobby Bo", celebrate Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962, the same year as Bobby Bo), who is an American former professional baseball and NFL player. Bo Jackson is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both baseball and football, having been named to the Pro Bowl (1990) and the American League MLB All-Star team (1989).Jackson's elite achievements in multiple sports have given him the reputation as one of the greatest athletes of all time. At the end of his career and before a career ending injury, Jackson earned a reporting bonus of $100,000 and an additional $416,000 in deferred payments. By failing his physical, Jackson stood to collect a reported $4 million on a disability insurance settlement.
When you receive a gift, one learns from an early age that it's good manners to say thank you to the actual source of the gift.
We are approaching the 8th anniversary of one of the silliest statements of misplaced gratitude
"The goose and the golden eggs"
by a structured settlement consulting firm. And the structured settlement consulting firm even doubled down on the silliness.
Silly Structured Settlement Statements (say that 10 times really fast). Breathe deeply. OK, let's move on...
"Structures are "The Greatest Gift the IRS ever gave to injured individuals" August 2015
"Structures are not only the greatest gift the IRS provided to injured to injured individuals" but also the goose and its golden eggs" March 2021
The statements by the structured settlement consulting firm demonstrate an unfortunate lack of familiarity with the roles of Congress, the power granted to Congress to levy taxes by the United States Constitution, and the role of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
The IRS
In the United States, the Congress passes tax laws and requires taxpayers to comply.
The taxpayer’s role is to understand and meet his or her tax obligations.
The IRS role is to help the large majority of compliant taxpayers with the tax law, while ensuring that the minority who are unwilling to comply pay their fair share. [ Source: IRS.gov The Agency Its Mission and Statutory Authority]
Who are you going to thank?
Who Deserves Thanks?
Thank you Congress of 1982. Thank you President Reagan for signing the Periodic Payment Settlement Act of 1982 into law on Janauary 22, 1983 and Thank you to the pioneers of the structured settlement industry and industry lawyer for their advocacy in those early days. Finally, thank you to members of Congress and our industry over the ensuing 40 plus years who have carried the torch and shared our story to those it needed to be shared to, and members of the IRS, such as Mike Montemurro and others who took the time to understand the value of what our industry does and provide guidance and assitance as new product applications were introduced over the years.
San Francisco's weekly rag, the SF Weekly has published one of the dumbest pieces about structured settlements ever. "All You Need to Know About Structured Settlements and How to Sell Them" is accredited to an unidentified paid sponsor which peddles pennies on the dollar financial smack to consumers. SF Weekly claims to be "San Francisco’s smartest publication. That’s because we take journalism seriously". My question is where does taking in money from paid sponsors, enabling them to unload more crap than on the streets of San Francisco intersect with "serious journalism"?
Lie #1
"It is absolutely legal to sell a structured settlement for instant cash".
What SF Weekly published on January 16, 2021 in exchange for money from a sponsor is a total lie because If you sell your structured settlement you will not get instant cash. A small advance perhaps, but not instant cash.
Lie #2
"When somebody plays a part in another person’s injury or financial losses, they’re compelled by a judge or jury to pay a compensation to the wronged party. This compensation is known as a settlement"
What SF Weekly published on January 16, 2021 in exchange for money from a sponsoris wrong because neither a judge nor jury awards a settlement. The "awarded a settlement" vortex is one of the "Ground Hog Day" of financial illiteracy spread by financial illiterates in (or hired by) the structured settlement secondary market.
Ignoring the legal concept of negligence, one of the examples used in the lie, and published on January 16, 2021 by SF Weekly in exchange for money from a sponsor is "A quack doctor paying a settlement to a patient for prescribing a wrong medication or administering a wrong treatment.
A quack doctor is "anunqualified person who claims medical knowledge or other skills" [Source: Collins English Dictionary].
In order to practice medicine in California, one must be licensed by the Medical Board of California, which states its mission "is to protect health care consumers through the proper licensing and regulation of physicians and surgeons and certain allied health care professionals and through the vigorous, objective enforcement of the Medical Practice Act, and to promote access to quality medical care through the Board's licensing and regulatory functions". [Source: Medical Board of California}
Taking the example of the sponsor of the article that SF Weekly took money from, would a "quack doctor" qualify for medical malpractice insurance to have money to pay a settlement? A big part of an application for medical malpractice coverage involves credentialing. Medical schools attended, Internships, Residency, Fellowship, Other Training, details of prior coverage, practice information, hospital staff appointments, board certifications, list of states where licensed and license numbers. List all counties and states where you are currently practicing, and the corresponding percentages of patient hours expended in each [ Sourced from application from the largest medical malpractice insurer in the United States]
What is medical negligence?
“The elements of a cause of action for medical malpractice are: (1) a duty to use such skill, prudence, and diligence as other members of the profession commonly possess and exercise; (2) a breach of the duty; (3) a proximate causal connection between the negligent conduct and the injury; and (4) resulting loss or damage.” (Lattimore v. Dickey (2015) 239 Cal.App.4th 959, 968 [191 Cal.Rptr.3d766].)
Lie #3
In describing how settlements are paid. SF Weekly Publishes Lie #3 on January 16, 2021, in exchange for money from one of its sponsors , that a settlement is paid as a one-time payment, wherein the offender pays the wronged party compensation they're owed in one go. Alternatively it is described as a structured payment wherein an offender agrees to pay a regulat stream of payments.... The latter is also known as " structured settlements"
An offender is someone who commits an illegal act.
Criminal negligence is the reckless disregard for the safety or life of another human being. An act of negligence that is so serious it could constitute a criminal offense, e.g. the negligence regarding the care of a child is so severe it would make the accused criminally responsible.
Then there is the case of Mens Rea. Did the doctor have it? To illustrate, we'll go old school on this one with a classic scene from "See No Evil Hear No Evil"
Generally structured settlements settlements are entered into by Defendants and Insurers (in some cases qualified settlement funds) as consideration for a release of liability from claimants or plaintiffs.
Lie #4 Published by SF Weekly January 16, 2021, in exchange for money from a sponsor
"You’re not breaking any law by selling your structured settlement. What you’re simply doing is borrowing from your future payments. It is still your money, only that you’re getting it before the due date".
A structured settlement transfer is a sale and irrevocable assignment of structured settlement payment rights for pennies on the dollar. You will ALWAYS lose money.
Lie #5 Published by SF Weekly January 16, 2021, in exchange for money from a sponsor
"This rate usually ranges from 9 to 20 percent, depending on the perceived risk associated with your payment" says the article. Factoring companies charge a discount rate on the sale of structured settlement payments. Sellers get a percentage of the present value. That is literally only pennies on the dollar. But the reality is that rates are available well below 9%. Don't be a sucker consumers!
Skip the "sham hock" on the menu of HighSpeedPayouts(dot)com, a website whose domain was only anonymously registered just over a week ago and targeting
Beware of "Sham Hocks"
minorities with structured settlements. Pardon the pun, but to hock is to pawn as in pawn shop.
HighSpeedPayouts.com makes a devious and deceptive sales pitch to sell your structured settlement at its figurative pawn shop, for the purpose of "Taking Dream Vacations and Exotic Travel", which is probably one of the all time dumbest things anyone can do with their structured settlement. It says a lot of these cash now pushers to place "dumb" at the top of the list for HighSpeedPayout.com Why give up or reduce your guaranteed income stream to pay for a vacation that you can't afford? Not just a trip to Disney World, but an exotic locale, like Bora Bora, Bali, the Maldives, a safari or Mt Kilimanjaro, Bariloche, or schussing down the North Face of The Eiger. The winner is the structured settlement buyer whose pennies earn them your dollars, no matter who that is. Why not just save income from your job, if employed, or your structured settlement "job", like everyone else?
When you sell structured settlement payments, the most any company can give you is pennies on the dollar. It's a money loser every single time, without exception. It's a sucker play that could see you fall off your own fiscal cliff, which is another way of saying you are S.O.L.
HighSpeedPayouts also refers to "Court Awarded structured settlements". Courts do not award structured settlements. The Court's role in the establishment of a structured settlement is to approve the settlement. A settlement is not an award and an award is not a settlement.
The List
Taking Dream Vacations and Exotic Travel (One and Dumb on the HighSpeedPayouts' list)
Purchasing a New Dream Home (Make sure that you do the math. Remember selling means that you start out with a pennies on the dollar loss. Buying is one thing, maintenance and carrying costs is another. Unlike the United States government you can't print money)
Estate Planning and Distributions
Starting a New Business Venture
Settling Legal Matters / Divorce ( Structures can be split in the event of a divorce. Why split pennies on the dollar?)
"A Structured Settlement is a type of income annuity that is derived and negotiated from the result of a person or company winning a civil case. You should
AnnuityExpertAdvice.com needs to be "recalled". It's a blight on the structured settlement information highway,
think in terms of winning a personal injury lawsuit due to a car crash. The defendant pays the negotiated settlement to the plaintiff. The settlement is then distributed in a series of periodic payments over an agreed amount of time rather than a lump sum payment in most cases. However, if the settlement is small enough, the defendant may have an option to pay lump sum settlements".
5 Reasons Why is AnnuityExpertAdvice.com Wrong
A structured settlement is not a type of income annuity. It is a way to settle a lawsuit.
A structured settlement may be funded with an annuity, or it may not.
A structured settlement comes about as the result of a negotiated compromise.
Their sequencing of the structured settlement transaction is wrong. AnnuityExpertAdvice.com has the cart before the horse.
The Defendant has the option to pay in a lump sum regardless of the size of the case.
B. What AnnuityExpertAdvice.com Claims
"The structured annuity came about in 1983 after the Periodic Payment Settlement Act of 1983 was established"
2 More Reasons Why AnnuityExpertAdvice.com is Wrong
An Act is signed into law, not established. PPSA 1982 was signed into law by President Reagan in January 1983.
Structured settlements were actually created before 1983 as just a teaspoon of research will demonstrate.
C. What AnnuityExpertAdvice.com Claims
"After the settlement money is negotiated, and come to final terms, the court order will request the funds to be placed into a type of income annuity contract called structured annuities. The structured settlement annuity is an irrevocable stream of regular payments from an insurance company that is structured in a way dictated by the court system. Not all annuity settlements are structured in a payment schedule. Sometimes settlement money is paid out in a lump sum within a settlement agreement".
"The settlement agreement is structured upfront with the annuity issuer and fixed for the life of the annuity contract".
More Reasons Why AnnuityExpertAdvice.com is "Worthless and Weak" on Structured Settlements
Parodying the immortal words of Douglas C. Neidermeyer is the only way to describe how wrong this is on so many levels.
AnnuityExpertAdvice is a fraud for labeling themselves an expert on the subject.
There is a failure of " AnnuityDunceAdvice" to grasp even a basic command of the subject matter of structured settlements.
Court Orders are not requests, they are orders. Court order is a direction or official proclamation issued by a court or a judge requiring a person or entity to do or not do something.
The annuity issuer is not a party to the settlement agreement.
The court system does not dictate structured settlements. Where the settlement involves payments to a minor, incompetent or a wrongful death case then Court approval of the settlement is required. The plaintiff's lawyer will submit a petition to the court on behalf of his clients fro the judge's review and approval.
Selling Your structured settlements to pay for your dream wedding makes "no sense on the dollar"
When it comes to barfing dumb financial ideas, the people behind structuredsettlements.us.com blow huge chunks in my opinion. Who needs fluffy ideas that make "no sense on the dollar"? Check out this nonsense designed to hook Brooklyn "fish" and gut their stable income streams.
"Brooklyn locals say that they need help paying for weddings. That’s not surprising. Weddings have never been more expensive than they have in the modern day. There are so many expenses you have to cover, from the venue to photographers and caterers, the food, the band, the dress, the flowers, and much more. That’s why some people have begun selling all or part of their structured settlement to cover the costs of their wedding. When you sell a structured settlement you get cash up front that you can use to do whatever needs done. This includes making sure you can have the wedding of your dreams without sliding deeper and deeper into debt" says structuredsettlement.us.com. It's of unwitting self deprecation that the font they selected was "Nunito".
Having a stable income stream as a financial foundation going into a marriage is a good thing. Destroying a tax-free income stream for pennies on the dollar to pay for a wedding is not a sound financial move, one that will leave you on bad financial footing.
By all means (except selling your structured settlements) get hitched, but stay off the "sell structured settlement to pay for it" hook.
NL Brand Reviews has moved on from an "Editor in Chief", who was an imaginary person with an imaginary degree with an imaginary job history and imaginary Rotary membership, to barfing this cringeworthy gibberish about structured settlements worthy of ridicule.
NL Brand Reviews "blows chunks" in this one paragraph of baffling bullshit that purports to be about structured settlements
Anyone can mention the same word 4 times in a few useless sentences and call it SEO to generate leads for structured settlement cash now whores who have no enforceable standards
Structured settlement lead generator websites are like dandelions. When the wind blows they spring up everywhere, figuratively turning what should be an easy online search into a lawn strangled by dandelions and crab grass.
Structured settlement lead generator websites are to structured settlement consumers, like dandelions and crab grass to your lawn.
AnnuityExpertAdvice.com is the latest website dandelion lurking on the fringes of the annuity industry and they are clearly no expert in annuities or structured settlements.
"Ever see television commercials about getting cash now for your annuity? This is called Secondary Market Annuities or SMAs. Basically, a secondary market annuity is the selling of your current income annuity (immediate annuity, deferred income annuity, structured settlements, lottery payouts) at a heavily discounted rate to a 3rd party company in exchange for a lump sum of cash. That 3rd party company will then pocket annuity income distributions as a long term investment".
The process that was erroneously described with reference to a structured settlement, is called a structured settlement factoring transaction.
A structured settlement factoring transaction is not an annuity, it is a term that appears in the Internal Revenue Code at IRC §5891 (c)(3)(A) as, in general, "a transfer of structured settlement payment rights (including portions of structured settlement payments) made for consideration by means of sale, assignment, pledge, or other form of encumbrance or alienation for consideration".
The sale of structured settlement payment rights DOES NOT involve transfer of annuity contract ownership.
This sort of thing was not lost on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) which in December 2018 stated that factored structured settlement payment streams are neither annuities nor insurance products.
The NAIC further said in Statutory Issue Paper 160, that insurers who buy factored structured settlement payment streams may not account for these assets as annuities or insurance products in their financial reports.
AnnuityExpertAdvice.Com is a Stunning Example of Clueless. by Calling SPIAs, DIAs, Structured Settlements and Lottery Annuities Examples of Secondary Market "Annuities"
Let's start with the fact that a Secondary Market Annuity is not an annuity. It is a scam label used by merchants to move product.
Immediate Annuities (SPIA) and Deferred Income Annuities (DIA), Structured Settlement Annuities (SSA) and Lottery Annuities are insurance products issued by insurance companies. They are not factored structured settlement payment streams or derivatives.
The insurance companies themselves have to be licensed and anyone selling the products must be licensed where the product is being sold.
Buyers of factored structured settlement payment streams do not enjoy the same statutory protections that people who buy legitimate annuities do.
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 2023 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 whose business it it is to assess mortality risk to price its life insurance and annuities. 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].
Structured Settlement Annuity Companies 2023 Which life insurance companies issue structured settlement annuities going into 2023? 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.
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 Ways You Can Structure Your Settlement Payments. With a structured settlement you can have more than one type of payment in a single contract. Different types of structured settlement payments can be customized and combined to meet your needs on a stand-alone basis, or in conjunction with other financial products. Diversify your structured settlement, if you wish, by funding with more than one annuity issuer, with treasury funded structured settlements, index linked structured settlement payments and market based structured .
Structured Attorney Fees for Tax Deferral for Contingency Fees Structured attorney fees is a financial strategy that offers a unique way to defer taxes for lawyers and law firms. Lawyers CAN structure their legal fees even if the plaintiff doesn't structure their settlement. There are multiple ways to structure your attorney fees, such as the an index linked structured settlement where payments are adjusted based on upside changes in the S&P 500 with no downside and a cap of 5%. Trial Lawyers may also use a special deferred pay/deferred compensation arrangement, if market based returns returns are desired with no cap. Plan NOW for year end! Put structured attorney fee expert John Darer® on your settlement planning team.
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 for 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) or changed its name and you're trying to track them down, here you go! The list is regularly updated. Last updated January 23, 2023.
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.
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 SETTLEMENTS 4REAL® Blog Is a Popular Source of Structured Settlement News, John Darer Reviews and Information, Settlement Planning News, Tax Deferral and Deferred Income Planning Solutions,
with a stable readership that seeks credible structured settlement information, John Darer Reviews, commentary and/or opinion about topical issues related to settlement planning, targeted to lawyers, injured persons and their family members, guardians, survivors, judges, magistrates, special masters, mediators, administrators, trust companies, insurance company executives and adjusters, financial advisers settlement professionals, financial professionals, insurance regulators, government leaders, federal and state law enforcement, buyers and sellers of structured settlement payment rights, the news media and other interested parties.
4structures.com LLC established this structured settlement blog in 2005. For over 17 years it has been a leading source for critical commentary. The John Darer authored blog has been among the most prolific, regularly providing reviews, fresh structured settlement, settlement planning, litigation recovery management content and commentary. John Darer®, CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT® RSP CLTC, President of Stamford, CT based 4structures.com, LLC, is an experienced New York City area structured settlement expert, structured settlement broker, Certified Financial Transitionist, and Registered Settlement Planner.
In his capacity as a investigative journalist and commentator, and professionally, John Darer passionately believes that shining the light on a business practice is both healthy and newsworthy. It is in the best interest of injury victims, their families and their legal advisers, that the settlement planning discussion involve those that are properly trained in the topic, properly informed on the topic and, with respect to structured settlements, properly licensed and/or appointed). It has significant instructional and deterrent value to other practitioners and firms as well as those who may be caught in the cross hairs.
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Last updated April 20, 2023
New York City Structured Settlement Experts Bridge building settlement consultants who collaborate with clients using a humanistic process, providing creative and reliable advice and support for litigating parties and their lawyers with matters in Courts throughout the New York City metropolitan area
New York Structured Settlement Expert Whether you're at the crossroads of the world or the crossroads of your life, structured settlements provide stability for when life is at a crossroad. Call 888-325-8640
New York Settlement Planning Expert for NY Attorneys and Residents - YouTube New York settlement expert John Darer's comprehensive approach to Settlement Planning helps New York personal injury lawyers and their clients move through the financial transition resulting from a major life event. CPLR Articles 50A and 50B expertise for New York lawyers
New York Structured Settlement Expert Useful information and ideas about structured settlements, settlement planning and litigation recovery managements for New York residents, New York Lawyers and New York judges
New York General Obligations Law §5-1702 The New York Structured Settlement Protection Act imposes mandatory requirements on the defendant or the defendant's legal representative when a structured settlement is created (as part of the resolution of a case)
Structured Settlements v Structured Judgments Often confused by writers on the Internet, but there IS a difference between structured settlements and structured judgments under CPLR Articles 50A or 50B. Find out more...
Connecticut Structured Settlement Experts 4structures.com LLC is based in Stamford CT and Connectict works with clients all over CT, Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, New Haven, Hartford, West Hartford, West Haven, Torrington, Danbury, Wilton, Ridgefield, Norwalk, Midletown, New London, Westport, Oxford, Stratford, Old Greenwich, Stafford, Storrs, Groton
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In my opinion, John Darer is an excellent consumer advocate in the insurance industry. When I had no one else to turn to after running up against the stone walls of these giant insurance company, John Darer used hours of his own time to investigate my situation. Not only is this an invaluable service to me the consumer but it is also of great value to the insurance industry by providing them consumer feed-back. This allows the insurance companies to correct their faults and move toward greater transparency which improves the overall public image of the insurance industry as a whole" JW 9/4/2014
John, Keep fighting the fight. -NASP member 12-4-2013
John...Thank you for your professional advice-Brandon 11-13-2013
"...Thanks to Mr. Darer's blog and personal pointers I was able to obtain a fair price for the sale of client structured settlement. Therefore, if one has no choice, but to sell their settlement educate yourself first before selling start by reading John's blog" Mr P. 11/17/2012
"I always appreciate when he (John Darer) keeps us informed on regs and rules. No one does it better"- structured settlement industry colleague and reader RY 7/26/2012
"Amen - and continued thanks for your vigilance, John"- RL 8/18/2011
"Thanks for writing these great blogs on your site John! As an individual investor I have learned so much about the secondary market (for annuities, structured settlements, lottery payments, etc.) from your blogs and video series!!!" (6/5/2011)
I have found the intelligent and forthright information on your site a godsend. So much so I have tried in a small way to pass on my findings to others. Please keep up the good work and enhance your well deserved reputation as the authority on this subject- Mike 4/29/2011
John -
I can't thank you enough for bringing this to my attention. In my wildest dreams... PJ-May 12, 2011
John, I love reading your blog! Not only have I found very useful information there, but the comedy is much appreciated! Thanks for talking about "the big pink elephant in the living room" that everyone else ignores!
Thank you again for your help via phone and blog! I really needed to hear what you had to say today! BM 11/23/2010
John—this (video published 11/2010) is a well done piece. I like the way you always stick to the facts-AM
What a wonderful blog you have! I have completely enjoyed reading some of your posts (4/16/2010)
Thank you so very much for discussing my concerns about Symetra, my annuity company. I am amazed that PI attorneys as well as a settlement broker in San Diego, could not answer the simplest questions I had regarding the Safeco/Symetra issue. Your blog/web site is most interesting and informative, and I am grateful you have take on the "watchdog" role!
Thank you so much again (3/25/10)
"Keep up the good work exposing abuses in our industry - our future depends on clients being properly advised."-CD
Just checked out your blog and loved it. Keep up the good and balanced work-DL
"...we have never met but I thoroughly enjoy your web site and blog - excellent material…-PB
"I enjoy your website and its content. Informative and well written"-JC
I heard a radio ad for the Peachtree Settlement Fund as I was driving into work this morning. (San Francisco Bay area.) I decided to check it out on the Internet and came upon your blog. Thank you very much. I do not have a “structured” settlement,
"All the others that I had emailed & have seen on the net were "cash now types" & have no concern of me & just are looking for my $$$. When I came across your site & blog I realized that u are an upstanding guy & are not like others. That's why I emailed"
This was Great. Right On Point-TS
"Other Than John Darer No One Seems To Be Doing Anything"-J
Thanks for your help and also for the good work you do on behalf of our industry-L
"Thank you for being the inspiration that you are and for being a strong advocate for integrity in our business"-KL
"I Commend You On Your Effort To Make a Difference!" -R
"He is a fabulous writer who has a great passion for the structured settlement industry. I commend him on the passion he invokes when he writes on his blog listed above. That type of commitment and passion is hard to find and is rare in this world" -AC
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
When it comes to settlement documents it is the ultimate responsibility of the lawyers or claims adjusters who receive input concerning the structured settlement aspects of the documents to actually read the entire document, exercise independent thought and advise their clients properly
Be aware that financial advisors use of testimonials is prohibited or restricted
Most states require that Testimonials represent the CURRENT opinion of the person who made the testimonial. Be prepared to back it up.
Number of States That Prohibit Payment of QSF expenses by licensed agents and brokers
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Comments and Trackback Policy
Comments and Trackback Policy
Comments to this blog are encouraged, welcome and add spice to the interactive nature of blogs. However, the unscrupulous practice by some to deliver comment spam, to connect all manner of unrelated products to structured settlements, detracts from user experience, is NOT tolerated by this author and thus necessitates the practice of comment screening.
Jay J. Sangerman, PLLC A New York and Florida based AV rated estate planning law practice with an emphasis in Supplemental Needs Trusts, which assists attorneys in efficient case settlement though the use of Supplemental Needs Trusts and Special Needs Trusts; and Elder Law
Day Pitney LLP - People - Keith Bradoc Gallant Brad's practice includes traditional trust and estate planning and administration, special needs and disabilities planning, planning for same-sex couples and their families, planning for incapacity, and all types of probate litigation.
Helpful Structured Settlement Information is Here!
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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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