Structured settlements expert John Darer reviews the latest structured settlements news and information and provides expert opinion and commentary, including settlement planning issues/ ideas for settlement management, incisive Structured Settlement Watchdog® commentary that may be helpful to lawyers, plaintiffs, claims adjusters, judges, the news media, sellers and buyers of structured settlement receivables,and interested others. The style is spicy, informative, irreverent and effective. The most prolific structured settlements blog, Now in 19th Year! Check back daily for something new.
There is a compelling reason to structure a settlement that some attorneys, plaintiffs and insurance adjusters may have overlooked.
Using structured settlement to help maximize Social Security
How a Structured Settlement Can Be Used to Help Maximize Social Security Retirement income
A structured settlement can be used to replace the payments that a plaintiff would receive from social security and give them the economic support to delay social security until age 70 when benefits are considerably higher. Plaintiffs thinking of taking social security early, beginning at age 62 may want to think again when looking at these numbers compiled from the Social Security Administration website.
Percentage Social Security is reduced if you take early retirement at age 62, instead of at full retirement
Born 1960 or later 30%
Born 1955-1959 25.83%-29.17%
Percentage Social Security is increased for delaying receipt from full retirement age until age 70
Born 1960 or later 32% [ Note full retirement age is age 67 for those born 1960 or later]
The last time I checked for myself, there was an almost $9,000 annual difference in payments for life if I defer from full retirement at age 67 until age 70.
For married couples, if the settlement is large enough, a structured settlement could be fashioned so that both spouses could afford to delay receiving social security.
Plaintiff lawyers can use this strategy with structured attorney fees or attorney fee deferred compensation, even though payments are taxable.
Each person's decision should be taken after consideration of that person's unique set of facts.
Putting together the structured settlement jigsaw puzzle for you
DATE OF BIRTH (If Lifetime Benefits are being considered)
The cost per $1,000 of payments for life is less expensive at the older ages
RATED AGE (if Lifetime Benefits are being considered)
A review of medical records by a medical underwriter for a life insurance company that (1) issues structured settlement annuities and (2) issues rated ages assigns an older age to you for pricing purposes and this lowers the cost per $1,000 or boosts the yield per $1,000 cost on lifetime benefits for that annuity issuer. The rated age assigned may vary from company to company. A higher rated age does not automatically translate into higher benefits. A rated age does not affect the cost of benefits that are paid for a fixed period certain.
LENGTH OF CERTAIN PERIOD
Life contingent payments are only paid if you are living. Certain payments will be paid whether or not you are living when a payment is due. So if you choose a 30 year certain and life, payments will be made for the rest of your life or 30 years, whichever is longer. You can choose how long or short you want. A longer certain period means you receive fewer payments while you are alive, but means you may leave more to your beneficiary if you die before the certain term is over. If you are young the adjustment is fairly modest. At older ages the spread can be more significant. In some cases a multiple product arbitrage can make a difference (contact me for details).
THE USE OF ANNUAL INCREASES
Increases have a meaningful effect on the amount of payments you initially receive but if you are willing to wait, it can pay out more over time. That is balanced against your needs and wishes now since you must be willing to accept a lower starting amount when compared to level payments.. It's important to do a cross over comparison so that you can see how long it will take for payments on the increasing option to (1) exceed the level payments and (2) how long it will take for the aggregate payments from the increasing plan to exceed the aggregate payments on the level plan.
DAILY RATES
Many companies offer daily rate pricing which may or may not be better than their general pricing. The threshold for offering daily rates varies by company. One company only offers daily rates. Note that daily rates are typically good until the end of the business day quoted however, some carriers will give a nominal additional amount more time, for example to the next day or in one case 2 days.
INSURANCE COMPANY PREMIUM LIMITATIONS
Some companies have low premium limitations before they require daily rate pricing which for them may be worse.
DIVERSIFICATION
Diversification is a good idea, but it may impact the price/yield due to variations in price between insurance companies. We have longstanding relationships with the leading insurance companies that underwrite structured settlements.
8. PUTTING TOGETHER “THE JIGSAW PUZZLE”
Sometimes we can get a better price by combining two or more companies by their strengths. One life insurance company issuing structured settlement annuities may be better for earlier payments and another for later payments. One may handily beat the competition for premium up to $1,000,000.
Sometimes there are unique considerations (1) some companies will not participate unless you have a US tax ID number (2) some companies will not mail payments to another country (will require US bank deposit account) (3) taxable damages case have options in a more limited universe.
A SIMPLE WAY TO DEAL WITH THE STRUCTURED SETTLEMENT PRICING VARIABLES
Consider if stable income important to you? If yes...
Consult a structured settlement expert.
Review current sources and uses of funds, determine where the gaps are.
How much stable income do you need each month? Or quarter or year?
Do you want to provide for beneficiaries?
Review and select a plan design
Explore diversification options with structured settlement expert.
Your structured settlement expert will daily rate shop.
Note that a structured settlement is a core settlement planning tool or option. There may be other important considerations. Always work with someone with proper credentials and experience.
It's difficult to predict exactly when the end of your life will be. You can look at the mortality tables. You can take a guess based on the longevity of your parents and grandparents. Unless your toes are turning blue, your veins are mottling and you can be observed in a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern, it's an educated guess. A life annuity puts you on the life insurance company's figurative "payroll" until you die. With a life annuity you cannot be fired no matter how old you get. For many that is a great sense of comfort.
A life annuity is also appropriate if the paying party in a lawsuit or dispute has a lifetime obligation to pay but the obligation ceases at death.
How Do You Provide For Beneficiaries When Establishing a Structured Settlement Annuity or Retirement Income Annuity?
There are a variety of ways to provide for beneficiaries of life annuities with structured settlement annuities or retirement annuities:
Add a certain period. A certain period provides that paymnets will be paid for life, but at least for a minimum certain period of time whether or not the payee is alive when the payment is due. So if there are monthly paymnets for life with 25 years certain it means that payments will be made for 25 years (300 monthly payments) whether or not the payee is living and then only if the payee is living from month 301 onward.
Add a certain period and a commutation rider A commutation rider provides for the payment of a lump sum at the death of the payee instead of ongoing payments. Depending on the life insurance company, the commuted lump sum is generally between 90-95% of the present value of any remaining certain payments discounted as of the date of death and in accordance with a formula set forth in the annuity contract. A commutation ride must be selected at the the structured settlement is established. Also popular where a structured settlement is used as funding component of a special needs trust.
Buy Life InsuranceA life insurance policy will provide an income tax free lump sum at the death of the insured. This is only an option if the annuitant is insurable, but at certain ages, where the annuitant is a good risk, it may be a more effective solution than adding a certain period whose value diminishes the longer a person lives. Underwriting is required.
Installment RefundThe annuity pays for life but guarantees that at least the amount of the premium will be paid out. If the annuitant dies prior to the amount of premium being paid out, the balance of the premium amount is paid in installments.
Cash Refund The annuity pays for life but guarantees that at least the amount of the premium will be paid out. If the annuitant dies prior to the amount of premium being paid out, the balance of the premium amount is paid in a lump sum.
Each of these options has a cost factor that needs be evaluated against financial resources and the unique set of facts and circumstances of each case.
A rated age will be issued if the structured settlement annuity issuer believes the plaintiff has an impaired life expectancy. The rated age is simply the age used to price the structured settlement annuity, or New York structured judgement annuity, as opposed to the actual age
Rated Age Structured Settlements Can Boost Your Potential Lifetime Annuity Payout
From the plaintiff's perspective, rated age will serve to boost the yield per settlement dollar allocated to a structured settlement.
From a defendant or insurer's perspective, a rated age will serve to reduce the cost of settlement offers for paying life contingent future damages.
How Does a Rated Age Help Reduce the Cost of A New York Structured Judgment?
A rated age could reduce the cost of a structured judgment in New York for a Defendant. Certain aspects of a structured judgment, pursuant to CPLR 50A or CPLR 50B are life contingent, future medical expenses and future pain & suffering. A rated age would most likely impact future medicals, which stretch many years into the future, Under New York law, future pain & suffering is compressed into 8 years for Article 50-A and 10 years for Article 50-B structured judgments, so it would need an exceptionally high rated age to have any impact.
High rated age structured settlements may hold an advantage over other vehicles and even a modest amount allocated from a large settlement, can effectively be used as an "investment backstop" to assure a certain level of future income, even if everything else is lost.
Moreover payments from structured settlements are income tax-free pursuant to Sections 104(a)1 or Section 104(a)(2) and 130(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. A structured settlement offers contractual certaintyas opposed to hypothetical investment possibility. A structured settlement blended with a settlement trust,such as a Settlement Preservation Trust or Special Needs Trust (Supplemental Needs Trust in New York state),in tandem, may offer a plaintiff a measure of liquidity, contractual guarantees, upside potential along with downside protection.
An annuity payout rate is not an interest rate. An annuity payout rate is the percentage of the annuity purchase price that is paid out each year and includes both interest and return of principal.
The term "annuity payout rate" is used in marketing as a way to make income annuities more attractive.
If seeking to purchase an income annuity or a salesperson is trying to get you switch from a CD or other income producing investment, caution should be taken when considering the alternatives.
Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is probably a better measure of comparison than annuity payout rate.
The annuity poyout rate is not the interest rate no matter which way you stack it
Attorneys or law firms who are interested in structured legal fees, backed by an annuity, can do so in several different ways, index linked structured settlement payments, a standard fixed annual increase or level structured settlement payments.
For purposes of comparison I assumed a 45 year old female with a structured settlement funding amount of $1,000,000; a 25 year certain and life annuity, starting at $2,396.07 monthly and hypothetical S&P point to point returns of 10%, -10%, 6% and 3% for illustrative purposes on the index linked structured settlement annuity with Pacific Life Insurance Company (or Pacific Life and Annuity Company, if in New York) used for the exercise.
End of Year
1
2
3
4
Hypothetical S&P 500 index return
10%
-10%
6%
3%
Adjustment to Payment Amount
5%
0%
5%
3%
Resulting Monthly Annuity Payment
$2,515.87
$2,515.87
$2,641.66
$2,720.91
Now let's look at a different S&P 500 scenario that starts off negative -8%, 3%, -12%, 7%
End of Year
1
2
3
4
Hypothetical S&P 500 index return
-8%
3%
-12%
7%
Adjustment to Payment Amount
0%
3%
0%
5%
Resulting Monthly Annuity Payment
$2,396.07
$2,467.95
$2,467.95
$2,591.35
Now keeping the structured settlement funding cost the same, let's try it with a fixed COLA of 2.26% Starting at $2,395.13 monthly
End of Year
1
2
3
4
Fixed COLA
2.26%
2.26%
2.26%
2.26%
Adjustment to Payment Amount
2.26%
2.26%
2.26%
2.26%
Resulting Monthly Annuity Payment
$2,449.26
$2,504.61
2,561.22
$2,619.10
Now in the table compare those two to a simply level payment plan, with no COLA, using the same funding amount with a monthly payout for life of $3,565.84, with 25 years certain, that is unaffected by what happens to the S&P 500.
End of Year
1
2
3
4
Adjustment to Payment Amount
0%
0%
0%
0%
Monthly Annuity Payment
3,565.84
$3,565.84
$3,565.84
$3,565.84
Obviously more extensive analysis is needed that takes into account other scenarios on the index linked option and is specifically tailored to a person's needs,
While the indexed linked could prove to be better in the long run, there are no guarantees to the up side and there is a cap. There are years where there could be a zero return where benefits stay the same and you start out "the race" with a lower amount. For this reason it should only be considered by those with a long time horizon.
Nationally known personal finance expert Jane Bryant Quinn strongly supports income annuities as a protection against the risk of outliving one's savings , in an interview for Annuity News published October 22, 2014.
Structured settlement annuities are a form of annuity that can include elements of both single premium immediate annuities (SPIA) and deferred income annuities (DIA).
Click here for types of structured settlement payments
Proof of birth is needed when a structured settlement includes lifetime or life contingent payments, or the structured settlement payee is a minor, the structured settlement annuity issuer requires proof of birth.
Sample proof of birth
Why is proof of birth necessary when a structured settlement is established?
Lifetime payments and life contingent payments represent an increased risk for an insurance company because they they must first estimate how long an annuitant will live and must maintain adequate reserves. The insurers set the price of the life contingent structured settlement annuity based on a confluence of factors that include normal life expectancy and possibly medical records which might result in a rated age. It is essential that the date of birth for the measuring life be correct. The measuring life is the life of the person on whose life the annuity will be contingent. The measuring life differ from the payee in some cases. For example if the structured settlement payments are feeding into a special needs trust
Some people lie about their age on insurance applications. Sad but true.
Structured settlement payments to minor's generally do not begin until the minor reaches the age of majority. The annuity issuer and the parties should be sure when the deal is consummated when the age of majority really is.
What proof of birth is acceptable?
Proof of birth can generally be copy of an active drivers license, copy of birth certificate, active passport or other government issued identification.
Your money or your life? How easy is it to deal with a lump sum settlement?
An often cited statistic is that "90% of people have no money left after 5 years" focuses on stereotypical wasteful dissipation.
The failure rate for retirement account withdrawals, when accounts run out of money, using the old "rule of thumb" of 4 percent per year withdrawal rate is as high as 57 percent according to Retiring on CDs Not Viable, by Sheyna Steiner April 17, 2013, for Bankrate.com. Even a 3% withdrawal rate has a more than 20% failure rate for all asset allocations. Steiner observes "... that it may be a very long time before Americans can feel safe in retirement without purchasing a guaranteed income product. She asks "Is this going to be the age of annuities?"
In a fair extrapolation from the retirement study, which appears to be based on a Monte Carlo analysis,
Structured settlement annuity guarantees are an essential part of the settlement recovery to produce core income
Structured settlement annuitants should think long and hard about an aggressive sales pitch from a buyer of structured settlement payments teasing them into a discounted lump sum
4structures.com LLC offers a variety of income annuities and other income planning solutions, which provide contractually guaranteed income backed by some of the largest financial institutions in America.
In addition, the company offers other income protection solutions such as disability insurance, disability ovehead expense plans, disability buyout, key person disability coverage and long term care solutions.
For more information please contact me at 888-325-8640 or cell 203-561-6560
Consumers largely said they do not understand annuity products, and consider annuities from an investment perspective rather than a consumption perspective; increased education about annuities and the value of lifetime income streams may increase the appeal of those products, according to the " 2013 Life-Annuity Consumer Markets Annual" a March 15, 2013 publication of Hartford Connecticut based Conning and Company.
“Most investment products are all about maximizing return, but annuities are doing something different, which is acting as a hedge against market volatility and longevity risk,” says Matt Sadowsky, Director of Annuities at TD Ameritrade in its monthly newsletter The Ticker Tape Monthly. “The primary reason we offer annuities is to help clients hedge the risk of outliving their assets. And once investors remove fear from part of the equation, they are better positioned to make smarter, less emotional decisions with the rest of their portfolio.”
Structured settlement annuities are not only for those who have suffered a catastrophic personal injury.
For more information about using annuities (including structured settlement annuities) as a hedge against market volatility and longevity risk please call John Darer at 888-325-8640.
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 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].
Top Structured Settlement Annuity Companies 2024 Which life insurance companies issue structured settlement annuities in 2024? 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 June 14, 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 2024 Ways You Can Structure Your Settlement Payments in 2024. 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 Attorney 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 capped or uncapped index linked structured settlement annuities where payments are adjusted based on upside changes in the S&P 500 or another index, 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 in 2024.
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 May 20, 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.
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.
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, Information and Commentary, John Darer Reviews, Settlement Planning News and Financial Solutions for over 18 years,
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. John Darer ®, CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT® RSP CLTC, President of 4structures.com, located in Stamford, CT 06902. John Darer is an experienced New York City area structured settlement expert, structured settlement broker, Certified Financial Transitionist, and Registered Settlement Planner. He holds insurance licenses in 45 states, has 41 years financial services experience and 31 years in the structured settlements and settlement planning space.
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.
WHAT YOU GET here is the straight stuff with a touch of irreverence and humor. We hope you enjoy and find the content to be helpful.
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Thank you for reading!
Last updated July 10, 2024
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
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"...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
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"Amen - and continued thanks for your vigilance, John"- RL 8/18/2011
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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)
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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"
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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
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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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.
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The John Darer® authored Structured Settlements 4Real® blog is the most prolific structured settlement blog, providing information, commentary and opinion since 2005 with over 5,420 blog posts, and counting!
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.
London Market Structured Settlements Experts Bridge building settlement consulting using a humanistic process, providing creative and reliable support for London Market Insurers, Lloyds Syndicates, Claims Professionals and Lawyers
New York 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.
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