Structured Settlements 4Real®Blog 2026

Structured settlements expert John Darer reviews the latest structured settlements and settlement planning information and news, and provides expert opinion and highly regarded commentary. that is spicy, Informative, irreverent and effective for over 20 years.

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The STRUCTURED SETTLEMENTS 4REAL® Blog is a highly regarded source for structured settlement news, information, and commentary, led by structured settlement and settlement planning subect mater expert John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC. With two decades of operation, the blog and 4structures.com are recognized as comprehensive resources, offering detailed guides and specialized insights. Established in 2005, the blog caters to a broad audience, including legal professionals, injured individuals, families, and various stakeholders, providing reviews and opinions on settlement planning. John Darer, President of 4structures.com LLC, is a seasoned structured settlement expert with over 40 years of financial services experience and 31 years specializing in structured settlements. Based in Stamford, CT, he is a Certified Financial Transitionist and Registered Settlement Planner, holding insurance licenses in 45 states and the District of Columbia. John Darer is dedicated to transparency and advocacy, he emphasizes the importance of engaging trained and licensed professionals for settlement planning, offering valuable insights through his investigative journalism and professional commentary.

Financial Reform, The Rating Agencies and the Structured Settlement Purchase Decision

by John Darer CLU ChFC CSSC RSP

Rating agencies have been used by agents,brokers and purchasers of insurance for years as part of their due diligence. Yet Executive Life Insurance Company and its New York subsidiary,Executive Life Insurance Company of New York, were rated AAA only months before their collapse in 1991

17 years later the integrity of the ratings agencies is again called into question at the depth of the recent financial crisis we now call "The Great Recession". Some feel that money paid to be reviewed presents an enormous conflict of interest.

In this video, LBN Chairman Mark Wahlstrom and John Darer, a Registered Settlement Planner and President of 4structures.com, LLC, discuss recent news concerning the agencies that rate insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions which appeared in a March 22, 2010 article in USA Today.

Proposed legislation would add a layer of liability which would allow potential lawsuits against the ratings agencies under certain conditions. Wahlstrom and Darer further discuss the impact of ratings actions on insurance purchase decisions, including  structured settlements.

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