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.

Is Your Settlement Planner “Bought” By or Accepting Undisclosed Inducements From Factoring Cos.?

Plaintiff attorneys NEED to be asking the following questions:

  1. Does the name of your settlement planner or structured settlement broker appear in testimonials to factoring companies that buy the rights to structured settlement payments that YOUR settlement planner set up, is setting up, or recommending to YOUR clients?
  2. Are structured settlement brokers and/or settlement planners cutting deals with factoring companies for exclusive or semi-exclusive cross referrals of business?  You don't have to go far to see a factoring company come up under keyword searches for terms such as "structured settlement quote" or "free structured settlement quote". When a confused consumer calls them with a "structured settlement quote" inquiry, where do those leads go and at what price? Is there a disclosure of the relationship?
  3. Does your settlement planner or structured settlement broker engage in providing advice or referring business to a factoring company for compensation is there a disclosure of such on the firm's web site and marketing materials?

While structured settlement brokers and settlement planners have information concerning the hundreds or thousands of cases that they've worked on and most do nothing to betray that confidence, why do some continue to generate ethical concerns?

One factoring company, Strategic Capital, continues to post the testimonials of three structured settlement brokers and/or settlement planners. I am aware that one of the plannners/ brokers has repeatedly requested the removal of his name. Frankly, I don't know what the President of another brokerage firm is doing, picture and all, endorsing a company that claims it can produce "free structured settlement quotes." What is he thinking?

Statements attributed to settlement planners- "it's legal now", "it's a fact of life", "if they don't like it it's tough"- are bold, apathetic statements.

I wonder how tough these folks would be if the plaintiff attorneys they serve knew the truth, particularly the issue of their potential exposure as a result of unliateral disclosures of confidential information from settlement documents , by those in the minority, to factoring companies.

 

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