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.

Category: Rapid City Structured Settlements

Discover Pacific Life’s Payout Plus: Index-Based Growth

March 7, 2026

Payout Plus is a new structured settlements annuity option from Pacific Life that enhances financial stability and growth opportunities for claimants. By offering indexed-based payments, it provides a guaranteed minimum with potential fluctuations, catering to those receiving personal injury or workers’ compensation settlements, while promoting financial resilience and flexibility.
Periodic Payment Settlement Tax Act of 1982 | Birth of Qualified Assignments and Codified IRS Rulings

October 15, 2025

The Periodic Payment Settlement of 1982, a public law that allows defendants to assign their obligations (via a “qualified assignment”) to make future periodic payments to a third party without retaining a future obligation to the injured party has benefits to all sides. Read more.
Chariot Re to Reinsure $10B of MetLife Originated Liabilities Including Structured Settlement Annuities, Pension, Group

February 7, 2025

Chariot Re’s initial reinsurance transaction is with a subsidiary of MetLife. Chariot Re will reinsure approximately $10 billion of liabilities, including structured settlement annuity contracts and group annuity contracts associated with pension risk transfers originated by MetLife.
Structured Settlement Annuities Where You Live | Certain vs Guaranteed

March 4, 2017

The words “certain” and “guaranteed” are terms used in settlement documents to describe payment obligations in a settlement agreement and in structured settlement annuities and other income annuities. Both are often used in a way that suggests the terms are synonymous, but are they?
Structured Settlement Comparisons: Giving Up The Hartford Woobie

October 15, 2010

It isn’t right for structured settlement brokers and settlement planners to use misleading and/or inaccurate information in comparisons, to promote structured settlements;and to blame it on what is figuratively “the empty chair”, The Hartford.