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.
recent posts
- Daily Rates Are Often an Important Cost Driver of Structured Settlements
- 🔥Founder and Former CEO of 777 Partners, Joshua Wander, Pleads Guilty⚖️ to $500 Million Fraud Scheme — DOJ Confirms Double‑Pledging, Misappropriation of Structured‑Settlement Funds, and Falsified Bank Statements
- The Steering Problem Needs a Wake‑Up Call
- Companies Still Using the Incorrect Term “Secondary Market Annuity”
- Canonical: Non‑Qualified Assignment (NQA)
about
Category: Secondary Market Structured Settlements
-
These examples of bad business conduct by structured settlement originators demonstrate possible reputation and financial risk factors for the settlement planners and the lawyers who refer them to their clients that may not been disclosed or even considered.
-
The structured settlement derivative market is scantily regulated. If it was regulated SMA hustlers wouldn’t adorn structured settlement derivatives with false eyelashes, lipstick, rouge and garter belt and with a nod and a wink, call them annuities and hock them to retirees or other injury victims.
-
Todd Dyer, the Ponzi Schemer and money launderer that founded Income Stream Exchange in 2015 was sentenced on March 8th to 15 years in jail for crimes that he was indicted for in 2015. The now convicted Dyer is not the only felon who has “graced” the structured settlement secondary market.
-
There is a general prohibition on advertising state guaranty funds in connection with the sale of insurance, including annuities.Yet Annuity Straight Talk speaks of state guaranty funds to promote secondary market “annuities” in a manner that appears to be never intended by state insurance law
-
Absent regulation of salespeople and sales practices in the structured settlement secondary market is there is no suitability standard, no best interest standard and no fiduciary standard. Unlicensed salesmen lacking credentials are dispensing very poor financial advice and people are getting hurt.
-
Annuity Straight Talk does more “mixing and mingling” than Happy Hour in trying to explain the parties to a structured settlement annuity transaction. But a Secondary Market Annuity is still not an annuity.
-
A misleading scare tactic used by a Florida company to snare a Bridgeport CT woman into selling her structured settlement to them in September 2016,then sued when a competitor offered the Bridgeport woman 20% more structured settlement cash now.
-
Questions continue regarding intermediaries, financial planners and settlement planners who distribute structured settlement payment rights (structured settlement derivatives) to investors mislabeled as annuities.
-
“And our monies were never returned to us. Altium is now saying they are not insured and don’t have those kinds of funds to return our money. My retirement savings are gone and they don’t seem to think it is their problem. Be very wary”
-
Does The Timing of the Inducement Govern the Legality of The Rebate? Does the Payment of the Costs of a Qualified Settlement Fund then Put a Settlement Planner in a Conflict Situation on Product recommendations where he/she/it could run afoul of Anti-Rebating laws?