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
- 🌿 THE PLANTIFF HEDGE — Q2 2026
- Bad Faith Structured Settlements
- Most Trustworthy Structured Settlement Annuity Companies 2026 by Newsweek/Statista
- The Counsel-Managed QSF: A Structure That Cannot Stand Up Under Banks Doctrine
- Unparalleled Access to NSSTA Members is Unparalleled Baloney from Mailing List Broker
about
Category: Structured Settlement Receivables
Structured Settlement Receivables are payments, or streams of payments, from a structured settlement that have yet to be received by the person or company owed the money. Structured settlement receivables are not annuities.
-
SmartAsset does a lot of good work. Their calculators, guides, and tools help millions of people understand financial decisions that would otherwise feel opaque. This post isn’t about criticizing their mission. It’s about strengthening the ecosystem they influence. Because when a platform with SmartAsset’s reach uses terminology that insurance departments do not support, the consequences…
-
The MJ Settlements brochure misleadingly promotes factored structured-settlement payment rights as “Secondary Market Structured Settlement Annuities,” creating a false impression of insurer backing and protection. This misrepresentation exposes retirees to significant risks, as they believe they are purchasing regulated annuity products when they are not. Clarity and accurate terminology are essential.
-
Private credit has surged into a multi-trillion-dollar market, with insurers heavily involved, raising concerns about their investment stability. Key risks include liquidity issues and valuation challenges linked to opaque assets. The implications for structured-settlement payments necessitate vigilance from annuitants and investors regarding their insurer’s financial health and asset exposure.
-
Todd Lesk Permanently Barred from FINRA but Lists FINRA on LinkedIn as “Licenses and Certifications”
Todd Michael Lesk, CEO of MJ Settlements, was permanently barred from FINRA on October 6, 2023, prohibiting any affiliation with broker-dealer firms. Despite this, he continued to display invalid licenses on LinkedIn. The situation raises concerns about misrepresentation in marketing structured settlements. The blog highlights these discrepancies.
-
The article critiques the misleading advertising of Secondary Annuities, equating purchasing structured settlement receivables to buying a used luxury car. It stresses that these receivables aren’t true annuities or insurance products. Additionally, buyers may face risks due to a lack of state protections and potential involvement in “slice and dice” arrangements.
-
The content critiques MJ Settlements’ notion of “Trust” while highlighting its complexities and risks. Trust is essential for societal cohesion and economic transactions. It questions the credibility of MJ Settlements’ claims regarding their products being supported by insurance companies, juxtaposing this with concepts of truthfulness and reliability in trust dynamics.
-
Refactored Structured Settlements is used by some to unartfully describe investments in transferred structured settlement payment rights from other people’s structured settlements, when used as an alternative investment vehicle to a settling plaintiff.
-
Why does MJ Settlements resort to misleading tactics to make money? MJ falsely advertises structured settlement receivables as annuities on LinkedIn. What is promoted to investors doesn’t meet the criteria for an annuity under state law. Return on investment “Total Returns” is also misrepresented.
-
These so-called “unique” MJ Settlements opportunities are supposedly “carefully vetted” and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. But honestly, how “carefully vetted” can they be if they can’t even manage to get the issuers’ names correct? Let’s examine why our baloney detector is going bonkers.
-
Less than two years after Todd Lesk was permanently barred from FINRA in October 2023, MJ Settlements, a Coral Springs-based company led by Todd Lesk as CEO, continues to falsely claim on its website that it offers structured settlement annuities.