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: Structured Settlement Value

  • Settlement Planning With The Tax Tsunami on The Horizon

    MORE TAXES+ GREATER INTRINSIC VALUE FOR NEW AND EXISTING STRUCTURES, even in a low interest rate environment. Check out the taxable equivalent yield chart at 4structures.com and see how that “puny 3% rate of return”,  “ain’t too shabby” if you’re in the 40% tax bracket.

  • Tax Increase is Gilded Lily For Structured Settlement Value

    by John Darer CLU ChFC CSSC RSP Wall Street Journal reports that "at least 10 states are considering some kind of major increase in sales or income taxes, including Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. California and New York lawmakers already have agreed on multibillion-dollar tax increases that went…

  • Structured Settlement Sales Jump 25% Says National Law Journal

    A structured settlement resolving a legal dispute involving damages for personal physical injury or sickness, as specified under IRC 104(a)(2), using a qualified funding asset defined in IRC 130(d), such as a structured settlement annuity generates income tax free periodic payments to the plaintiff

  • Financial See Saw Continues For Some

        Stocks Are Down 2.5% today (at time of writing) in another sharp sell off Bank Take Overs in 2010  (FDIC, CNBC) 72 Banks on Troubled List Now   (FDIC, CNBC) 775 Banks on Troubled List August 26, 2008  (CNBC) 117 More food for thought… S&P 500 Down 10% Since April 23, 2009 (CNBC) Dow S&P…

  • Short Term Structured Settlements… Don’t Get Snookered

    Plaintiff attorneys should use caution when encountering a latter day defense tactic that still  occasionally pops up in negotiations, involving pressuring the plaintiff into a structured settlement with payment terms of only a few years in the current environment.  Such moves were popular a few years ago. Whatever the packaging, the primary motivation was to…