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
- Corinthian Museum of Content Barfing — News Flash
- SettlementDecisions Episode 5: What SettlementDecisions Really Is — A Lead Funnel, Not an Information Source
- Structured Settlement Annuity Guarantees Help Financial Peace of Mind
- How Sheron Jones Was Exploited — And Why D.C.’s Failure to Mandate IPA in SSPA Enabled It
- Attorney Fee Structured Settlement Factoring
about
Category: Structured Settlement Watchdog®
John Darer’s popular watchdog commentary is an effective counter measure to misinformation, whether the misinfornation has been generated thrirough intention or ignorance and also calls out and highlights unethical practices in the structured settlement secondary market and provides valuable insights for attorneys, plaintiffs, defendants, claims adjusters, judges, investigative reporters, buyers and sellers of structured settlement receivables, lawmakers, law enforcement, attorneys general, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the FTC, consumer and disability advocates, and others.
The content is impactful, engaging, and widely regarded, with over 1.5 million page views. on Structured Settlements 4Real alone. On October 1, 2025, The Structured Settlements 4Real blog recently transitioned from the Typepad platform to WordPress after 20 years.
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The August 2026 Minors Guide on SettlementDecisions.com purports to help parents make financial decisions regarding their child’s settlement but engages in structural deception. It warns against selling structured settlements while promoting quotes for such sales, claiming to be court-approved and unbiased without providing evidence or transparency, misleading parents about financial safety and processes.
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SettlementDecisions claims to have identified all actively licensed structured settlement buyers in the U.S., asserting rankings and comparisons. However, no state licenses such buyers; instead, they require registration, which is not equivalent to licensing. The claims rest on fictitious credentials and a self-referential validation loop, misleading consumers about industry standards.
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1. Welcome to the Page That Exposes… Mostly Itself The page greets you with bold confidence: It’s the structured‑settlement equivalent of a restaurant bragging about its “World‑Famous Soup” before you’ve even sat down. Scroll one inch, and the page begins exposing something — just not what it thinks. 2. The 62% Mystery: Bigfoot’s Accountant Has…
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The article clarifies the misuse of the term “informant” in the insurance sector, particularly regarding information provided by Insurance Informant about Independent Life Insurance Company. It highlights inaccuracies in their claims about the company’s history, conflating different entities and presenting misleading information, ultimately hindering understanding of the insurance industry.
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A mailing list marketer, using the email address Todd.Edborgmarketinglist@gmail.com, has targeted NSSTA members, trying to sell them the names of people they already know—because nothing says “innovative marketing” like charging you for your own address book. NSSTA members are going to pay to get lists of people they already know? “From: todd.edborg <todd.edborgmarketinglist@gmail.com>Sent: Wednesday, May 6, 2026…
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The article discusses the ongoing mislabeling of structured settlement receivables as “secondary market annuities” (SMAs) by Hersch Stern and Todd Lesk. While Stern operates a legitimate primary-market business, his terminology remains inaccurate. The persistent misrepresentation risks misleading consumers about their legal rights and protections, particularly as these receivables are not true annuities.
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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…
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If you’re receiving lifetime annuity payments or life contingent structured settlement payments, are you better off selling the structured settlement payment rights, or doing nothing and keep on receiving the guaranteed payments for life.
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In October 2024, a post revealed that a Henderson, Nevada business named “Structured Settlement” misrepresented itself as a structured settlement company instead of a collections agency. In 2025, Nevada clarified definitions of structured settlements in law, emphasizing their distinction from collections, ensuring consumer understanding of this regulated financial term.
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Insurers are not planning to increase private-asset exposure; they have already done so, with 88% expecting private assets to surpass 10% of portfolios within two years. This trend has been visible in filings, particularly Schedule BA, where private investments are recorded well before survey results validate them.