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
- 🔥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)
- ⭐ THE 18–25 GUIDE TO STRUCTURED SETTLEMENTS
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.
-
SettlementDirectory.net purports to verify structured settlement companies but fails spectacularly. Its listings include deceased individuals, defunct firms, and incorrect affiliations, misleading users with fake verification badges and timestamps. This directory exemplifies digital misinformation, as all claims of verification are unsubstantiated, rendering it entirely unreliable for users seeking legitimate information.
-
by John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC Consumers are told to verify the credentials of anyone offering financial guidance. The CFP Board reinforces this with a simple rule: every CFP® certificant must appear in its public verification directory so consumers can confirm their status. Across at least seven consumer‑finance websites, however, a persona…
-
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.
-
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.
-
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…
-
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.
-
SEO-driven rating sites, like ConsumerAdvocate.org, falsely sustain defunct structured settlement factoring companies for profit, creating misleading ratings that misrepresent reality. These sites prioritize traffic over accuracy, maintaining “updated” information while neglecting legal realities. Consumers are advised to seek information from official records instead of relying on inflated, deceptive ratings.
-
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…
-
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.
-
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…