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 Settlements 101
A clear, foundational introduction to structured settlements — what they are, how they work, why they exist, and how they fit into the broader ecosystem of settlement planning, annuity funding, financial security, and claimant protection. This category distills essential concepts for attorneys, claimants, adjusters, and financial professionals, combining straight‑facts education with the watchdog‑style clarity and humor your readers expect.
It covers:
What structured settlements are and how they provide long‑term financial security for injury victims and litigants.
How structured settlements work, including diagrams, flow charts, and explanations of the process from settlement negotiation to annuity funding.
Types of structured settlement payments, rate lock‑ins, IRR comparisons, taxable‑equivalent yield charts, and other financial literacy tools.
The role of annuity companies, including financial ratings, issuer lists, and market performance data from major carriers such as MetLife, Prudential, New York Life, Pacific Life, Symetra, and others.
Industry best practices, regulatory considerations, advertising ethics, and common pitfalls — including improper credentials, misleading marketing, and compliance issues.
Historical and market context, including production data, insurer rankings, and long‑term financial stability indicators.
This category serves as the definitive starting point for anyone seeking a reliable, fact‑checked, and professionally grounded understanding of structured settlements — without the misinformation, hype, or “cash‑now” noise that pollutes the web.
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It’s embarrassing as a Registered Settlement Planner (“RSP”) and a member of the RSP board, that passes judgment on those seeking the RSP designation (a professional designation that I respect and worked hard to achieve) failed to accurately articulate a basic structured settlement concept
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To avoid constructive receipt when setting up a structured settlement, a key element to the structured settlement transaction is that periodic payments MUST be part of the consideration stated in the settlement agreement
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A critical element to how structured settlements work is the proper documentation of a promise to make future periodic payments as consideration
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An annuity with a certain period represents the number of years that will be paid whether or not the measuring life survives the entire payment schedule. A 30 years certain & Life means payments will be made for 30 years, or the life of the measuring life, whoever is longer
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Internal Revenue Code § 104(a)(2) is an income tax exclusion which expressly states that punitive damages are not part of the exclusion
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Adding a “COLA” to your structured settlement means sacrificing soime structured settlement payments today with an eye to ultimately have more payments in the future. What some structured settlement consultants refer to as a COLA is really a fixed, such as 2%, 3%, or more, or linked to an index,
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It’s a bummer when seasoned settlement professionals publish incorrect information about basic structured settlement fundamentals.
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Structured settlement annuities fall into a similar asset class. Structured settlement annuities are high quality fixed income assets. This holds true whether you are a plaintiff settling a personal injury or wrongful death case, already receiving payments from a structured settlement, or payments from a structured judgment
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by John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC A prominent settlement industry website states that Section 104(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code clarifies an important fact. The full amount of the structured settlement payments is tax-free. This advantage applies to the victim. The investment earnings on a lump sum payment are usually fully taxable.…
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At 4structures.com, LLC we like to keep our clients: (1) alive; and (2) to live as long and productive lives as possible. If during the settlement planning process, we get a rated age from a structured settlement annuity issuer, clients may benefit from a reduced cost solution for the future benefits.