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
- 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
- One Year Later: The Structured Settlement–to–Bitcoin Anniversary Nobody Is Celebrating
- SettlementDecisions Episode 4: Purports to be a Directory-Delivers Spam Instead
about
Category: United States Owned Structured Annuity
-

A qualified assignment is a liability transfer mechanism allowing defendants or insurers to delegate future periodic payments in structured settlements to a qualified assignment company under IRS Code §130. It ensures tax-free payments to claimants while protecting their interests, allowing defendants to manage long-term obligations securely through regulated life insurance products.
-

While the terms “guaranteed” and “certain” are often used synonymously by those holding an insurance license, including some settlement planners and structured settlement brokers and even lawyers, such use is inaccurate and can lead to misinterpretation and/or misunderstanding by Payees.
-
Any annuity broker being considered for selection by the DOJ should be required to verify at the time of selection that he or she meets the minimum qualifications set forth in 28 C.F.R. §50.24(a) and is otherwise competent to provide structured settlement brokerage services to the United States.
-
Today the A++(Superior) A.M. Best rated USAA Life insurance Company is a highly respected issuer of structured settlement annuities for a wide spectrum of claimants, particularly competive for long duration cash flows .
-

In “The Wonderful World of Structured Settlements”, I see streams of green, lump sums too; tax-free payments for you, you and you; and I think to myself, what a wonderful world, ohhh yeah. “Streams of Green”, as in customized payment streams of money from a structured settlement,
-

In a January 7, 2021 decision in JENNIFER LANCLOS, Plaintiff, v THE UNITED STATES, Defendant. 15-358C, the court ruled in favor of the United States and the result is that the US doesn’t have to make up the annuity shortfall arising out of the Executive Life of NY insolvency and liquidation.
-

Joe Gargan, CEO of The Pension Company, pled guilty to embezzling $8 million meant for annuities funding minor settlements. This criminal act not only raised concerns among clients but also imposed additional costs on taxpayers. The case highlighted the need for escrow and proper safeguards to prevent similar fraudulent activity in structured settlements.
-
The USDOJ Memorandum states that any broker being considered for selection should be required to verify at the time of selection that he or she meets the minimum qualifications set forth in 28 C.F.R. § 50.24(a).
-
Payees have sued the USA over ELNY shortfalls and failed. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Langkamp case focuses on the settlement agreement. The USA’s commitment was inherent in the language of the agreement, the opinion by Judge Haldane Robert Mayer said.
-

Courts do not establish structured settlements, and such arrangements do not require court approval to avoid taxes. Tax exemptions under the IRC apply to various damages related to personal injuries, including workmen’s compensation and wrongful incarceration. Approval is necessary in cases involving minors, incompetents, or wrongful death settlements.