You have probably heard the term “Structured Settlement” on a television or print ad and wondered what it meant. After all, the term is not a part of our everyday lexicon. A structured settlement is a contract under which an insurance company undertakes to make periodic payments to an injured party as part of a bodily injury claim settlement or to a surviving family member to whom a large settlement has been awarded. These are just two examples of where a structured settlement might be used. Structured settlements have become popular because they offer substantial benefits to all parties involved in the settlement agreement. A brief review of the dictionary reveals the following definition: a structured settlement is simply a financial package that permits a settlement to be paid in regular payment installments for either a set period of time or over a lifetime. In short, a structured settlement is a package that is tailor made for the individual or payee by the payer or an interested third-party. Some structures include immediate payment to cover any special damages that may have occurred or will occur. The system of structured settlements was first introduced in Canada in the early 1970′s and spread into the United States very quickly. Within a few years, the idea had found its way to many countries including Australia and most member states of the European Union. Benefits of a Structured Settlement A structured settlement annuity provides a payment stream that is tax-free over a determined period of time. Most investment options such as stocks and bonds, real estate, savings accounts, and similar vehicles simply cannot match the flexibility and security of a Structured Settlement Annuity. Another benefit of a structured settlement annuity is that it can be designed so that payments are made over an extended period of time, even throughout the life of the payee. In the event of the recipient’s death, a guaranteed portion of the settlement may be paid to the person’s estate or to a named beneficiary. Structured Settlements have become quite common and offer the additional security of regulation by both Federal and State statutes. There are also provisions in IRS and Medicare/Medicaid guidelines which take them into account. Alternatives to Structured Settlements It’s quite easy to see that a structured settlement can work to the advantage of all parties in a variety of circumstances. However, there are occasions when the beneficiary of a structured settlement would prefer not to have periodic payments, preferring instead a lump sum payment. Such might be the case where an individual would like an amount of money to purchase a home, perhaps to cover large medical bills or to pay off a mortgage. This option has also proved especially popular with lottery winners. There are a number of insurance companies and others that provide this service for a fee. In such instances the insurance company or another interested third-party makes the lump sum payment with a charge for expenses and interest deducted. It is important to consider these fees and read the fine print carefully to be sure that you are not signing away the bulk of your payment. How do the alternatives work? The settlement contract is sold to a financial institution which then accepts the periodic payments from the payer and gives the beneficiary a lump sum. Commonly, the financial institution involved will be another major insurance company. The insurance company charges a handling fee which will usually be calculated to take into account adjustments for interest charges and handling costs. Again, if you are considering taking this option you must bear in mind that the company buying the payments for a cash sum is in business to make money. The amount of the one-off payment will certainly be considerably less than the gross amount that would have been received over the original extended period. Unless the amount of the lump sum is very substantial and the recipient can be sure of consistent investment income, it’s almost certainly going to be better to stick with the original arrangements. An exception might be where the recipient is a younger person in good health with a substantial expectation of gainful employment for the long term. Again, as with any contracts be sure to read and understand the terms of the agreement you are making. Make a list of questions and ask until you understand. It is also a good idea to cast a wide net when looking for an alternative to structured settlements as fees and services; and thus your bottom line can vary greatly. Adam Short is freelance writer and creator of http://www.structuredsettlementinfo.info – a site providing the latest news and information on structured settlements. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Short

If you were a claimant in a lawsuit and were awarded monetary damages, you may have agreed to a structure settlement instead of one large lump sum payment. This payment provides regular installment payments to you over time. This type of financial agreement has many advantages and was beneficial to you at the time that it was set up. However, it is possible that circumstances changed, and you need a large lump sum payment to meet new financial obligations. It is possible to sell your settlement amount and the best way to do that is through a broker.

If you are currently receiving installment payments because you agreed to a settlement, and now you are in need of a greater sum of cash, you can sell your structured settlement and receive structured settlement cash. You can choose to sell the entire structured settlement for one lump sum minus the fee that will be charged to complete the deal by a structured settlement broker, or you can sell only a portion of the structured settlement. In that case, you will continue to receive installment payments for the monetary amount that remains part of the structured settlement. You will receive a lump sum payment for the part of the structured settlement that you sell.

When you get structured settlement cash, it is like getting an advance on the money that is owed to you. The broker charges a fee for his services that can range from 10% to 50% of the money you want advanced. However, even though you are receiving your money at a discounted rate, you now have the use of that money immediately.

Personal injury lawsuits often involve settlements for very large sums of cash. Cases involving medical malpractice and wrongful death can often have settlements that range in amount from six to seven figures. These large settlements can have major tax ramifications so it is beneficial to the claimant to receive these funds in installment payments over time. Structured settlement payments spread over time involve little or no tax at all. In addition, installment payments guarantee a steady flow of income on a regular basis. Many individuals find it easier to manage money in installments rather than receiving a large lump sum all at once.

Circumstances in your life can change, and you may find that the amount of money you receive on a regular basis from the structured settlement does not allow you to meet your obligations on larger bills such as the purchase of a new house or education expenses. If you receive structured settlement cash in a large lump sum, it will make it possible for you to meet these new financial obligations. In addition, you may notice that the installment payment amount is not keeping up with inflation, and you may decide that receiving cash now is better than receiving installment payments in the future.

If you decide that selling your settlement money is in your best interest, you need to find a reputable broker who can help you through the process. A broker acts as a consultant, provides an assessment, prepares calculations and plays an active role during negotiations to sell the structured settlement. The information that a good broker provides during negotiations helps both sides reach an equitable agreement.

To help the claimant, the broker prepares a financial analysis and then determines the present value cost of the settlement. He or She provides expert support and information in calculations involving Medicaid and SSI as well as issues involving income tax. Because a great deal of financial expertise is required, apart from the brokers help your accountant or bank would be a good source for a recommendation.

As you work with a structured settlement broker, you should find out what the total cost of selling the settlement payment will be and how long it will take to sell the same. It is important for you to have multiple deals to choose from so make sure your broker can provide details about multiple opportunities. This will help insure that you are getting the best deal possible. Throughout this selling process, it is vitally important that the channels of communication between you and your broker be open. You should be able to communicate with your broker easily and often, if necessary.

You should retain the services of a qualified broker who is registered with the United States Department of Justice. These settlements are set up by the courts and each state has its own laws. In addition, there are federal guidelines that must be followed under the tax code. You can receive structured settlement cash when you sell your structured settlement, but the process requires court approval. Complicated transactions like selling a structured settlement should always be reviewed by an attorney who will represent your best interests.

It is important to research the broker’s qualifications and experience. The broker you choose should be registered with the United States Department of Justice and be affiliated with at least one insurance company. The Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice actually publishes a “List of Annuity Brokers Who Meet Minimum Qualifications for Providing Annuity Brokerage Services in Connection with these settlements. The list for any specified year is in effect until it is replaced by another update. This list of brokers is alphabetical by their last name and provides the city and state where they are located.

It is very important to clearly understand what a Structured Settlement Payment is and to properly research the Structured Settlement Company, our website has a lot of useful information to equip you with the necessary knowledge.

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If you have been hurt in an accident, chances are you have hired an attorney to pursue your claim for compensation for your injuries, pain and suffering. This is a fairly common occurrence for those who have been put through the harrowing ordeal of having to endure an accident for which they were not at fault. For many years when a settlement was awarded to the victim, the amount of money that was awarded would go to the victim in the form of a lump sum. However, this is generally not the case anymore. Nowadays the more common manner of paying money to the injured party is in the form of a structured settlement.

What is a Structured Settlement?

In the simplest of terms, a structured settlement is a payment to the injured party made in regular installments over a period of time. This is different than getting a cash award in a lump sum up front. For example, if a person was in an accident and it was ruled that the other party was at fault, the other party may have to pay damages. If the amount was one million dollars, instead of a check being cut for one million dollars, it would be paid out in monthly installments over a period of a few years. For instance, a one million dollar settlement paid out monthly over ten years would mean a check paid to the inured party in an amount a little over eight thousand dollars per month. A structured settlement can vary as to how it is paid out. Some forms of structured settlement are paid out monthly and others annually.

Structured settlements first started to gain popularity in 1982 when Congress passed the Periodic Payment Settlement Act. This was introduced to allow settlements to be paid out over time in order to benefit both the party paying the claim as well as the victim. Those people who have had a personal injury due to an accident or who have had a worker’s compensation claim can benefit greatly by having the money from the settlement arrive in regularly scheduled amounts across a long period of time. A structured settlement is a good idea in most cases.

Benefits of a Structured Settlement

There are many long term benefits to having a structured settlement. First, the person who was injured and awarded the settlement is likely suffering from a debilitating injury that will forever affect their life and livelihood. This could be anything from a condition that makes life uncomfortable to a serious crippling injury that forever changes the person. Regardless of the severity of the injury the victim has to become used to living their life in a different manner. Adding to this the stress of dealing with a large sum of money they are not used to can make the transition even more difficult.

A structured settlement, though, can help alleviate some of the stress. It is especially difficult to manage a large sum of money if you will no longer be able to earn a living for the remainder of your life. Whatever sum of money you were awarded must be invested and used wisely in order to last throughout your lifetime. This is not always an easy feat. Often people have to hire financial advisors and investment advisors to keep track of and administer the money so it does not run out. With a structured settlement, though, this process becomes much more manageable.

Without a structured settlement, many victims had to rely on a third party. In a lot of cases, the money ran out quickly. This is for several reasons. The victim may have had poor spending habits. Faced with a large sum of money, they were not thinking about the future but instead were thinking of fun ways to spend a lot of money they never had before. Not long after that, they find the money is gone and they still have to live their life.

Another reason is because professionals were hired to advise and administer the money appropriately. Without some knowledge of financial endeavors, the victim may have hired someone incompetent or unreliable. The money would not be invested wisely and gone before they knew it. Another common reason is the victim relies on assistance from family members thinking they would have his best interests at heart. Unfortunately, this is often not the case and greed gets the better of the family member. A structured settlement reduces the risk of these issues substantially.

When is a Structured Settlement Best?

A structured settlement is not the answer for everyone. Some victims will prefer and benefit from a lump sum payment. However, there are very specific cases where a structured settlement is ideal for the victim. This generally occurs when the victim is in need of long term or permanent care. When an accident occurs that leaves a person unable to work and earn money for themselves over a long period of time, they will need the funds to care for themselves and whatever medical care is necessary. Whether it is an injury that will take a very long time from which to recover or a permanent disability that will prevent the victim from working for the duration of his life, a structured settlement is ideal in these situations.

For anyone who has any type of guardianship, a structured settlement is also a perfect solution. For example, if someone dies as a result of an accident through no fault of his own, a settlement may be awarded. However, the settlement is going to the victim’s family as opposed to the victim. The money may be used for funeral expenses and for the care of the surviving family, especially if the victim was the provider of the family’s income. Spouses and children are generally the beneficiaries of a structured settlement. Minor children can especially take advantage of the benefits of a structured settlement. Their housing, food and other every day expenses will be ensured. Plus, very often their education and college expenses will also be taken care of so they can lead a productive life even without the assistance of their loved one.

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Structured settlements were introduced in Canada and the United States in the 1970′s. They were introduced as an alternative to lump sum payments, common in insurance settlements and lottery winnings. In the decades since, they have also been accepted as legal financial instruments in England and Australia. The aforementioned common law countries have decided to include structured settlements in their statutory tort laws. These four countries handle tort law and the settlement packages a little bit differently, but the general overall definition applies across the board. In a nutshell, a structured settlement by legal definition is a statutory agreement to pay a specified sum of money over a period of time, on a payment system. Payment Arrangements When someone wins a court settlement (or if they settle the case beforehand), the insurance company often gives the winner a choice of taking a specified amount of money in a lump sum, or a bit more money if the insurance company can enter into a structured settlement arrangement. Of course, it is in the insurance companies best interest to pay the claimant in a structured settlement, because the insurance company can earn interest, during the structured payment cycle, on the full sum of money it would have paid in a lump sum. The insurance company wins in the profit game, when they get to enter into a structured settlement. They will be able to invest the full sum of money owed, and they get to earn interest or dividends on the money in hand during the payment period. Structured settlements are most often paid out in the form of an annuity over a period of time. An annuity is also legally classified as a financial instrument. Once again, the financial institution will gain an additional financial advantage, because they can collect interest or earn other kinds of income on the bulk amount, during the payment period. Annuity & Structured Settlement Buyouts Structured Settlements for a great deal of clients are the ideal solution. Payments spread out over a period of time allow clients to balance their finances and pay bills in the years to come. Some people get their settlement payments $300, $1000 or even more each month. Sometimes they may include lump sum payments many years in the future. This is fine as long as their life is humming along and their bills are being paid. Yet, circumstances sometimes get in the way, and people need the lump sum cash right away to solve some issue that has come up in their lives. Because both annuities and structured payments are a legally-binding financial agreement, those items can potentially be transferred to another person under the terms of the laws that have been set up to manage these financial products. But, when faced with a serious financial crunch, some people hastily sell their annuities and structured settlements to the first company who would be willing to buy them for a lump sum amount. These companies who are willing to buy-out annuities and structured payments are commonly referred to as “Factoring” companies, because they use “Factors” to determine how much future payments are currently worth, and how much they should buy them for. The Standard Method of Selling A Structured Settlement – Persistence and Patience (not always used) We have all seen the countless ads on TV from a various companies, “Get Lump Sum Cash Now.” For years, people have turned to factoring companies in their time of financial need. Smart consumers will learn from the insurance companies. Have you ever been involved in a car wreck? The insurance company requires for you to get three estimates and then they will pay the company that offers them the best deal. The smart consumer will also invest a little bit more of his or her time to make sure they get the best deal for their annuity or structured settlement. They will call at least three factoring companies and get competitive bids from each. Then they will go back to the three aforementioned companies and see if any are willing to beat their best offer. It can be tiring and time-consuming to follow through in this process, but for the average person, it could be worth several thousand or even tens of thousands of dollars in one’s bank account at the end of the process. The Better Method of Selling a Structured Settlement – Open Marketplace Auction A new service has been introduced by Quote Me A Price.com (QMAP). This website allows Structured Settlement owners the ability to list details of their payments, and receive cash bids directly from Top-Rated Funding firms. The process is relatively simple. Clients sign up for a free account and list the details of the payments they receive. Once an account is created and the details of the payment arrangement are known, Funding Firms can log in and make cash bids directly on the purchase of the settlement. Each firm can see the current highest cash offer, and if they wish to beat it with a higher cash price, they can do so. Sellers do not need to worry about being called countless times by salespeople because the contact information of the settlement owner is not shared. When a factoring company makes a cash bid on the settlement, QMAP notifies the settlement owner of the new bid via email. Having settlement buyers compete in an open marketplace lowers the profit margin for funding firms, and forces the lowest possible discount rates to be applied when funding companies compete to buy future payments. This in turn ensures that clients can get the maximum amount of money back from their settlement. The Importance of Comparison Shopping (actual Quote Me A Price.com client) Two siblings had been receiving separate, but identical annuity payouts in the form of a structured settlement from an accidental family member death. Sibling one got into a financial crunch. When this happened, sibling one called a “Factoring Company.” She was offered a lump sum buyout, and although the offer was much lower than the value of the settlement, sibling number one didn’t realize the importance of shopping the competition, and sold her settlement for $70,000. Sibling number two heard about the buyout and thought that it would be nice to have her cash now also. But, sibling number two was not as desperate for an immediate buyout. Sibling number two took the time to shop around for a better deal. Sibling two managed to uncover Quote Me A Price.com, and they helped to secure the best offer possible. Sibling number one got a $70,000 buyout and was initially happy with her cash buyout. Sibling number two came to QMAP with the same initial $70,000 buyout offer for the settlement. After working with QMAP, sibling number two got offered $100,000 for the same settlement sibling number one sold for $70,000. Sibling number two sold her settlement for $100,000 to JG Wentworth who is an auction partner in the QMAP service. While sibling number two did get the best possible deal, sibling number one unfortunately has to live with the fact knowing that she made a $30.000 mistake by not shopping the competition. In Conclusion Your structured settlement or annuity is the foundation of your financial future. If you find yourself in financial need now, you should at the very least give yourself a couple more weeks to shop your deal to the competition. You might be telling yourself that you cannot afford to wait, but the truth is that you cannot afford to take the first bid that you are offered. In some cases, jumping at the first offer could be the equivalent of financial suicide to a structured settlement owner. So, be patient and persistent in the process of finding a buyer for your settlement. And remember, if you are willing to negotiate with a car dealer on the price you pay for a car, then there should be no reason in the world that you should not negotiate with a factoring company when you are looking for a buy-out of your settlement. Clayton Frantz writes for Quote Me A Price.com (QMAP). Simply put, QMAP provides a better way to sell a structured settlement. They have Top-Rated factoring companies, who provide Annuity and Structured Settlement Buyouts, competing for your business. If you are shopping for a buyout, you can Register For FREE at http://www.QuoteMeAPrice.com and list details of your settlement. QMAP’s system will ensure that you get the best possible price for your buyout, enabling you to pocket thousands of extra dollars when the deal is done. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clayton_Frantz