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New Tool Helps YOU Take Control and Know When To Tell Peachtree Settlement
2008-05-11 04:30:00
The Structured Settlement Factoring Discount Rate Calculator puts cash strapped structured settlement recipients in control. A structured settlement factoring transaction is the source of cash of last resort for those structured settlement recipients who have exhausted all other options. Unfortunately many tort victims are victimized however, through their own ignorance and laziness, by cash now pushers like Peachtree Settlement Funding and others (click here for the "cash now" pushers list) who opportunistically charge high discount rates, due to a lack of regulation of such companies and perhaps due to the knowlege that a significant percentage of consumers are so desperate that they won't shop (even though better rates can be had elsewhere). While it is hoped that the situation will change in the near future, now there is an easy way for you to take control. There is no need for you to be a victim! Take control NOW! With the Structured Settlement Factoring Discount ...
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What Is A Structured Annuity?
2008-05-11 00:49:00
A structured annuity is a "longevity insurance" product that provides one or more fully customizable payment streams tied to the terms of a settlement agreement and release. Depending on the case, a qualified assignment or a non qualified assignment, Court Order and proof of birth and other requirements may be needed. For examples of structured annuity payment streams please click here A structured annuity is different from a regular annuity. Where a structured annuity is used in the resolution of a personal injury lawsuit for payment of damages under IRC 104(a)(2), or the settlement of a workers compensation claim under IRC 104(a)(1), as part of a structured settlement, the payments received by the payee*** are income tax free. The term structured annuity is commonly used interchangably with the term "structured settlement". Technically the term "structured settlement", which is defined under the Internal Revenue Code *, refers to the form of c...
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NATLE endorsed factoring company, Strategic Capital Added to "Cash Now Push
2008-05-09 14:42:00
It has to be said...The factoring company that has been endorsed by the National Association of Trial Lawyer Executives (NATLE), Strategic Capital , is on the "cash now pusher" list. What an embarassment! Click here for the link to the NATLE web site which highlights this. Here is  one web page Download strategic_capital_corporation_cash_now_qu estion_592008.pdf  which ironically appears next to a tab entitled "consumer protection". Here is another Download strategic_capital_corporation_cash_now_qu estion_592008_no_2.pdf Click here for the link to the webpage where NATLE represents to its members that the program was very thoroughly investigated by the NATLE Affinity Commitee. NATLE now looks foolish for this quote "When this happens, rather than have the plaintiff call one of those “1-800-Get-Your-Money-Now” companies seen on TV, they and their attorney can be assured that they are using a reputable company". That's a direct quote from ...
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AIG Posts Q1 Earnings Loss-Putting Things in Perspective for Structured Set
2008-05-09 00:11:00
I received a call today from an attorney who asked me what I thought about today's AIG announcement of its first quarter loss (see below). Let's look back a short while before coming back to May 8th. February 10, 2006  AIG announcement of settlement  with Eliot Spitzer and New York State Insurance Department   (and I received calls like I did today and in the months after 9-11-with press induced fears that life insurance and workers comp exposures from 9-11 would cripple structured settlement annuity insurers)THEN March 17, 2006 Business Insurance states that AIG posted a 6.5% increase in profit despite a drop in net income in the 4th quarter (attributed to the charge for the settlement) May 8, 2008.  American International Group (AIG) reports a $7.81 billion first-quarter loss and announced plans to raise $12.5 billion in new capital. According to the Wall Street Journal. the insurance giant, which has been battered by soured investments on credit-def...
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Pressman Settlements Inartful Use of "Leverage" Helps Teach A Financial Lit
2008-05-08 22:50:00
One of my pet projects is helping to improve the financial literacy in my part of the world. One of my pet peeves is when "the teachers" sling financial jargon in a sales approach or advertising that on its face contributes or has the potential to contribute to "the illiterati". For example here's what "over 21 years experience in banking, finance and structured settlements" gets you..."We ensure sound fiscal management of funds by leveraging life insurance companies with A+, AM Best rating, or better". So states the advertising claim of Structured Settlement Brokerage firm Pressman Settlements Corporation on how their services benefit attorneys and their clients. According to Wikipedia, the term fiscal refers to government debt, expenditures and revenues, or to finance (particularly financial revenue) in general.  On fiscal policy Investopedia states "Government spending policies that influence macroeconomic conditions. Thes...
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Stone Street Capital Slips On Banana Peel with Massachusetts "Do Not Call L
2008-05-06 15:57:00
One of our sources in Massachusetts told me this morning that he received a call from an Audrey Ismael (phonetic spelling) who said she represented Stone Street Capital, a "cash now" pusher. The stated purpose of the call by Ismael was " they wanted to know how the transaction went with his structured settlement". When the caller asked "how did you get my name?" Ismael replied "it's confidential, I really can't tell you that".  To which the source replied "that's interesting because I am on the "Do Not Call list". Chapter 265 of the Acts of 2002, An Act Regulating Telemarketing Solicitation, creates a “Do Not Call” registry within the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.  The law became effective on January 1, 2003 and is found at Chapter 159C of the Massachusetts General Laws.  By signing on to the Do Not Call Registry consumers will be able to stop receiving certain prohibited telepho...
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Stone Street Capital Misinformed Shills Include "The Garden Gossip" and "Tw
2008-05-06 00:53:00
A home based working mother (HBWM) is shilling for "cash now pusher" Stone Street Capital under the moniker of " The Garden Gossip " and " It's Crazy Delicious"-a/k/a twitching tomatoes. In this case the "HWBM" delivers a useless B.M.called "Structured Settlements Needed" enriched with utterly misleading and bogus information that "you can get that structured settlement that you may be interested in from Stone Street Capital". Second B.M. from the Stone Street Capital's Shilling Mama: " I would opt for structured settlements personally (where the word structured settlements are linked to Stone Street Capital's website)". Third B.M. from Stone Street Capital's Shilling Mama: "Take the money and run I say…enjoy it and do what you want with it and let it gain interest in your account as opposed to someone elses". Comments: Shilling Mama obviously has no clue what a structured settlement is. She i...

Structured Settlements ARE Competitive With Bonds
2008-05-05 18:15:00
Structured settlement annuity yields remain competitive to other alternatives, even in cases where there is no lifetime payout. Even if you don't need lifetime income, a fixed income investment may be part of, or may have been recommended to be part of, your portfolio. So let's illustrate a structured settlement in which the payment flows are modeled after a bond held to maturity. Generally the issuer of a bond (usually a government entity or corporation) pays periodic interest to the bondholder until maturity and then, the bondholder receives back the amount invested. Listed below is a comparison of yields on structured annuity simulations of several types of 10, 15 and 20 year bonds and the corresponding yield on the bond that is being simulated. Once again, for this illustration, the bonds are assumed to be held to maturity. 10-year Simulation10 Year U.S. Treasury 3.50% taxable 10 Year AAA tax-exempt municipal 4.01% tax-exempt Structured annuity IRR from A+XV AM Bes...
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Structured Settlements Guide Misinformation of The Day
2008-05-05 02:28:00
Serial structured settlement misinformants (a/k/a the authors of Structured Settlements Guide - "the delusional guide to structured settlements") post in the Structured Settlements Guide today, a ditty about loans from "Senior LIfe Settlements". While Patrick Hindert may consider this an "overlapping market", Senior Life Settlements have nothing to do with structured settlements. There is no bridge in the Internal revenue Code under IRC 5891(where the definition of "structured settlement" appears) which deals with senior life settlements.

RSP Designation Mischaracterized AGAIN by Fort Myers Elder Lawyer
2008-05-05 00:19:00
At a time when a number of settlement consultants and elder lawyers are getting to know each other better for the mutual benefit of each other and those they serve it's critical that references to credentialing be accurate. I'm not sure why Fort Myer's Elder law attorney, William T. Edy continues to get his facts wrong on the Registered Settlement Planner Designation (RSP). In a post today on Medicare Trusts on News-Press.Com,  Attorney Edy mischaracterizes which entity designates someone a Registered Settlement Planner and wrongly states the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP). The fact is that, as stated in the overview for the program posted on the Texas Tech University web site, the Registered Settlement Planner Program is a product of collaboration between the Registry of Settlement Planners Board (RSP Board) and Texas Tech University’s Personal Financial Planning Division. There is nothing worse than professionals not getting the facts straight on credentialing...
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Annuitant Dies But Beneficiary Is Dead... What Happens Now?
2008-05-04 19:15:00
"What happens if beneficiary of death benefit on a structured settlement annuity is dead?" came the question. The question highlights why settlement planners, attorneys and plaintiffs must give some serious thought to the designation of beneficiary of structured settlement payments that form part of the recovery of damages. The question suggests that the named beneficiary was an individual (as opposed to a trust,estate or other entity). In many settlement agreenments the contingency is covered by stating that if the named beneficiary is not alive at the time of the annuitant's death, then the remaining guaranteed payments go to the estate of the annuitant. In answer to the simple question, one could make that assumption here. Structured setlement brokers, settlement planners and attorneys for plaintiffs should make it a practice to carefully check the beneficiary designation, as part of their review of settlement documents, to be sure it meets the wishes and/or needs of thei...
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The Road To Structured Settlement "Illiteracy" Via Mark Benedict Young
2008-05-04 18:18:00
Mark Benedict Young can be observed as the most prolific distributor of misinformation about structured settlements at the moment. Those that subscribe to Google alerts on "structured settlements" are subjected to multiple daily alerts containing this misinformation spammer's posts. Personal injury plaintiffs should ignore anything that Mark Benedict Young writes on the subject of structured settlements because much of what he writes is replete with factual inaccuracies and therefore not reliable. Today's "Steaming Pile" from Mark Benedict YoungMark Benedict Young (from the publication "Structured Settlement s From Lawsuits")These settlements are not always made in a single lump sum payment. It is common practice to break up the amount of the settlement in small instalments (sic.), to be paid over a span of many years. SS4R Comments Structured settlements always involve periodic or installment payments. As Mark Benedict Young has already opined ...
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Clients First-IF Clients Really First Why Misinformation?
2008-05-03 07:22:00
Factoring Company "Client First"  is misinforming the public about structured settlements. Here are a few examples Client First Says In Its Glossary (5/2/2008): A qualified assignment agreement is "an assignment of the obligation to make future settlement payments which satisfies the requirements of Internal Revenue Code for tax free treatment of structured settlement payments. Typically the transfer or sale of structured settlement payments is completed using a qualified assignment. Comments: The second sentence is utterly wrong. IRC Section 130 defines qualified assignments The transfer or sale of structured settlement payments is NOT completed using a qualified assignment. Also, add Client First to list of factoring companies who wrongfully mislead consumers by confusing the process of factoring periodic payment rights as "the structured settlement process". Click here for the REAL structured settlement process". The management of Client ...
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"Eggs Benedict Bung"- What an Oeuf!
2008-05-02 19:34:00
Mark Benedict Young ("Eggs Benedict Bung") deserves a runny egg on his face for serving about useless tripe that purports to be about structured settlements called "A Few Things To Know About Structured Settlements from Lawsuits". First Profoundly Ridiculously StatementWhen you win a lawsuit for a large sum of money, the amount paid to you is called a settlement. This could be an out-of-court settlement, where the money is offered to you to drop the lawsuit or it could be a settlement awarded to you by the courts. Comments: If you win a lawsuit for any amount of money it is NOT called a settlement. A settlement is a compromise agreed through "a meeting of the minds" among two or more parties. "Eggs Benedict Bung" clearly has read up on circular definition Courts do not award settlements. In some cases, such as those involving minors, incompetents, or death cases, Courts approve settlements Second Profoundly Ridiculously Statement...

Court Denies "Financial Rape" of Tort Victim By "Cash Now Pusher"
2008-05-02 18:36:00
Hot off the press! An alert southern US judge has denied a petition to sell structured settlement payment rights. The 23 year old tort victim attempted to sell 217 payments (18 years 1 month) of  life contingent payments of $1,000 per month , increasing at 3% annually, from a Pacific Life and Annuity structured settlement scheduled to begin January 1, 2020 to a cash now pusher for $4,000.00. THAT'S NO TYPO FOLKS $282,675.66 in future payments for $4,000.00. Effective discount rate is a "tort victim violating" 25.79% The company which engineered this underwhelming and court denied offer appears on our cash now pushers list  wall of shame. Structured Settlements 4Real intends to post documents when they become available which will reveal the identity of the cash now pusher Incidentally, a competing quote offered her $22,000 for ONLY 140 payments, a discount rate of 11.81% which still leaves $117,908.66 in payments intact. A little shopping makes a huge diffe...
More About: Financial , Cash , Tort , Rape , Pusher

Structured Settlements Do Not Oscillate
2008-03-21 16:49:00
Some apparently uneducated soul has posted a web page which states, in pertinent part, that "Structured settlements are essentially "oscillating" payments "prefabricated" to a consumer as a termination of a individualized trauma lawsuit". Merriam Webster dictionary defines "oscillating" and "prefabricated" as follows: Oscillating- to swing backward and forward like a pendulum; to vary above and below a mean value Prefabricated-to produce artificially, to fabricate the parts at a factory so that construction consists mainly of assembling and uniting standardized parts Comments: Neither of the two terms applies to structured settlements. The word "terminate" is not usually associated with lawsuit. The words "settlement", "dismissal", "withdrawal" and "discontinuance" are. Do your research! Turning out drivel is not the way to earn credibility as a writer. The beauty of wordsmithing may be lost if what you are saying is incorrect.
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Why is JG Wentworth Buying Lunch? DealFlow Media's ASNP Coverage Misses Cru
2008-03-21 00:35:00
DealFlow Media drums up interest in next week's ASNP conference with attorney Frank Johns' rhetorical question " How do you prevent plaintiffs from falling in with a factoring company and undoing everything that you have helped them with?" Johns' answer is a good one, yet a significant point is missed-the question that Johns and other special needs attorneys SHOULD be asking. Specifically "why is JG Wentworth permitted to be a Gold sponsor of this meeting?". The fact the JG Wentworth is seen to be a sponsor of this group undermines its credibilty, in my opinion. You dont see such sponsorships with NAELA, Stetson or Special Needs Alliance.
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The Okie Pokey
2008-03-20 09:25:00
His admiration for the "grace" of Bill Lerach is STILLthe lead story at "Super Settlement Planning", the pulpit of Structured Settlement Services' Robert Risk II, a structured settlement broker and "tough issues tackler" out of Tulsa, OK. But what in the Bill Lerach "plea copping" arouses Risk that fellow "plea coppers", Dickie Scruggs and Melvyn Weiss (Lerach's former partner) DO NOT? According to the Wall Street Journal, Melvyn Weiss, the onetime powerhouse shareholders lawyer, struck a deal to agree to plead guilty in a case alleging improper kickbacks (same as Lerach). Terms of the deal, which could be announced as early as Wednesday, weren't known. Weiss, 72, was indicted in connection with an alleged scheme at his law firm, now known as Milberg LLP, to pay millions of dollars in kickbacks to clients in exchange for their being ready to serve as name plaintiffs in lucrative shareholder class-action cases. He was charged with four counts and could have faced 40 years i...
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Law Firm Lets Life Insurance Policy Lapse With Policy Loan in Excess of Bas
2008-03-19 20:19:00
The Washington Report, a publication of the Association of Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU) reports of a decision that will be of interested to law firms who use life insurance as part of buy/sell succession planning. The Tax Court had held in Dyer v Commissioner, T.C. Summary Opinion 2008-23, that income received by the taxpayer's law firm, upon the lapse of a life insurance policy which insured the taxpayer, was not taxable to him or his wife because they were not owners, and did not receive income from, or any benefits of the policy. The life insurer did not have any contact with the taxpayers. The tax payers did not take any distribution from the policy. The law firm had purchased a Northwestern Mutual life insurance policy on it's former partners life in 1978 with his wife named his wife as beneficiary. An oral agreement among the partners that they would insure each other to cover the contingency of a partner's premature demise. If such an event occurred the proceeds fr...
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Forge Consulting and "Structured Asse" Attempt to Promote Themselves On Wik
2008-03-19 13:27:00
An attempt to use Wikipedia for the advertising of Forge Consulting , LLC out of its Georgia operation has resulted in a speedy deletion pasting on February 25, 2008. Download forge_wikipedia_shows_up_on_google_search _3192008.pdf Download forgewikipedia_attempted_listing_2252008. pdf The rules of Wikipedia cite that certain articles are candidates for "speedy deletion". In this case:"An article about a real person, organization (band, club, company, etc.), or web content that does not indicate why its subject is important or significant. This is distinct from questions of notability, verifiability and reliability of sources. A7 applies only to articles about web content or articles on people and organizations themselves, not articles on their books, albums, software and so on." Wikipedia's editors have yet to get wind of the hi-jinks of factoring company Structured Asset Funding (subject of our recent story "Structured Asse") which is, in my opinion, inappro...
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What is "Structured Asse"? A Factoring Spy Story
2008-03-18 01:47:00
When the words "Structured Asse" come up in Your Caller ID do you pick up? Apparently Sovereign Funding Group's phone rang today with a call from "Structured Asse", although the caller answered to the name of Josh Wander. Apparently Wander wondered who Sovereign Funding's funding source was.  So who is Josh Wander, why is Wander wondering, and who is he an operative for? The easy phone trace saved the careless wondering Wander from Sodium Pentothal. The phone number 954-455-6060 for "Structured Asse" was traced to Structured Asset Funding, LLC (a/k/a "123 Lump Sum", a/k/a "123 Lump Dumb" the company that solicits in web ads that you could sell your structured settlement payment rights for a Ferrari or boat), which explains the dilemma of "Structured Asse". The intrigue builds when one learns that according to public records the owners of "Structured Asse" are also the sole manager members of Bentzen Fundi...
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Offspring of "James Bond Nemesis" Writes About Structured Settlements For S
2008-03-18 00:38:00
  Could writer Jacob Malewitz pass for the offspring of the character "Jaws" (from James Bond movie Moonraker) and "Miss Dolly"? Malewitz states on "A Writer's Eye" that he "does know the world of structured settlements". In his "Structured Settlements from StoneStreet.com" he simply shows how little he really knows about structured settlements. Jacob Malewitz confuses the term "structured settlement" with structured settlement factoring transaction both of which are defined terms under the Internal Revenue Code and refers people to Stone Street Capital for structured settlements. Stone Street Capital is NOT a structured settlement company. Stone Street Capital is NOT a structured settlement broker. Stone Street Capital is NOT a member of any recognized structured settlement industry trade association. Stone Street Capital is a factoring company which happens to do structured settlement factoring transactions. If...
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JG Wentworth Continues to Rack Up Awards
2008-03-17 19:52:00
An Austin TX bible thumper has awarded JG Wentworth, the largest member of the National Association of Settlement Purchasers, with the prestigious "Slimeball of the Month" for February 2008. According to the award sponsor... Slimeball of the Month award.This one is for people, agencies, or organizations that: promote zero tolerance steal the rights of citizens take money from the poor by slight of hand destroy our national sovereignty undermine the defense of our nation promote myths about ... Click here for why it chooses to honor JG Wentworth. The astute Texan states "that any financial councilor (sic.)  can tell you that giving a lump sum of money to someone who can't manage a cash flow will make them worse off in the end". Congratulations JG Wentworth! As "Kristen" said to "Client No. 9"- "Keep It up!"
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Sovereign "Crowns" Bentzen
2008-03-17 05:59:00
Sovereign Financial Group offers an alternative point of view to factoring broker Bentzen Funding Solutions' latest "lead balloon" that " price is just a price - one that any self-serving individual could claim to have the best of, especially when quoting it to someone who doesn’t truly understand the ins and outs of the business. It’s what comes with that price that makes it all make sense in the end" Sovereign suggests that you ask yourself this question: Would Walmart be the most successful retail store in the World today if while providing excellent service it did not make Price the #1 focus of its attention? Sovereign states that its #1 job is to offer the very best price for the transfer and sale of each structured settlement case on the secondary market. At the same time, it is dedicated to offering the most comprehensive service available in the industry. And THEY don't gossip. Other blog reactions came from Andrew Cravenho at the Settlement Quot...
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When $100,000 Turns Into $1176 in 14 months!
2008-03-17 02:12:00
The Wall Street Journal early edition is reporting that the once venerable Bear Stearns brokerage house has been sold to JP Morgan Chase for $2 a share. At its high in January 2007 the shares were priced at $170 per share. Consider this: Had you invested $100,000 of settlement money in the stock of Bear Stearns at $170 per share in January 2007 and held it to today your investment would be worth approximately $1,176.  That's one of an investment! Had you sold your structured settlement for a discounted amount of cash now in January 2007, because someone told you about "a great investment opportunity" (which happened to be Bear Stearns stock) and you sold your annuity payments, bought and held the investment in the stock through today, you would have been a two time loser. You would have effectively destroyed a safe secure program, taken the discounted amount of cash and it would now be worth less than 2% of the amount you subsequently invested! Had you taken t...
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Is American General the Same as AIG?
2008-02-12 16:14:00
The above question was raised earlier this morning. Answer: American General Corporation, Houston, TX, is one of the many operating companies within American International Group, Inc. (AIG). On August 30, 2001 AIG finalized its acquisition of American General Corporation (American General).  In the structured settlement industry AIG Structured Settlements, based in Amarillo, TX, distributes annuities through licensed structured settlement brokers and settlement planners who are appointed with either or both  American General Life Insurance Company and American International Life Assurance Company of New York.

Is "Digital Discount Codes" a Hoax?
2008-02-12 04:52:00
It has already been established that Structured Settlement Alliance is an alter ego of JG Wentworth, part of its $43 million plan of annoyance cloaked as advertising. A website called Digital Discount Codes is advertising deals and discount codes, freebies, percent off, dollar off coupons and other special sales for Structured Settlement Alliance, including secret codes and free "shipping offers". Download structured_settlement_alliance_"fant asy"_coupons.pdf Clicking on the Structured Settlement Alliance link brings you to the "standard issue" Structured Settlement Alliance website and no deals and discount codes, freebies, percent off, dollar off coupons and other special sales for Structured Settlement Alliance, including secret codes and free "shipping offers". A quick check shows that the owner of the site has registered through GoDaddy.com but elected to remain anonymous. How is JG Wentworth inveigled with the owners of Digital Disco...
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"Convergence" versus the "Quarterback"
2008-02-12 03:35:00
"Technological convergence" refers to a trend where some technologies having distinct functionalities evolve to technologies that overlap, i.e. multiple products come together to form one product, with the advantages of each initial component. Some would say that there has been an industry convergence...in what Patrick Johann Hindert refers to as "overlapping markets": structured settlements, factoring, special needs planning and life settlements. Is it just a marketing gimmick or is there really a convergence? If there is, is it a new concept? Could this convergence be represented by a series of only 4 overlapping Venn Diagrams or is it more like a full compass rose? The core competencies of a Chartered Financial Consultant are embodied in these 8 courses that one must pass to earn the ChFC designation. HS 300 Financial Planning: Process and Environment*HS 311 Fundamentals of Insurance PlanningHS 321 Income TaxationHS 326 Planning for Retirement Needs HS 32...
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"Truffle" in Paradise? Does Hindert have "Ned Head"?
2008-02-11 23:42:00
Did S2KM's Hindert wake up with a bad case of "Ned Head " or what ? From 10 podcasts with Ned Arthur on the spin, to none at all, it seems like Patrick Hindert has had it with the abominable quality "phase delay" sound Truffle Media podcasts, or has he?
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DealFlow Media on First Name Basis With Judge or Just Disrespectful?
2008-02-11 16:22:00
Is DealFlow Media a friend of the judge or just disrespectful? In the Structured Settlements wire report concerning the "Financial Vultures" story, DealFlow was quoted "On two instances during the court hearing, "Netti" ordered Stone Street attorney Christopher L. Russo to contact his superiors and see about increasing the offer, which represented...." Perhaps Judge Netti C. Vogel could quote from A Few Good Men (in this case Women) and inform DealFlow that "a judge is to be referred to as judge or your honor"...I'm quite confident she's earned it!