Sell Structured Settlement and what is the benefits of doing so

Understand the legal process for Selling Structured Settlement Payments written by: sande7
Today, many people are the recipients of structured settlements as a result of a financial arrangement reached after a personal injury lawsuit or some other sort of legal action. 

As a financial agreement that includes the payment of money over a set period, structured settlements have grown in popularity over the last few decades.

Usually, most every lawsuit settled or decided upon by a jury features a structured settlement rather than the payment of a lump sum which, before the'70s, was the most common way of paying off in a lawsuit that involved personal injury or other torts. 

They are distinguished by the fact that money is paid on an installment basis over a length of time, with recipients living off the payments.

There are times, however, when it can make a fair bit of sense to look at the structured settlement payment and perhaps sell off a portion of it to raise ready cash. This may be because certain emergencies or other obligations involving finances has arisen. Laws vary by state, but most do allow for such payments to be sold to meet a range of obligations.

Selling Your Structured Settlement for the Right Price Is the price Right?

Structured settlements are a common financial option for those who have been injured or involved in an accident to receive periodic insurance payouts. These payments guarantee an ongoing income which allows financial security in times where many find themselves made redundant or without a continuous income.

Tips to sell structured settlement in the legal process when to sell

A reason that many sell early, is that they are in a dangerous financial situation and need financial aid. Selling you structured settlement will help ease this burden significantly and is beneficial for those who need it. When looking at your finances, will the money made cover your financial necessities? Will you still have a sum of money left afterward? 

If the money you will gain will not be enough to pay off your debt, it is best to avoid selling your settlement. Debt can quickly devour its way through your savings, especially with the current high interest rates. It is best to consult a financial advisor who will help you decide the best way to pay off your debt.

However, if your financial necessities are moderate or low, it may be worth considering a partial cash payout. This would provide you with many advantages mainly; quick access to cash to pay off any debt and the guarantee of continuous monthly payments in the future.

The legal process to sell structured settlement 

Forty-seven states have specific laws that regulate the sale of structured settlement payment rights. The laws vary slightly from state to state, but all require that a court approves the transaction. The relevant state law requires that a particular court and a special judge determine that the reason for selling, and the terms of the sale, collectively represent the best interests of the seller.

Sellers should realize exactly what that means to the process and the deal. A seller of structured settlement payments should always request nothing less than what the market will bear. The seller may remind the purchaser that the better the terms of the deal, the more likely the judge is to approve the deal. 

This does not mean that these types of "transfers" exist outside the bounds of normal supply and demand. All purchasers are restricted by the underlying transaction costs, and the risk inherent in purchasing a future payment. It is understood that a buyer pays for something today, but must wait until some future date to receive payment. 

Unlike the procurement of a car or a house, this transaction is scrutinized by a third-party and is not approved in court unless it represents a real "win-win" situation. Purchasers cannot assume that the tribunals will support all structured settlement transactions, just as sellers should not assume that the legal process constraints all offer to purchase payments.

No one involved in the structured settlement transfer process should assume anything. Vendors use the requirement for court approval to their advantage while accepting the reality that no sale is possible without a fair price. The market would not exist and will not exist in the future unless the purchaser is willing to take on some level of risk — but all risk comes at some cost.


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Structured Settlement Annuity and the benefits of having one

Structured Settlement Annuity - Why they are important to have


Structured settlement refers to a negotiated insurance or financial arrangement where the claimant agrees to settle personal injury tort by receiving payment in the form of periodic payments instead of a lump sum. Structured settlement can either be demanded by the plaintiff or offered by the defendant. 

Ultimately both plaintiff and defendant agree. A structured settlement is mostly used in injury or product liability cases. This is because it allows the parties involved to reduce legal and other costs by avoiding going to a trial. The periodic payment can be funded through the purchase of annuities. Structured settlements have requirements such as spendthrift and income tax. When structured settlement is incorporated in a trial judgment, it is referred to as structured judgment. 


Situation in which people may Receive Structured Settlements


Personal Injury 

When a person is armed wrongfully, he or she files a lawsuit seeking compensation from the person who has caused the harm. Money that is received helps the recipient to settle medical costs and other expenses during the medication period.

Wrongful Death 

A structured settlement is used to compensate the family of a person whose death was caused by someone else wrongfully. The family receives tax-free payment which is used to replace the loss of income formerly earned by their deceased loved one.

Worker’s compensation

When workers are injured at work, the company caters for their wage replacement and medical treatment during the period in which the worker is unable to work. 

Advantages of Structured Settlement 
·Structured settlement yields more compared to lump-sum because the interest of your annuity may increase over time. 

·Unlike mutual funds, stocks and bonds, structured settlement are not affected by fluctuations in the financial market.

· Spreading the payment over a given period helps the recipient to avoid extravagant purchases. Also, it guarantees future income which helps the recipient to cater for all the needs in case there is a need for long-term medical care.

· Structured settlement payment is tax-free.

·Payment can be scheduled for any length of time. They can begin immediately or after many years. 

The benefits might increase, or one might receive a lump-sum payment.

Disadvantages of Structured Settlement 

· Some parts of the settlement are taxed such as punitive damages and attorney’s fees.

· When all the terms are finalized, there are no changes which can be done. If the overall economy changes, you cannot renegotiate the terms. Thus, it is always advisable to carry out extensive research before making the final decision. 

· When the contract is signed, funds are not immediately available in case of an emergency. Hence, the recipient cannot invest in investments which have a high rate of return. 

· In some of the states, insurance companies do not disclose their costs making it hard to establish the right structured settlement annuity. Without the right information, the recipient might lose a significant amount of money. 

· Getting involved in structured settlement without selling any payment will cost you money. For instance, you will need to pay for IRS penalties and surrender charges if you withdraw cash before 59  years. 

Before you decide to choose structured settlement annuity, you should be ready to discuss all other available options with a certified public accountant, personal injury attorney and tax attorney to fully explore the pros and cons of the settlement or verdict. 

The end result is to ensure that you have selected the best option for your compensation. 

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Lawsuit Loans and what you need to Know

BENEFITS OF LAWSUIT LOANS

When you are involved in litigation, and your financial condition becomes severe, and banks, friends, and family can't help you, to whom do you turn? There are support services that may offer support, specifically designed to meet your needs.

The team of legal, medical and financial experts dealing in lawsuit loans may provide the assistance needed to create a dependable budget to meet your needs and secure your future. Lawsuit loans may be sufficient to support you and your family.

The need for a lawsuit loan often arises when the daily expenses suddenly increase, placing a strain on your finances.

Obtaining one may be a great help when you are suffering from pain or injuries, which can decrease your work capacity. In such cases, they may provide the cash you desperately need.

Lawsuit loans often help you in both pre- and post-settlement litigation, offering a wide array of funding options. This may be just what you and your attorney need to preclude accepting a ridiculously low settlement offer.Here let look the benefits of Lawsuit Loans

-A Plaintiff gains assistance in financing the everyday needs during litigation.

-They give support continuing settlement.

-They give your attorney-at-law with support to learn witnesses needed to help your case.

-They assist in keeping your lawyer's focus on your case, maintaining the cash-flow for the law office while you are awaiting settlement.

-The team of legal, medical and financial experts dealing in lawsuit loans assists both you and your attorney in preventing over-funding.

Lawsuit Loans support you when you are injured due to the carelessness or irresponsibility of others. You are legally entitled to take legal action against those who cause the injuries and to recover just compensation.

Let's face it, if the tortfeasor (i.e., the one causing your injuries) offered to compensate you for the harm they produced justly, litigation wouldn't be on your plate! Plaintiffs often must engage in expensive litigation to recover for losses incurred due to the carelessness or irresponsibility of others.

Legal Settlement Loans is the premier settlement lawsuit loan educational resource. We provide all the needed information to someone looking to get a trial loan during their pending lawsuit.

3 Things to Avoid When Pursuing Lawsuit Loans 

1 Avoid Filing A Frivolous Claim

First and foremost, avoid submitting "frivolous" claims to obtain settlement funding. To receive serious consideration, the claim must be meritorious. Simply stated, where a reasonable person to review your claim, would they be able to know that you have a rational basis on which to claim damages as a result of the party's actions against whom/which you have filed your claim? The exact reason for this is that frivolous cases are a tremendous burden on all Court dockets and, at least in most instances, repugnant to jurors in whose hands the case will rest if the case goes to trial and the presiding judge rules that the plaintiff may, by law, proceed in action. Therefore, most underwriters who must determine whether a case is worth funding will deny requests for lawsuit loans and settlement loans in such situations.

Just how much avoidance is sufficient? There are no exceptions! It is a waste of time to request settlement funding in violation of this first "must avoid." Furthermore, you compromise the ability to have underwriters seriously consider future requests that you may submit during subsequent litigation. (Many individuals present such requests if involved additional legal matters arise.)

2 .Make Certain That Your Claim Is "Ripe" For Funding

Second, avoid submitting requests for funding before your claim being sufficiently "ripe" for litigation funding. This just means that you must be able to demonstrate damages before obtaining funding. Why? It is the verifiable costs that will determine the value of your claim. Therefore, if you have a medical malpractice claim, you must have an expert's report identifying the malpractice, costs/expenses incurred, etc. to establish the value of your claim. Before being able to produce this information, your case is not sufficiently "ripe" to present for funding.

How can we tell what is enough or excessive? It is enough if you satisfy your burden of proof and you have documentation that supports the basis of your claim and damages arising from that place. It is excessive if you attempt to incorporate extra data that have no bearing on either the actual nature of your claim or damages arising from that place.

3. Make Certain That You Submit A "Completed" Application

Third and finally, avoid submitting an incomplete application in your request for either a settlement loan or a lawsuit loan. The reason behind that is that those who work to obtain the funding you request are typically very busy and will review your application based on what you provide. If you fail to provide sufficient contact information, etc., your claim will be dead-in-the-water. Remember, you're the one requesting the funding!

Eliminate the negatives by avoiding these three things. That should practically avoid whatever problems you could encounter when pursuing lawsuit loans and settlement loans - getting you off to a great start!

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Legal Settlement Funding - How to go About it Properly

Legal Settlement Funding 

Dealing with a legal system can be a mind-boggling act because of attorneys, judges, trial session, and endless paperwork. If you have not been through the process before, it can be even more intimidating. Personal injury cases are municipal lawsuits in which the accused or their insurance company pays the victim for their losses and injuries due to negligence. As you may know, personal injury claims can take many months or years to finalize. All this requires money to be spent on the part of plaintiffs for medical expenses, personal expenses, and legal expenses. 

What is a settlement funding?
In general terms, settlement funding involves a third party that lends sums to the plaintiffs who have filed a lawsuit. The practice of this lending money is known as lawsuit funding. For a plaintiff to acquire this funding, the plaintiff's claims are first verified by the third party in that they should be genuine and should have enough evidence and therefore good chances of winning the claim. The plaintiff must have an active case with a personal injury attorney.

Settlement funding is a mechanism designed to which plaintiff's get monetary support to see personal and medical expenses while their claim is in a court of law. The manner in which the value of the loan is set depends upon the assessed value to the harm done by one party (the defendant) to another (the plaintiff). 

Procedure to Get Settlement Funding Granted:

If the negotiated settlement fails, then the case continues, and the judge or jury make the decision. After assessing all the aspects of the case, the nature of the damage, evidence, amount of the claim, the laws, the funding (third) party decides how much litigation financing should be provided to the plaintiff. It can either be granted in a single lump sum, or it can be set up in a so-called "structured settlement." 

This Structured settlement works by circulating a particular, pre-set sum of cash to the plaintiff over a specified time. The Plaintiff has to return the funding to the third party upon successfully winning the claim(s). The total amount to be returned on such loan may be a pre-fixed amount, or a percentage of the claim including the initially funded amount or a percentage of the claim(s) won plus the original amount as per the deal between the party and the plaintiff.

How Long Does It Take To Get Lawsuit Funding?

Based on the characteristics of the case, the evidence produced, the degree of the damage, and the promptness of the assignment of fault, the law of the land and many other factors, the funding party takes time to assess the claim in its entirety. Therefore, it might take a few weeks to a month to determine the amount to be advanced to the plaintiff.

To relieve this time and pressure on litigants, there are companies like that are dedicated to offering litigation financing, based on the estimated settlement amount.

These companies have huge resources increasing the chances of plaintiffs getting the required funding. Furthermore, they have experienced lenders who work quickly to get the plaintiffs the required funding as fast as possible. 

This proves to be crucial since not all litigants in need have the resources or the time to wait several weeks or months for the lawsuit to settle before getting money for immediate medical and personal expenses.

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Cash Advance Structured Settlements


Did you know that 47 states have already adopted the federal structured settlement protection act that supports cash advance structured settlement? The Act ensures that you can get cash advance while being protected by the law.

What is a structured settlement?

It is the settlement you (as plaintiff or injured party) get from a lawsuit to compensate your injury. You must also accept the payment to be made in parts or periodically instead of getting all the sum upfront. Some of the lawsuits that can result to the settlement include employment disputes, worker’s compensation, personal injuries and more.

What is a cash advance in settlements?

It is cash given to the one receiving cash periodically from structured settlements. Usually, you just get the money, keep it and later deduct it from a future settlement installments. In case the deal doesn’t go through, you are required to pay back the sum.

Law on cash advance

In 2000, the NASP (National Association of Settlement Purchasers) and NSSTA (National Structured Settlements Trade Association), agreed on ways to protect those who want to get cash advance from their settlements. Although Wisconsin, Vermont, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia jurisdictions have not adopted the protection laws, it doesn’t mean that citizens from those areas can’t get a cash advance.

Provided the insurance company offering you the periodic payments is based on one of the states that have adopted the settlement acts, you are covered no matter the part of the US you come from. What you have to do is just ensure that you follow the required steps when getting the cash advance. That’s the good news.

The Truth

In reality, each time you get cash advance structured settlement, you sell a part of your payments to the other party in exchange for cash. When getting an advance, people don’t usually sell their whole settlement plan. In fact, it is, in some cases, advisable to sell portions of the settlement than the whole as legal implications are less. Also, you may not get taxed.

What to understand

Getting a cash advance structured settlement, is not one of the easiest things to do. It is not like selling a car where you just place a sale sign on the windshield of our car! Here you will have to search for the reputable buyers and then check whether they adhere to the state and federal rules in regards to getting cash advances from structured settlements.

Way forward

Luckily, there is a way out – making buyers come to you instead of you going to them. However, you can’t do this on your own! You can work with a trustworthy structured settlement company that will address all your needs and streamlines the overall process for you. Another way is involving an experienced broker. What the broker does is send the potential customers who are willing to give a cash advance at a discount. But remember you also have to pay for the services you get from middlemen.

Conclusion

It is prudent to understand cash advance structured settlement laws and processes before you decide to get a cash advance. In some cases, you should consider having a legal expert opinion on the implications of the transactions involved. Lastly, getting a cash advance is considered to be better than selling the whole structured settlement plan.

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