[Settlement payments]

Monday, December 14, 2009

buyer of structured settlement payments




To find a buyer of structured settlement annuity payments, a recipient should first ask a few important questions to the potential buyer of structured annuity settlement payments. The 1st question should be asked to discover what types of programs are offered. Commonly, programs offer lump sums of cash in exchange for a continual payment distribution. Before signing a contract, the receiver of the distribution should get in writing what percentage the buyer will take from the total amount of the payment distribution. No two annuities are the same, and an underwriting department can customize each transaction for the client. Most of the time, the distribution will be exchanged for 50% of the total amount or less. Transactions can take place anywhere from 4-8 weeks once the process has begun. Of course, since each settlement is different, completion times can vary.

A honourable buyer of structured settlement annuity payments will mandate or at least encourage a client to look for the advice of a attorney before signing over any distributions. An attorney should review the agreement. Since clients are dealing in large sums of money; it is always in their best interest to get legal advice on transactions and contracts. The buyer of structured settlement annuity payments should also have a department where testimonials of previous clients or experienced negotiators can walk new clients through the appropriate steps of an exchange. A reputable buyer should also have been in business for while with certifiable successful transactions in the past. At least one referral should be found outside of the potential program being considered as to verify, on a personal level, the validity of the organizations claim. Experienced and hard-working staff members should reveal the step by step process from beginning to end with a potential client.

The first step towards completing a transaction with a buyer of structured settlement annuity payments is to send the paperwork outlining the annuity info so it can be evaluated and further processing decided upon. Clients should be able to contact a staff member at any time with questions or comments concerning the direction of their account and all its planned transactions. Most programs will be able to accommodate the clients funding needs. The lump sum can be directly wired into the client's bank account, or a check can be issued. If other arrangements are needs, or the lump sum is to be distributed to multiple places and accounts, a reputable program will be able to accommodate even the most unique circumstances. There is always a solution to be found to a problem when dealing with an experienced buyer of structured annuity settlement organization. The best organizations are those with high ratings from top notch financial rating firms.

The discounted lump sum that is being paid by the buyer of structured settlement annuity payments may cause confusion for those who are not properly educated in the reasoning for annuity settlements. When an arrangement is made from an insurance company or lottery commission, a portion of the money the receiver is getting is actually from interest on the lump sum that has not been earned yet. The payer invests the money they owe the receiver, and then pay the receiver their annuity payments out of the interest earned. When a buyer of structured annuity settlement organization offers a discounted sum, they are paying what the payer would have paid; only they are keeping the interest from the original payer. This is true with lottery winnings as well. If the winner opts for the one lump sum payment, they actually only get a little less than half of the amount won.

A lot people do not understand this conception, even though it is exactly identical to a structured settlement. In the case of the lottery, annuities or Unites States Treasury bonds are purchased to fund the future payments due to the winner. A buyer of structured settlement annuity payments will also purchase lottery winnings. Unfortunately, when keeping the settlement payments instead of allowing a buyer of structured annuity settlement to purchase the settlement, the money received is not worth as much. This has resulted primarily from inflation and the lowering value of the dollar over the years. No matter what the source, inflation will make the value of payments shrink in coming years. The best way to beat this is to seek the legal advice of a professional who is aware of the client's needs and goals in order to devise a system of payment that will be more beneficial in the long run to the receiver. The average rate of inflation the last 10 years has hovered around 4%. That means for every 10% of interest earned on a lump sum, it actually is only worth a 6% interest increase. "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou has vowed." (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)