Structured Settlement Companies: Why Are There So Many?
Structured Settlements
You
see them everywhere. Their commercials are on the television. Their
ads are in print. Their banners show up online every now and again.
They are the companies that buy
structured settlements. Over the past few years, their presence has
skyrocketed to the point where they nearly feel unavoidable. And with
each passing year, there seems to be even more of their kind hitting the
market. But why?
Structured Settlement Basics
In order to fully answer why there are
so many companies that buy structured settlements out there, you should
first have a grasp of what exactly is a structured settlement.
A structured settlement
is a court-based financial arrangement where a person receives a fixed
series of payments over a designated period of time. It is designed to
provide a person a steady stream of money over time instead of a lump
sum of cash all at once.
However, there is enough wiggle room
within a structured settlement that enables a person to sell it to
companies that buy structured settlements in exchange for a lump sum.
This transaction is governed by various court regulations such as the
Structured Settlement Protection Act which state that the transaction
cannot be completed if the person intends on using the lump sum for
frivolous means.
Very Popular
Even with the stringent legal rules in
place, the notion of selling a structured settlement to a secondary
buyer has become increasingly popular for two major reasons:
- Economic downturn – Even though the country has been showing signs of coming out of economic struggles, the financial woes of the past few years – high unemployment, underemployment, and the housing bubble burst come to mind – continue to manifest today.
- Lump sum usage – Despite the use restrictions, there are still plenty of solid uses for a lump sum structured settlement payment to be utilized. A person can use it to pay off an overwhelming amount of credit card or student loan debt, to take care of unexpected funeral costs that might have cropped up, or to pay off unpaid medical bills that spring up in the wake of an unexpected emergency.
In essence, the proliferation of these
companies can be explained by the laws of supply and demand. As more
people had gotten in financial dire straits, the need to sell structured
settlements as a means to obtaining an out became more prevalent. And
studies show that the industry is still rock solid even as the economy
recovers, as it currently enjoys a billion dollar status.
With all that said, the question
remains: Is contacting one of these companies that buy structured
settlements the right call for you, should you have a structured
settlement and are in a financial bind? Truth be told, there is no
right or wrong answer to this inquiry. It truly depends on a host of
different factors that vary from individual to individual. Your best
bet to see if it the proper procedure for you is to contact a financial
expert or advisor.
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