The Advantages and Disadvantages of Structured Settlements
If you have been injured and won a judgment chances are the compensation you will receive will be delivered in a form of structured settlement payments. Structured settlements are a way for a person who has won a case to get their funds from the insurance company.
If the company that owes you the money doesn’t want to pay a lump sum of cash up front you are awarded the funds in what is termed a “structured settlement”. This allows the company to stretch out its debt over a number of years instead of having to come out of the pocket all at once. The settlements or lottery winnings can be paid through an annuity, which will guarantee that the person who is owe will be paid.
The Advantages of Receiving Structured Settlement Payments
One of the major advantages of getting the cash in the form of settlement payments instead of the lump sum is that you will receive a specific amount of money that you can rely on for years. Can you imagine if you were awarded $1,000.00 per month for 50 years? That is a guaranteed source of income and if you are able to work it will be additional to your job income.
Structured Settlement Payments Could Be Tax Free
Another advantage of getting the structured settlement payments is that they are tax-free. That’s right as long as you are getting payments and everything has been set up properly you will not have to worrying about paying taxes on any of your payments that you receive from the lawsuit or settlement.
Protect Yourself from Spending All of Your Money
An advantage of getting the settlement payments instead of receiving the lump sum is that it protects you from spending all of your money. Not everyone has financial savvy and have that much money all at once could easily become overwhelming. Many people who have won the lottery and taken the lump sum option have ended up broke simply because they didn’t know how to manage the money. Getting monthly installments helps you protect you from yourself and bad spending habits.
Would You Give a Minor a Lump Sum Payout?
Structured settlement payments work great if a minor has been involved. No one would want to give a child $100,000. This allows the minor to receive payments month to help pay for school expenses and anything else that he/she may need. It also protects the minor so that the parents do not waste the money and the child ends up with nothing when he or she could be completely disabled and unable to work.
Some of the Disadvantages of Getting Structure Settlement Payments
If you choose to get the monthly payments instead of receiving a lump sum of cash you may find yourself dealing with a few of these issues. If something major comes up and you wont be able to pay for it. Think about needing to put money down on a home, pay hospital bill or some other type of emergency that requires a large sum of money.
This actually leads to another disadvantage of getting the payments, which is once you are receiving the payments you will lose a lot if you do need a lump sum. Many times people decide to sell their settlement or annuity payment for a lump sum of cash but don’t realize that they will lose almost 10-35% of the value. Once you are in the contract with the term for monthly payments you cant get out unless you sell your payments to an outside structured settlements buyer. While these companies are out to help you get a lump sum of cash they are looking to make a profit as well.
The last disadvantage of getting the settlement payments is that you are not getting return on these payments. Maybe you would like to invest in mutual funds, stocks, or real estate. All of which could give you a better return on your money and allow it to grow 2 to 3 times more than what you are going to get if you just get payments. Some people are just better with their finances then others.