I’ve asked a number of prominent attorneys to go on camera to weigh in on the benefits of structuring a settlement. I’m grateful that so many agreed. Here is a YouTube link to comments by Tom Girardi.
Almost half of U.S. retirees die with savings of $10,000 or less, but that grim finding doesn’t fully describe the variability and uncertainty that characterize retirement in America, according to a recent study.
Most plaintiff attorneys are aware that their fees can be structured in personal injury cases. Less known is that structured fees, using a life insurance annuity, can also be created in non-injury (non-qualifying) cases.
Clients choosing cash settlements assume the risks associated with their investments during both stable and volatile economic times. Clients requiring lifetime care and support usually do not have the luxury of being able to weather market ups and downs and fluctuating incomes, especially when unforeseen medical emergencies are part of life.
Structuring attorney fees is increasingly becoming part of a law firm or sole practitioner’s financial planning strategy. Not every fee is eligible and certain initial steps must be taken so the fee qualifies for its preferred tax status. Patrick Farber, a structured settlements broker at Ringler Associates in Southern California, talked with Mark Simurda, a CPA and tax partner with Lesley, Thomas, Schwarz & Postma, Inc., in Newport Beach about structuring settlement fees.
When most people hear "structured settlement," they assume the dollar amount of the injury settlement is for hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Surprisingly, that's not always true. Over the past 20 years, more than 50 percent of the structured settlements facilitated by Ringler Associates, the world's oldest and largest settlement annuity firm, were less than $50,000. Another approximately 17 percent were between $50,000 and $100,000. These figures are typical in most annuity firms.
