Structured Settlements - The Benefits of Having Cash in Hand

Information about the text source for this post can be found at the end of the article.

Mr. Lane, a business associate and friend of my in-laws retired this year. In addition to Social Security, he began collecting monthly payments on two different annuities he started many years ago. And though the income from these annuities is enough to allow him to continue his lifestyle, he doesn’t seem to be very happy.

I overheard a conversation this man had with several people at a family gathering. He was saying that he thought retirement would be more exciting. Mr. Lane has been a widower for more than 10 years and wants more from life than the same routine he has had for the last 40 years. He said he wanted to see the world, really see the world. He was talking about non-stop traveling for the next year or more. He also spoke of buying a vacation home in the tropics. He secretly told my father in law that he didn’t have the funds to do these things. But he may be mistaken.

The annuities he holds are valuable assets. He receives monthly payments from the annuities for a pre-set number of years. If he dies before the term is over, the payments may be received by his heirs. The monthly income from both annuities is significant but it seems this man would rather have cash to have some fun in his retirement. Is there a way to achieve this? Yes.

There are both companies and investors willing to pay cash up front in exchange for receiving payments on private real estate mortgages, lottery winnings, structured settlements annuities and other cash flow’ assets. Such companies often have a variety of options available and are eager to meet the needs of their clients. There are several options available to Mr. Lane. Let’s take a look at a few:

• He could receive a single lump sum for one or both of his annuities. In this case he would assign his rights to receive future payments to an investor and end up with all cash.
• He could assign an investor the right to receive a portion of his payment for the entire term of the annuity or for only a specified time, say five years. In this case he’d get a lump sum up front and part of a monthly payment while the remainder of the payment would go to the investor.
• He could assign his right to receive payments for a specified time. In other words, he might choose the term of seven years. So, for seven years an investor would receive payments from the annuity. At the completion of the seven year term, payments would revert back to Mr. Lane.

There are many companies in the business of purchasing income streams or investments. Some can be very creative in structuring a plan where the holder of a cashflow asset receives the funds they need while maintaining a portion of the payments for the future.

Hey, I just got a post card from Belize. It’s from Mr. Lane. He says, I’d love it there. I think he’s right.

This post was syndicated from the following Source Feed

Comments RSS