Structured settlement annuities are complex products, paid out to injured parties in lieu of one large lump sum. They are unique in that the the payee never owns the annuity; the defendant's insurance company does. In the case of a catastrophe like ELNY, the payee's ability to continue receiving payments is determined by the type of annuity the insurance company has purchased.
As interest rates remain low, investors – especially retirees – struggle to find yield wherever they can. Unfortunately, though, the necessity of earning a required return to fund financial goals becomes the mother of invention for a wide range of investment strategies, both legitimate and fraudulent.
A recent offering of rising popularity is investing into structured settlement annuity contracts, which often claim to offer “no risk” rates of return in the 4% to 7% range. In general, the opportunity for “high yield” (at least relative to today’s interest rates) and “no risk” is a red flag warning.
But the reality is that with structured settlement annuity investing, the higher returns can legitimately be lower risk; the appealing return relative to other low-risk fixed income investments is not due to increased risk, but instead due to very poor liquidity. Which means such investment offerings can potentially be a way to generate higher returns, not through a risk premium, but a liquidity premium.
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