Can you hear your settlement money turning to pocket change?

Like so many people receiving structured settlement payments, you may be one of them seeing your money turn into pocket change.

Inflation, increased oil prices, gorcery shopping breaking the bank. It's hard to go anywhere these days without noticing how much less you are getting for each and every dollar.

April 22, 2008: 4:42 AM EDT


NEW YORK (AP)-

With gas prices now averaging $3.51 a gallon nationwide, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service, more and more Americans who have to drive are weighing the need for each and every trip.

"To get to the doctors and all that, it's an awful lot of money," said Carol Licata, a 75-year-old retiree from Arnold, Pa., who said a larger portion of her fixed income is now going toward gas. "I don't drive that often, but have to take necessary trips ... and (gas) takes a big chunk out of our budget."
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Many individuals collecting payments from structured settlements or annuities have already realized that the periodic payments they once agreed to are restrictive and not enough.


For most people, the idea of a structured payment schedule can be the perfect choice, provided they have done the research in the beginnning to determine how they will receive their paymnets and have made accomodations for future increases in living expenses and incidentals.


Many people do not realize when a structured settlement is first put into place, you cannot make any future changes. Every amount of money to paid to you is laid in advance on a schedule that is "structured". You will receive a determined amount of money in determined incremements over a specified period of time.


Since the inception of structured settlements in the early eighties our country has seen a flourishing and growing group of companies like JG. Wentworth or Woodbridge Investments who will provide a lump sum in exchange for the rights to receive these payments. Collectively these companies are part of or better known as the "cash flow or settlement purchasing industry".


Settlement purchasing companies have proved a valuable source of help for thousands of Americans who realized and found out that the restrictive small periodic payments they were receiving were of little or no help at all. An individual can receive a one time large lump sum of money when they sell all or some of their payments.