Are these payments really guaranteed?+
Yes. The payments are court-ordered and remain the obligation of the original insurance carrier — typically A rated names. Your income depends on the carrier’s claims-paying ability, not on stock or bond markets. This is why we describe them as guaranteed fixed income.
What laws govern these transactions?+
Nearly every state — 49 of 50 — has enacted a Structured Settlement Protection Act requiring full disclosures and a judge’s approval before any payment stream changes hands. On the federal side, a 2002 law (IRC §5891) preserved the favorable tax treatment of court-approved transfers and imposes a punitive excise tax on any transfer completed without a court order. The result: this market runs through the courts, by design.
What happens if a transfer isn't approved by the court?+
The transaction simply doesn’t close — and it costs you nothing. No reputable funding company will close without the order, because federal tax law makes unapproved transfers economically ruinous. That’s a feature, not a risk: every stream we deliver arrives with a judge’s order behind it.
Am I buying an annuity?+
Not exactly. You’re acquiring the rights to specific payments under an existing annuity contract. The insurance carrier keeps paying exactly as scheduled — but to you, per the court order. That’s why the product is called a Secondary Market Annuity, and why the exact payment schedule appears on every one of our fact sheets.
How is my yield determined?+
You purchase the right to a fixed schedule of future payments at a discount to their total value. That discount produces your effective annual yield, which is locked the day you fund and does not change for the full term — regardless of what interest rates do afterward.
What's the difference between effective yield and APR?+
Effective annual yield is the compounded annual return of the payment schedule against your purchase price. APR states the same economics on a Truth-in-Lending basis, which is why it reads slightly lower. We publish both on every deal so you can compare apples to apples with any other fixed-income product.
Why is inventory so limited?+
Fewer than one in five structured settlement recipients ever sells a payment — industry estimates put it under 20%. Quality paper backed by A rated carriers is genuinely scarce, which is why our deals are often reserved within days of listing, and why we send offer sheets to our list before deals go public.
What's the minimum to get started?+
It varies by deal. Split portions can start in the single-digit thousands, while full streams range higher. Browse our live inventory to see current purchase prices, or call us and we’ll match you to something that fits your budget and timeline.
Can I use my IRA or retirement funds?+
Yes. We accept both qualified (IRA, 401(k) rollover) and non-qualified (cash) funds, and we work with one of the largest self-directed IRA companies in the country to make funding from a retirement account simple and seamless. Using a qualified account can allow your income stream to grow tax-deferred. We’re not tax advisors, so we’d encourage you to confirm specifics with yours.
What happens after I reserve a deal?+
We confirm availability, walk you through the paperwork, and the payment rights are formally assigned to you via the court-approved transfer. Once funded, payments arrive on the fixed schedule shown on the deal’s fact sheet. There’s no cost to reserve, and no cost to you if a transaction isn’t approved.