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Financial Security through Structured Settlements
Structured settlements have become a natural part of personal
injury and worker's compensation claims in the United States,
according to the National Structured Settlements Trade
Association (NSSTA). In 2001, life insurance members of...
Is Structured Settlement The Way To Go?
Often, a structured settlement is one that offers the payment of funds owed in an agreed upon way. It works to allow individuals to receive payments of the money that is owed to them in such cases as a lottery winning or a personal injury...
Structured Settlement – Guaranteed Income for those with Disabilities
Up until twenty years ago, anyone who won a lawsuit as a result of a claim involving worker’s compensation, wrongful death or accident had to accept a lump sum payment as their compensation. The payment would be intended to be invested, with the...
Structured Settlements Offer Advantages over Lump-Sum Payments
A structured settlement, which offers injury victims cash payments through a long-term annuity as compensation for their damages and medical expenses, offer a number of possible advantages over payment in a lump sum. While the lump sum payment is...
When to Sell Your Structured Settlement
A structured settlement often follows a life changing incident,
whether it be positive or negative. Due to these circumstances,
you may be faced with the need for a large lump sum payment
rather than small monthly payments over a number of years....
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Debt Consolidation – Can You Negotiate with Your Credit Card Company?
The average American household has nearly $10,000 in credit card debt, and many people are only able to make the minimum payment of 2% of the balance. Even 2% is $200, and by paying the minimum payment, you could be paying on the balance for decades before you finally pay it off. Since new legislation will make it more difficult to file for bankruptcy, it may occur to savvy debtors to try to negotiate a better deal with their credit card company in order to make it easier to pay off the balance. Is this possible?
It might be possible, depending on your credit history, interest rate, and current balance. Your best bet, especially if you have a history of paying on time, is to simply call your credit card company and ask if they will lower your interest rate. They might, especially if you tell them that you got a better offer from another bank. If you have a history of paying late, however, they probably will not be willing to lower your interest rate. That’s unfortunate, since paying late has probably prompted the credit card company to raise your interest rate in the first place. Still, it’s worth a phone call; you may get lucky.
If you’ve been paying your bills on time, asking for a lower interest rate may be the only option available to you. The credit card companies aren’t going to be too sympathetic to your financial woes if they’re receiving payment on time. On the other hand, if you’re late on your payments, especially if you’re more than three months behind, you may have some negotiating leverage. That leverage comes with a
few strings attached, however. You may be able to negotiate a lump-sum settlement for your outstanding balance, where the credit card company accepts a portion of your debt and writes off the rest. They’re often willing to do this instead of turning your debt over to a collection agency, as it’s cheaper just to settle. The settlement amount will vary, depending on your interest rate, your balance and your payment history. This type of settlement comes with a couple of problems of its own, though. What if you don’t have the money to settle all at once? If you can’t pay your bills on time, you probably don’t have the cash to settle at once. Additionally, the amount of your debt that gets written off will show up on your credit report as bad debt, and that will stay there for seven years.
Your credit card company may or may not be willing to work out a payment plan, but it costs you nothing to ask them, and negotiating a settlement with them may be cheaper for you than if you consult with a debt consolidation firm. If your credit card debt is substantial and you just can’t make the payments, it’s worth a try.
About the Author
©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling, and StructuredSettlementHelp.com, a site devoted to information regarding structured settlements.
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| National Structured Settlements Trade Association (NSSTA) |
| Provides structured settlements using periodic payments to resolve claims. |
| www.nssta.com |
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| Structured Settlements |
| Setting up structured settlements for personal injury claims. |
| ilf.hartfordlife.com |
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| Structured Settlements, Structured Annuity, Structured Settlement ... |
| Full-service plaintiff structured settlement firm since 1986, providing services and strategies for personal injury lawyers and clients during the ... |
| www.structuredsettlements.org |
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| Structured Settlements | Annuity Purchasers |
| Structured Settlement Buyers. Purchasers specializing in structured settlements and lottery winnings. Site contains attorney, broker and investor ... |
| www.ppicash.com |
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| Structured Settlement Cash for Structured Settlement Annuity ... |
| Annuity Transfers Homepage - Buyer of Structured Settlements · Home | Sell Your Payments | Brokers | Investors | Testimonials ... |
| www.annuitytransfers.com |
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| EPS Structured Settlements Group: A Structured Settlements Company ... |
| EPS Settlements Group is located in Denver, Colorado and is a founder of the structured settlements industry. |
| www.epssettlements.com |
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| Mckellar :: Structured Settlements |
| News. ... Skip Intro Always >> |
| www.mckellar.com |
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| The Structured Settlement - What You Need To Know |
| About two thirds of states have enacted laws which restict the sale of structured settlements, and tax-free structured settlements are also subject to ... |
| www.expertlaw.com |
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| Settlement Capital Corporation - sell structured settlements,sell ... |
| Direct purchaser of structured settlements and other annuities. |
| www.setcap.com |
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| John Hancock Insurance and Financial Services :: Explore Our ... |
| A structured settlements annuity provides injury victims or the victim's ... John Hancock Structured Settlements and Attorney Fee Annuities are just two ... |
| www.johnhancock.com |
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| Structured Settlements - Prudential Financial |
| Your company may become liable to pay a settlement as the result of a legal proceeding. A Structured Settlement Annuity provides ongoing periodic payments ... |
| www.prudential.com |
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| Finance - Structured-Settlements Ezine Articles |
| EzineArticles.com allows ezine or email list publishers to upload or download free expert content that can be used within email newsletters or websites. |
| ezinearticles.com |
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| Understanding Structured Settlements: A Novice's Guide to the ... |
| Learn what a Structured Settlement is in plain English. Find Structured Settlements company, payments, broker, annuity and loan info. |
| www.noendpress.com |
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| structured settlements, personal injury, annuity, disability, accident |
| Structured Settlements allow income to be spread over time, which is safer ... Structured settlements are often ideal under the following circumstances: ... |
| www.structuredsettlementhelp.com |
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| Structured settlement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Structured settlements were first utilized in Canada and the United States ... Structured settlements are now part of the statutory tort law of several ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Structured Settlement vs. Lump sum - What to do? |
| More and more claimants are choosing structured settlements. ... Most structured settlements come in the form of an annuity, which is sold by a third party, ... |
| injury.freeadvice.com |
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| Welcome to The Halpern Group, experts in structured settlements ... |
| Offers structured settlements, consulting and negotiation services to attorneys representing injured clients. |
| www.halperngroup.com |
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| Structured Settlements Leader J.G. Wentworth, JG Wentworth ... |
| Structured Settlements Leader JG Wentworth, JG Wentworth Settlement Funding - More than 25000 individuals have come to JG Wentworth to finance their dreams ... |
| www.jgwfunding.com |
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| DOG BITE LAW - Structured Settlements |
| For those reasons, changes were made to the Internal Revenue Code that enable knowledgeable attorneys to create "structured settlements." ... |
| www.dogbitelaw.com |
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| Structured Settlements Law – Lawyers, Attorneys & Free Legal ... |
| I am confused by the number of internet sites that plug offers of structured settlements, sale of structured settlement annuities, and attorneys who offer ... |
| injury-law.freeadvice.com |
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