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How to Sell an
Annuity
Were you awarded a structured settlement for a personal injury
or worker’s compensation claim? Have you seen advertisements
stating that you can cash in on your settlement and get your
money in one large lump sum? If you have seen these
advertisements claiming that you can get your money that is
rightfully owed to you without having to wait on those regular
payment installments, then you might be curious about exactly
how you sell your annuity.
However, selling your annuity is not always possible and not
always the smartest decision you can make. If you want to sell
your annuity, you first need to decide whether or not you can
legally and then whether or not it is actually beneficial to
you to do so. There are many pros and cons to a structured
settlement as well as to selling yours. There are also some
restrictions on selling structured settlements so you want to
get all the facts on this as well.
Your structured settlement should work for you. The best time
to make any changes or disputes with it is before you sign the
final agreements on it. Talk with your attorney if you are not
happy with the way your settlement plans are written out. Work
out all the details before you agree and you won’t have to be
concerned with selling or not selling your annuities later
on.
Reasons not to sell are because of the tax breaks you get on a
structured settlement and because for some people this is their
sole means of income due to an injury, etc. Most companies that
offer to buy your annuity are trying to make a profit off of
you so you might lose out in the deal and there are almost
always high fees involved. You need to get all the facts first
and be sure it is really going to benefit you to sell.
There are also laws in many states that make it illegal to sell
your structured settlement so you need to get legal advice
first to make sure it is okay for you to sell. Then you want
legal and financial advice to make sure it is in your best
interest to sell. Next, you want to consider the tax
consequences of selling your annuity. Then when you are certain
that this is something you will want to do, you need to shop
around for different offers. You want to be sure you are
working with an established and reputable buyer.
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