A cbit of info on Structured settlements

What is a structured settlement?
A structured settlement is an agreement between a plaintiff (the injured person) and a defendant under which the plaintiff receives payment for damages over a period of time. Instead of receiving the money in one lump sum, the plaintiff receives it over a period of time. Since there is not one large payment, there can be tax benefits to a structured settlement and provide more benefit than one lump sum. If the settlement payments are funded through the purchase of a fixed annuity or a US Treasury Securities, they can receive preferential treatment under the tax code and in some cases are tax-free. The structured settlement is usually supported and maintained by a financial institution and can be individually tailored to the needs of the plaintiff.

Can I sell my structured settlement and get the cash?
Yes, it's possible to sell your structure settlement or fixed annuity. There are many purchasers of structured settlements, who will cash you out of your annuity. You will not get the full value of the settlement, but if you are in need of the cash for a larger purchase or investment, it is possible to sell your annuity. The purchaser will continue to receive your annuity payments. If you are planning on selling your structured settlement, make sure you get as many quotes as possible to find the best price. There is a large discrepancy between organizations that purchase these settlements.

What about lottery payments or just regular annuities?
You can also sell those too, if you are in need of the lump sum. Most lotteries will pay your winnings over a long period of time. This means that if you want to make a larger purchase, you will have to cash out your lottery payments. Many of the same companies that will buy your structured settlements will also buy your lottery payments for a lump sum. All other annuity products and most other regular payments that you might receive from a financial institution can be sold to someone else for a lump sum.

More About Credit card Rates!

Rates for credit cards and CDs tick higher; checking and money market rates flat on the week.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Consumer interest rates for credit cards edged higher, while money market and checking account rates were unchanged the week ending November 29th, according to the latest Informa Research Services survey.

The average annual percentage rate, or APR, for platinum cards rose to 11.84 percent from 11.83 a week earlier. Rates ranged from a low of 5.90 percent to a high of 19.80 percent for the week and stood at an average of 11.80 percent a month earlier.

Interest rates for banking products also rose, with 12-month CDs rising to a 3.30 percent average annual percent yield, or APY, from 3.28 the previous week. Rates were 3.20 a month earlier.
The average interest rate for money markets remained flat on the week at 1.21 percent, with a range of 0.02 percent to 4.04 percent. Rates stood at 1.19 percent a month earlier.

Interest rates for checking accounts were also flat on the week at 0.42 percent on average, and stood at 0.41 a month earlier. Rates ranged from 0.01 percent to 4.59 percent.
Follow this link to a TABLE where you can find the rates for key savings products from the 10 largest banks. You can compare rates for banking products, etc...

Lowest Credit Card Rates around....

Chase Manhattan Bank
Chase Manhattan Bank provides many great offers: Platinum, CashBuilder, Ultimate Rewards Card, Travel, Ultimate Cash Awards, The Profit Card, Subaru, Toys "R" Us, Universal Entertainment Card, Gas Rebate Card ,Continental Airlines and more.

Citibank
Citibank offers a great choice of cards with rewards, 0% APR for up to 15 months, low ongoing APR, no annual fee and instant online decision. Citi Platinum, Dividend, Diamond, Drivers, Upromise, and AT&T Universal Cards. Also see Citi business and student credit cards.

Bank of America
Bank of America Platinum Visa with low fixed APR, Platinum Travel Visa, US Airways Visa, America West Flightfund Visa, Alaska Airlines Card, Asiana Visa Platinum, Hawaiian Airlines Visa and Anne Geddes Visa® Gold.

BankOne
BankOne Special Offers include the Bank One Travel Plus Visa, AARP Rewards Platinum Visa, Avon Platinum Visa, and the Amazon.com Platinum Visa.

American Express
American Express Credit Cards can earn up to 5% cash back with Blue CashSM. American Express cards offer free rewards program and great rates. Cards include Blue, Gold and Green Reward cards, Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Platinum, Starwood Preferred and Business Credit Cards.

Discover® Card
Discover Bank Introduces the Discover® Platinum Card with Cashback Bonus® Plus Program - Earn up to 10% Cashback on gas purchases, and 0% Intro APR. Choose from various Platinum card designs including Clear, Flag, Wildlife, Dog Collection, Sports Collection and more. Also available Titanium Card, Gold Card, and Student Card.

HSBC Bank
HSBC Bank offers Credit Cards that include 5% Earnings and 0% Intro GM Card, the Orchard Bank MasterCard and the HSBC Platinum MasterCard.

MasterCard Credit Cards
The MasterCard, along with the Visa Card, are the most widely accepted credit cards in the world. MasterCard is owned by over 20,000 member organizations. They serve customers in over 210 countries, and process over 15 million transactions a day in over 180 currencies.

Visa Credit Cards
Visa Credit Cards are the number one credit card used by people around the world, Visa cards offer exceptional convenience and reliability. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance in more than 150 countries, as well as at Internet merchants. And with a Visa credit card, you can get cash at more than 840,000 ATMs in the Visa Global ATM Network. It's a secure, reliable way to pay for anything you need, anywhere in the world.