SAVE FOR LATER
If you sell your structured settlement, you’re going to take a haircut. Point blank, the end. After all, companies like JG Wentworth have to make money somehow, and that’s by taking a slice of your total payout.
So when selling a structured settlement, the goal is to lose less than you have to, keep the court on your side, and avoid the sharks. The easiest way to do this is to do some simple arithmetic and map out how a particular scenario may play out.
So today, I’m going to walk you through how this market works and compare seven of the better-known players:
- Strategic Capital
- JG Wentworth
- Peachtree Financial Solutions
- DRB Capital
- CBC Settlement Funding
- Stone Street Capital
- Liberty Settlement Funding
How Selling a Structured Settlement Works
When you sell a structured settlement to a factoring company, you’re trading long-term security for an instant lump sum. The buyer makes their money, however, by paying you less than the present value of those future payments. Typical effective discount rates can run into the mid-teens or higher, depending on your case and market conditions.
Here’s how these companies work:
- They quote a lump sum: You share your payment schedule and details, and the buyer will calculate what those future payments are worth today — and then apply a discount rate. There are confusing and complicated charts available online that show these values if you really want to bore yourself.
- They handle court approval: In most states, a judge must sign off that the sale is in your best interest and fits state and federal rules. The buyer’s lawyers will draft the petition and attend the hearing.
- They collect your future payments: After you’re approved, the insurer will redirect your checks to the buyer, who collects more than they paid you upfront. That spread is their profit.
You can’t negotiate with the court, but you can negotiate the spread and maximize your share by shopping offers, asking questions about discount rates, and pushing back on junk fees.
In most cases, the income from the settlement itself is hard to beat from a risk-adjusted standpoint. But common reasons that might justify a sale of your structured settlement include:
- Urgent medical bills
- Saving a house from foreclosure
- Paying off high-interest debt
- Funding a degree or trade program
- Making necessary home repairs
If you’re just bored with monthly checks and want a new truck, you’re in the wrong place. So check with a certified financial planner and a lawyer to make sure you’re making the best decision for yourself.
The Best Places to Sell Structured Settlements
Now that you’ve got an understanding of how these companies operate, let’s take a look at seven of the most well-known players in the space.
1. Strategic Capital
Strategic Capital has been around since the mid-1990s, starting with lottery payments and expanding into structured settlements and annuities. To me, this company stands out for their ethical posture on “responsible selling,” stressing that selling is not always wise and often recommending to sell only part of a structure — or not selling at all.
What they do well:
- Low-pressure, consultative approach: Independent reviews point out that their style feels less like a boiler room and more like a counseling session. They walk you through the entire process, including paperwork (which leads to higher success rates, even if you’ve been rejected when going through another company prior).
- Focus on partial sales: Strategic Capital often helps clients sell just enough payments to cover a specific need while keeping the rest of the future income intact.
- Education and planning tone: Their site has guides on reasons to sell, what to know before selling, and special issues for children, the elderly, and disabled individuals.
- Industry contacts: Strategic Capital also boasts close relationships with the consultants who set up these structured settlements in the first place, giving them a unique edge in the sector.
Where they fall short:
- Not a one-stop shop: Strategic Capital focuses on settlements and annuities, not debt settlement, credit products, or broad consumer finance. If you want a firm that bundles “cash now” with debt relief, you will need to look elsewhere.
Best fit: If you want a practical conversation and care about keeping part of your structure in place, Strategic Capital should be near the top of your list. They’re a good fit for sellers who value a counselor over a hype man.
2. JG Wentworth
JG Wentworth is the biggest household name in this space, with one of the most famous commercials in all of television. They’ve been buying structured settlements, annuities, and lottery payments since the early 1990s and also offer debt resolution services.
What they do well:
- Scale and brand recognition: With decades in the market, they have a large, mature operation and clear processes.
- Clear, step-by-step marketing: Their structured settlement pages walk through the sale process in simple language, which helps first-timers understand exactly what they’re signing up for.
- Broad product menu: For some people, the mix of structured settlement buying plus debt resolution can be a one-stop triage center.
Where they fall short:
- Pricing can be on the higher side: Sources have noted discount rates in the high single digits to the mid-teens and higher, which aligns with big-brand pricing in this niche.
- High-volume feel: Large call centers can feel transactional, and you may not get the same level of individualized planning that a smaller outfit provides.
Best fit: You want to include JG Wentworth in your quote stack because of its scale, but I would not stop there. Use its quote as a benchmark, not the default.
3. Peachtree Financial Solutions
Peachtree Financial Solutions has bought structured settlements, annuities, and lottery payments since the mid-1990s and now operates under the JG Wentworth corporate umbrella.
What they do well:
- Structured and pre-settlement funding: They work not only with finalized structured settlements but also with plaintiffs who need cash while a case is still pending.
- Flexible asset types: Beyond structured settlements, Peachtree handles lottery winnings and certain life settlements, which can help if you have more than one payment stream.
- Process guidance: Their structured settlement pages spell out how the sale works and emphasize the need for court approval, which helps set expectations.
Where they fall short:
- Corporate overlap with JG Wentworth: Since Peachtree is owned by JG Wentworth, treat quotes from each as related, not fully independent bids.
Best fit: Peachtree sits alongside JG Wentworth as a major national player. Pull a quote if you like their pre-settlement angle, but still compare against smaller shops.
4. DRB Capital
DRB Capital is a structured settlement and annuity buyer that markets fast cash-out options and focuses exclusively on this niche.
What they do well:
- Focused product line: DRB sticks to structured settlements and annuities instead of trying to be a generic finance company.
- Educational content: Their site explains how to find a good buyer, highlights the need for court approval, and lays out the steps to sell a settlement.
- Competitive positioning: They pitch competitive rates and feature customer testimonials that focus on service and speed.
Where they fall short:
- Standard “cash now” voice: The marketing tone looks like many other factoring companies, so you need to drill into the actual discount rate on your deal.
Best fit: Use DRB as a mid-sized, specialist quote in your mix. They work well as a counterpoint to both huge brands and smaller boutique buyers.
5. CBC Settlement Funding
CBC Settlement Funding is a Pennsylvania-based company that buys structured settlements, annuities, and lawsuit-related payment streams.
What they do well:
- Longstanding presence and accreditation: CBC has operated for more than a decade, holds BBB accreditation, and positions itself as a leader in the secondary market.
- Clear explanation of the court process: Their guides explain timelines, court approval, and common use cases such as debt pay-down, taxes, and education. I really appreciate their transparency, as I feel that these companies often want to take advantage of folks who don’t know better.
- Possible cash advances: CBC highlights the ability to offer small advances once documents are in motion, which can help if you’re facing a short-term crunch.
Where they fall short:
- Standard marketing claims: Phrases like “maximum value” and “immediate financial relief” are common across this industry, so you’ll still need to test that against actual numbers.
Best fit: CBC fits well as a steady-Eddie quote: established, process-driven, and comfortable for people who want clear steps and frequent touchpoints.
6. Stone Street Capital
Stone Street Capital is a structured settlement and annuity buyer that has been in business since the late 1980s.
What they do well:
- Very long track record: Third-party profiles describe Stone Street as a long-standing player with consistent access to funding and recognition in buyer rankings.
- Customer-centric messaging: Reviews highlight support, clear explanations, and post-approval funding in about a week after court sign-off.
- Broad payment types: Like many in this list, Stone Street handles lottery payments and annuities as well as structured settlements.
Where they fall short:
- Heavy advertising history: If aggressive TV ads are a turn-off, this brand may carry that “infomercial” baggage for you.
Best fit: Consider Stone Street if you value deep industry experience and a company that has survived many market cycles.
7. Liberty Settlement Funding
Liberty Settlement Funding buys structured settlements, annuities, and lottery payments, emphasizing flexibility in how much you sell.
What they do well:
- Flexible partial sales: Liberty’s materials stress that you can sell either all or just a portion of your payment rights, and they highlight custom options. This is always a plus in my book.
- Experienced team: Company profiles mention decades of combined experience and a focus on helping clients meet financial goals.
- Strong, empathy-driven marketing: The messaging here leans on an empathetic understanding that life changes, and it frames the sale as a path to peace of mind.
Where they fall short:
- Marketing noise: Liberty’s “financial freedom” language is thick, which can blur the hard math under the hood.
- Less emphasis on “don’t sell” scenarios: Compared with some competitors’ cautious stances, Liberty’s public content skews more toward the sell side.
Best fit: Liberty suits sellers who want a flexible partial sale and those who want a company that leans into emotional support and hand-holding through the court process.
How I Would Shop These Options
If I was helping someone wade through buyers, I’d focus on a few big levers:
- Discount rate and total payout: You want the lowest discount rate and the highest lump sum. Ask for the math in writing.
- Transparency and pressure level: Good firms will explain all of your options, including not selling or selling only part of your payments, and they will not rush you on a phone call.
- Experience and approval rate: How long have they operated in this niche? What do they say about court approvals and deal volume?
- Flexibility (full vs partial sale): You often don’t need to sell the entire stream. The better buyers support partial sales and repeat transactions if needed.
- Reputation: BBB, reviews, watchdog sites: Look for consistent themes in reviews, not one angry post.
With that in mind, if I had a client sitting across the desk with a structured settlement and a real need for a lump sum, here’s how I would structure the process:
- Start with “Should we sell at all?”: I’d first help them run a basic cash-flow model that factors in tax, benefits, and risk, comparing whether to keep the structure vs. sell part vs. sell all. In addition to my support as a CPA, I’d have the client lean on independent legal and financial advice.
- If selling makes sense, plan a partial sale first: It’s best to first size the sale to the actual need plus a small cushion, not a wish list.
- Collect quotes from different buyers: I would then chase down quotes from a few different types of buyers:
- A big national player (JG Wentworth or Peachtree)
- A cautious, planning-oriented buyer such as Strategic Capital
- One or two mid-sized specialists (DRB Capital, CBC, Stone Street, Liberty)
- Normalize and compare: Then, I’d help the client put each quote into a spreadsheet and look at the following:
- Lump sum offered
- The discount rate
- Fees and court costs
- Whether they support the partial sale as proposed
- Weigh soft factors last, not first: Service matters. Low pressure matters. But so does a difference of several thousand dollars in your pocket. So I’d finish by helping the client pick the best overall mix of price, transparency, and ethics.
Finally, keep in mind that your timeline shouldn’t be too much of a factor. No one company can help faster than another since your timeline will depend on the courts.
My Pick Among the Best Places to Sell Structured Settlements
Strategic Capital earns a spot at the top for people who want a responsible, low-pressure, partial-sale-friendly approach that respects the original purpose of the settlement.
Of course, no single company should be the only quote you pull as they’ll all have pros and cons. So line up offers from several of these firms, force everything into the same spreadsheet, and bring a lawyer or fee-only planner into the review.