Structured settlements are the payments made to an injured consumer by the insurance company from where the person has bought his policy. As the name itself suggests, structured settlements are the payments made over a period of time rather than being paid in a lump sum amount. Given their nature, they are also called periodic payments.

In fact, the settlement laws enable the defendants, which in most cases are the insurance companies, to pay the entire amount which is due in installments distributed over a period of time. This simply put means that the consumer does not get the entire amount as one payment.

The question is who benefits from this arrangement- the insurance company or the injured consumer. Structured settlements are an ideal answer for both parties-the insurance companies and also the injured consumer. This is because the structured settlements are contracts between the insurance companies whereby insurance companies promise to make contractual payments to the policy holder in case of any bodily injury. In case the consumer dies in an accident, the surviving family members can also claim this amount. The advantage to the insurance companies is that they do not have to pay the entire amount at one time. Also, the law allows these companies to keep the entire amount in case of the consumers death. For the consumer this means he is prohibited from receiving a lump sum payment. This can, in some cases, increase his hardship if he has to meet large medical costs after an accident or any other such disaster.

These structured settlements enjoy special provisions under the law in that the income accrued from these periodic payments is tax free. This means that it becomes increasingly difficult for most investors to match the rate of return generated from a structural settlement. Consequently, the consumer not only gets excellent returns but also security and peace of mind in the bargain. This is because a structured settlement means a long term income that too with the added bonus of being tax free under the law.