In this article Heber Smith sheds light on how to survive the markets with global events such as the Asian Crisis and the Russian meltdown. This article is of particular interest to holders of structured settlements.

In this article Heber Smith explains how the claimant converts his or her award to income for the future. He contrasts mutual funds, with high returns and perhaps less stability, with annuities, having lower returns and lower risk. This discussion leads into future articles regarding strategies of structured settlements.

In this article Heber Smith notes that the assignment of the obligations of a defendant under a structured settlement to a qualified assignee now provides self-insured defendants access to the tax-free periodic payment option.

In this article, Heber Smith discusses criteria which are useful in the determination of the suitability of structured settlements. Amongst other benefits, Revenue Canada may make a significant imputed contribution to a personal injury settlement through reduced taxation. He identifies those instances in which this tax contribution may be of particular significance.

In this article Heber Smith discusses the importance of providing adequate compensation for an injured plaintiff for whom a diminished life expectancy is projected. He reviews Revenue Canada changes, which have reduced the risk of the insurer, thus making them more willing to negotiate in these matters.

In this article Heber Smith continues his series on structured settlements with a note concerning the “non-commutable” nature of an annuity.

In this article Heber Smith provides the first in a series of articles concerning the intricacies of structured settlements. His article addresses such topics as annuity titles and rights, the specifics of structured settlement annuities, new developments in structured settlements and the creative use of annuities in remediating personal loss actions.