For Settlement Recipients
The Case May Be Over. The Financial Decisions Are Just Beginning.
A personal injury settlement can be a once-in-a-lifetime financial event. Before you make any major decisions, it helps to slow down, take stock of your situation, and think carefully about what you want this money to do.
You May Be Facing Decisions You've Never Had to Make Before.
Most people who receive a personal injury settlement have never managed a sum of money this size. Your attorney is skilled at recovering compensation — but financial planning after a settlement is a different discipline entirely.
Settlement funds are often not replaceable. Once spent, they're gone.
Some financial decisions made in the first weeks after a settlement are very difficult to reverse.
Well-meaning family and friends may offer advice that isn't right for your situation.
Some financial professionals who approach settlement recipients are not acting in their best interest.
Government benefits like Medicaid or SSI can be affected by how settlement funds are handled.
Tax treatment of settlement proceeds depends on the nature of the settlement — and the rules are not always intuitive.
Planning Framework
What Does This Money Need to Do?
Before deciding what to do with a settlement, it helps to think through what the money actually needs to accomplish. Different people have very different answers.
Replace lost income
If your injury affected your ability to work, some of the settlement may need to function as long-term income replacement.
Cover ongoing medical needs
Future medical care, therapy, equipment, or home modifications may require dedicated funds.
Address housing
Some recipients use settlement funds to pay off a mortgage, make accessibility modifications, or purchase a home.
Resolve debt
Paying off high-interest debt can be one of the most impactful uses of settlement funds — but the order and method matter.
Build a financial cushion
Maintaining accessible reserves before committing funds to longer-term uses provides important flexibility.
Provide for family
Education funding, supporting dependents, or estate planning considerations may be part of your picture.
Invest for the future
Long-term investing may be appropriate for a portion of the settlement — but only after more immediate needs are addressed.
Protect government benefits
If you receive Medicaid, SSI, or other means-tested benefits, how you hold settlement funds can significantly affect your eligibility.
How We Work With Settlement Recipients
Understand your situation
We start by listening. Your settlement, your needs, your obligations, and your goals are unique to you.
Organize the decisions
We help you identify which decisions are most time-sensitive, which can wait, and which require input from other professionals.
Think through the options
We walk through the relevant considerations for your situation — without pressure and without a predetermined answer.
Connect you with the right resources
Where appropriate, we can help coordinate with attorneys, tax professionals, or other specialists your situation may require.
A conversation does not obligate you to purchase any product or service.
A Note on Who You Talk To
After a settlement becomes known, some recipients are approached by financial professionals — sometimes aggressively. Not all of them are acting in your interest. Before working with any financial professional, it is reasonable to ask: How are you compensated? Are you a fiduciary? What are your qualifications? You have the right to take your time and ask questions.
Post Settlement Planning does not guarantee any particular financial outcome. Financial planning involves uncertainty, and past results do not predict future performance.
Start the Conversation
A Conversation Doesn't Obligate You to Buy Anything.
The first step is simply understanding your situation, your priorities, and what comes next. Tell us a little about where you are, and we'll be in touch.
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