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Sept
2021
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Serious Student

Structure Strategies

Student Avoids Losing Financial Aid


Amy, a 20-year-old student, was about to start her freshman year of college. She had just received a significant settlement from a car accident and needed to decide what to do with it. Upon her father's death earlier that year, Amy had also received a small death benefit and her father’s liquid assets. The amount she received would cover her first year at a small liberal arts university. The initial call to Ringler was to look at funding options for the next three school years.

Our first question was about her financial aid offer. Upon learning that Amy had not filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), or in this case, the College Scholarship Service Profile (CSS), we assisted her in completing both. The next step was to utilize the net-cost calculators found on the university website and forecast possible awards given her situation. We could illustrate the impact on the award if the student owned significant liquid assets. We could also estimate what she would have been eligible for had she not lost her father. This analysis confirmed our view that she should not suffer another “loss” just because of the settlement.

After researching and designing a plan that matched Amy’s needs, we discovered she had more than enough money already in the bank to pay her share of all four years of school (not the one year she originally thought). The aid offer from the university was significant and would have been lost if the settlement went into a trust. After much discussion, Amy decided to put her settlement funds into an annuity designed to match her life goals rather than make riskier traditional investments. As you can see, the big picture includes a lot more than just interest rates.

(Note: While Structure Strategies is based on actual case histories, the names and images of the people involved have been changed to protect their privacy.)

Ringler 360° Provides Individual, Comprehensive Settlement Planning


PuzzleRingler uses strategic partnerships to build strong, individualized structures.

Like a Swiss Army Knife, Ringler 360° first requires a skilled operator who understands how each tool is best used to get the job done right. Your Ringler consultant, most with an average of 20 years of experience or more, is deeply familiar with the local network of people and services often critical to a successful settlement. Therefore, they can help both sides in a negotiation see the entire playing field, from the government benefits available to the injured party to the personal tendencies of each player involved to which vendor has the expertise needed to meet a particular settlement challenge.

We then turn our attention to the tools in our Swiss Army Knife, seamlessly integrated and time-tested for peak performance under the most challenging conditions. The Ringler product and service partnerships integral to Ringler 360° are exactly that – each is field-tested and proven to help all parties in a settlement negotiation achieve success.

The 360° Toolkit:

  • Trust Solutions: Trusts are often needed to help manage assets and protect those assets for the future. All Ringler partner-designed trusts are affordable, transparent, stable, and well-organized. These include special-needs trusts, charitable trusts, and more.
     
  • Lien Resolution: It is critical to identify, audit, and resolve any liens before disbursement of settlement funds. With over 20 years of experience resolving healthcare liens across the country, our experience and partnerships translate to another great settlement resource.
     
  • Insurance Planning: Ringler can provide access to multiple insurance company products nationwide. Using side-by-side comparisons and showing the highest-ranked options, we can offer whatever insurance solutions might be needed, now and in the future.
     
  • MSA Administration: Ringler administration services change the way injured people navigate their healthcare by removing the stress and risk associated with managing post-settlement medical expenses. Clients also save money on healthcare expenses and have access to full professional oversight for Medicare Set-Asides.
     
  • Ringler Projections: Every Ringler consultant has access to the latest life-care planning technologies. That means we can provide future medical projections to minimize costs associated with prescriptions, home healthcare, skilled-nursing care, and durable medical
    equipment services.
     
  • Attorney Fee Deferral: We can also help attorneys achieve their personal financial goals by structuring attorney fees. A personalized fee deferral program can reduce taxes and enhance wealth accumulation by better controlling the income stream.

There is a lot more to unpack about each Ringler 360° service, so don't hesitate to contact your Ringler consultant for more details.