Disability Law

NSSTA and NASP 2010 Educational Conferences - 2

By Patrick Hindert

The National Structured Settlement Trade Association ( NSSTA ) and the National Association of Settlement Purchasers ( NASP ) have separately announced agendas and speakers for their 2010 educational conferences which are scheduled concurrently next week (November 10-12, 2010) in Las Vegas.

S2KM has published an introductory report for these conferences plus historical reporting about past NSSTA and NASP educational conferences. S2KM's Managing Director, Patrick Hindert, will attend portions of the NSSTA conference (as a member) and participate at the NASP conference (as a moderator and speaker).

S2KM recommends both the NSSTA and NASP educational conferences and offers this preliminary comparative analysis.

Topics

NSSTA and NASP will both address several similar issues:

• Ethics - The NSSTA and NASP discussions could each upgrade by addressing "business practices" including the "Standards of Professional Conduct for Settlement Planners" adopted by the Society of Settlement Planners (SSP) on March 7, 2008.
• Legal update - NSSTA's legal committee represents a strategically important structured settlement industry knowledge resource. That said, NASP's structured settlement legal updates are more diverse and equally valuable - especially when you include NASP's related "Industry Updates".
• Legislative update - Eric Vaughn is NSSTA's Executive Director, lobbyist and legislative guru. Vaughn's lobbying weaknesses (including state lobbying) play to NASP lobbying strengths.
• Marketing - What does NSSTA, and the primary market, know about eMarketing or Internet marketing? Try a Google search for "structured settlement". Where is NSSTA? Where are NSSTA's members?

With some important differences:

• NSSTA
  • Medicare/Medicaid - although NASP is expected to address these issues as part of NASP's "Industry Analysis".
  • Certification - NASP does not have a certification program.
  • Life care planners - NSSTA, NASP (and SSP) educational programs historically have ignored this important settlement consulting professional community.
  • In Force structured settlements - another strange attempt by NSSTA to educate its members about secondary market issues.
  • Wrongful imprisonment - a surprisingly weak alternative to the tax analyses offered by NASP and SSP.
  • Life expectancy - hopefully, NSSTA will attempt to link this discussion with Medicare and Medicaid issues.
• NASP
  • Industry analysis - NSSTA's educational programs provide limited industry analysis with only one perspective and no outside critics. NASP features open discussion of strategic industry issues with critics and alternative perspectives.
  • Taxation life cycle - Both NASP and SSP have previously featured Jeremy Babener as a speaker. NSSTA has not. Why not? Babener's presentation will be one of the highlights of the NASP educational conference.
  • Capital markets - NSSTA's educational programs historically lack any analysis of the financial markets. NASP's annual panel sets the industry standard.
  • Dodd Frank legislation - a good example of NASP analysis of federal legislation that impacts the structured settlement industry.

Speakers

NSSTA and NASP speakers both include a mix of association members and non-members. Both associations typically feature judges, attorneys and legislators as speakers. NSSTA's legislative speakers are generally federal while NASP's legislative speakers are generally state.

NSSTA speakers do not include SSP or NASP members. NASP speakers include both NSSTA and SSP members and thereby generate more comprehensive strategic discussions.

NASP 2010 featured speakers who are members of NSSTA and/or SSP:

• NSSTA
  • Peter Vodola
  • John Darer
  • Patrick Hindert
• SSP
  • Richard Risk

Previous NASP speakers who are members of NSSTA and/or SSP

• NSSTA
  • Stephen Harris
  • Michael Upchurch
  • Patrick Hindert
• SSP
  • Jack Meligan
  • Richard Risk

For more comprehensive S2KM reporting about  NSSTA, NASP and SSP, see S2KM's structured settlement wiki.

Full post as published by Beyond Structured Settlements on November 07, 2010 (boomark / email).