NSSTA and NASP 2010 Educational Conferences - 2

The National Structured Settlement Trade Association ( NSSTA ) and the National Association of Settlement Purchasers ( NASP ) have announced agendas and speakers for their 2010 educational conferences scheduled concurrently and coincidentially 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 to all structured settlement stakeholders and offers this preliminary comparative analysis.

Topics

NSSTA and NASP will both address several similar issues:

• Ethics - NSSTA and NASP could enhance their discussions by addressing "business practices" including the "Standards of Professional Conduct" 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 equally diverse and valuable - especially when you include NASP's related "Industry Updates".
• Legislative update - Eric Vaughn is NSSTA's Executive Director, federal lobbyist and legislative guru. NSSTA lobbying weaknesses (especially state lobbying) play to NASP lobbying strengths and suggest collaborative opportunities.
• Marketing - Try a Google search for "structured settlement". Where are NSSTA, SSP and other primary market  participants?

With some important differences:

• NSSTA
  • Medicare/Medicaid - 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 - a strange attempt by NSSTA to educate its members about secondary market issues.
  • Wrongful imprisonment - a narrow focus compared with NASP's anticipated tax analysis.
  • Life expectancy - hopefully, NSSTA will link this discussion with related Medicare and Medicaid issues. Whatever happened to the structured settlement industry's life expectancy study initiated by Roger Harbin and Steve Smith?
• NASP
  • Industry analysis - NSSTA's educational programs typically provide limited strategic analysis with only one perspective and no outside critics. NASP features more open discussion of strategic industry issues featuring critics and alternative perspectives.
  • Taxation life cycle - Both NASP and SSP have previously featured Jeremy Babener as a speaker. Why not NSSTA? Babener's NASP presentation promises to be one of the highlights of these two structured settlement educational conferences.
  • Capital markets - NSSTA's educational programs historically lack 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 both the primary and secondary structured settlement markets.

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 and valuable 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.