Is being debt free a good thing?
June 30th, 2008
My name is Steve Bis and I am working with those that are in debt with their unsecured credit card debts for a long time and know the effects it has on someone’s life. When you have credit card debt and know that this matter is no longer something you can control, you must make a choice on what to do and make it as soon as possible. You don’t want to procrastinate until it is too late. As the majority of you must already know is that the creditors are not polite when you speak to them with complaints with your statement. It’s extremely remarkable the way it works because when you initially obtain the card they are very polite people when you call. Then if you call them to complain about a late or over limit penalty fee and try to have it waived enough trying to keep up with 9.9% or even the 7.9 % interest that they are charging on your accounts. How are you suppose to cover the elevated payments now? It was painstaking enough to manage before the interest was raised. This is why many Americans are searching for other options such as credit card debt settlement vs. credit counseling, or bankruptcy. If you are not familiar with any of your options then I will give you a little bit of an education on them.
Bankruptcy
Up until late 2004 bankruptcy was to be used for individuals who were having serious financial troubles. Sadly it was mistreated by far too many consumers who were attempting to evade paying their unsecured debts. They didn’t want to be held accountable for their actions. The credit card industry was fed up with this so they pushed to have the laws updated. It is now referred to as the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection act of 2005. This would make it much more of a task for the majority of consumers to file for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy should only be exercised as your very last choice after you have explored every alternative option. Also you should think of the negative aftereffects that might come back later down the road. You would have to locate an attorney, go to court and that would cost you a lot of your hard earned income. There is also the negative effect of it being on your credit report for a long time. When you filling out any important application or document you by law have to say yes when asked the question about bankruptcy, so this does have a very negative long lasting effect on your ability to obtain future credit.
Debt Consolidation Credit Counseling
Everywhere you look, either it is advertised on the radio or television, you will hear about debt consolidation credit counseling. A credit counseling company will try to get the creditors to reduce the interest on your credit accounts. You then make one monthly installment to the credit counseling company and they then pay each one of your creditors for you. The drawback to this method is even though they reduce the APR on your credit card accounts you might still pay back as much as 135% of what you actually owe.
This is because joining this sort of agenda you will still be paying back what you owe plus some of the interest for around 4 to 7 years. Almost 50% of the individuals that are in these programs don’t finish the program for one reason or another. Another problem to credit counseling is that if you have a money problem and are miss your monthly payment they will boot you off of the program at once. They will also increase your interest back up and the creditor could keep you off for at least one year and perhaps even longer. This might put you right back to where you began, if not in a worse situation.
Debt Negotiation (also known as debt settlement)
This is the avenue where you can save the most amount of money. A good credit card debt settlement company will save you at least 40% of what you actually owe. The 40% should include all the fees as well. The same with credit counseling, you will hear a lot of TV and radio advertisements all the time. These organizations are opening up everywhere across the United States. Some of these companies try to make it appear like they have a magic bullet and are going to make all your debt vanish overnight.
There are even many companies that try to use religion to attain the trust of debtors. No matter what company you are going with it is your responsibility to due diligence on them. You should start with the BBB (Better Business bureau). You might be able to find out a lot about a company from the Better Business Bureau. If you find out that a company has only been in business for a little while and has a plethora of complaints against them, then you know to stay away. Another thing to keep an eye out for is how much time has the company been in business. Some organizations only make it one or two years before they go out of business or get caught with their paws in the cookie jar. Then some of them only stay around to earn as much as possible and close down just to open up down the streetwith a different name] and will continue to do this over and over.
You need to feel secure with the individual you are conversing with as well as the debt settlement company. If they are being pushy and trying to get you to sign a document within the first 10 to 15 minutes of the call you need to be very careful. This is not a financial decision you want to jump into head first. Really, how can a company know they can assist you without reviewing your statements first? There are far too many organizations out there that only tell you about the good aspects about debt settlement. They tell you not to worry about a thing. This is a very simple process and nothing negative will ever happen to you. That is a pile of you know what. It is not a very simple process and it is not the best choice for every consumer. Some people still get duped by them because that company sugar coated everything and did not offer them full disclosure. For many debtors credit card settlement can really get you back on your feet and out of debt in three years or less, while saving you thousands of dollars off your balance.
Another thing to think about is a majority companies earn all their fees within the first six months of the the program. Now consider this, what incentive will that company have to work out the best possible deal on your behalf if they know that they are’nt going to earn any more money from you? There is none! So you see, if an organization knows that why would they keep working on trying to get you the best settlement. This happens quite often. They really could care less at that point. They take whatever your collectors’ offer, which means you pay more You need to seek out a company that makes its fees the old fashion way, by earning it. Make sure they answer all your debt settlement inquries. I hope this has given you a better understanding of the numerous options you have to becoming debt free. Thank youThanks a lot and have a good [night.
What? My TV won’t work anymore in a few months?
June 30th, 2008
Yes, that is correct. For millions of us American’s there will be a huge dilemna on our hands come the beginning of 2009. At this time almost all TVs made in 2003 or earlier will not work becasue they are analog TVs. At this time TV channels will move to digital only waves that our analog TVs cannot pick up. This will be a huge problem for society if the word does not get out. Thats why I am here to tell you that you can keep using your old TV if you get a digital converter box. Digital converter boxes can be purchased at most electronics stores and cost about $50 each.
Oil Portrait Paintings: Inexpensive Family Heirlooms
June 25th, 2008
Oils paintings are used in some of the world’s most beautiful paintings. One quality oil painting demands highly skilled artistry to create them. But due to the complicated process, skills required from the artist, and the time invested in finishing one painting, oil paintings have become affordable to only those who have the money.
Photographs capture special moments in a very memorable way. Pictures, however, do not last for long. Due to weather changes and other environmental factors, photos can fade away.
If you are someone who loves taking pictures and wishes to make them last for long, then a portrait painting may be something that you might want to consider. This is a great way to turn a common photograph into an uncommon piece of art without spending too much. If you have family photographs, photos of your kids, your pets, or special celebratory occasions such as a wedding, then you can have these created into beautiful oil portrait paintings. The paintings are made to look life like and the detailing is great.
Oil portrait paintings may be passed down from generation to generation and displayed proudly in your or a loved ones’ home. With an inexpensive oil portrait painting, you can let any memory or loved one shine through.
How to Find the Best Divorce Attorney
June 23rd, 2008
Divorce attorneys are bountiful. If you look in the yellow pages for a divorce lawyer, you’re sure to find many of them. Differentiating between qualified divorce attorneys may be hard for the lay person. It’s often tempting to hire the divorce law firm you talk to without knowing anything about their background, skills and qualifications. Would you trust someone you just met on the street to represent you in a court of law? I don’t think so. You should talk with at least three different divorce attorneys before you decide on who you will choose to represent you.
Finding the Best Divorce Attorney
June 16th, 2008
If you look in the yellow pages, you’ll find a long list of attorneys and lawyers that all want your business. Divorce attorneys are paid big money to win cases for their clients and help educate them about the legal process involving child custody, alimony, child support, prenuptial agreement papers and the separation of finances. Since you would expect your divorce lawyers to work on your behalf, you should also expect them to educate you on how they charge for their services. When you are looking for the best divorce attorney, don’t make a bad decision and hire the first one that talks to you. Become educated and take your time to find a professional that will take the time to understand your unique needs. Everyone is different, some family law firms are more agressive than others.
Take Advantage of Big Institutions in the Stock Market
June 16th, 2008
Understanding stock market for beginners can be accomplished if you learn the patterns of big institutions. Because they have so much control of how the market works, you can use their patterns as a means to take advantage. Institutions have their own rules that they follow, usually based on the business cycle, so if you can jump before they make their moves, you’ll be able to make a lot of money in the market.
Knowledge is That is Needed to be a Successful Weight Lifter
June 14th, 2008
Beginner weight lifters don’t have the experience to be a solid at weight lifting, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t learn. If you are a beginner weight lifter, all you need is a guide that contains solid free weightlifting routines to help you get started on the right foot. After that, the experience you gain from reading and from weightlifting will be valuable for you to become a solid weight lifter.
Names are now the most popular number plates
June 3rd, 2008
The private number plates business first started with ageless registration numbers of 3 numbers and 3 letters so most numbers sold represented people’s initials. With the advent of prefix,suffix and the new style registrations combined with “text speak” where numbers can be used as letters and vice-versa, the trend has been towards registration number which spell names. Some examples of this would be ANN 3E for ANNE and DYL 2N for Dylan. These are proving hugely popular with English motorists although there will always be demand for the more traditional type personalised number plates