What Is the Difference Between Debt Consolidation and Debt Settlement?
Stella2024-12-18T07:30:04+00:00Debt consolidation can be your chosen alternative to pay off several debts by taking out a single loan or credit card.
How to Negotiate Credit Card Debt Settlement Yourself?
Stella2024-11-21T08:33:07+00:00Debt consolidation can be your chosen alternative to pay off several debts by taking out a single loan or credit card.
Is debt consolidation an effective way to get out of multiple debts?
Stella2024-10-24T13:45:13+00:00Debt consolidation can be your chosen alternative to pay off several debts by taking out a single loan or credit card.
Debt Settlement: Advantages vs. Disadvantages
Stella2024-10-24T13:46:20+00:00Through a process known as debt settlement, you can “settle” your debt by paying a lump sum that is usually less than what you owe.
Does Debt consolidation hurt your credit?
Stella2024-10-24T13:48:20+00:00Debt consolidation involves transferring all your outstanding debt and chalking out a new loan that requires a single monthly payment. The process is a prevalent and preferred debt management method. Hence, adopted to settle debts.
Is Debt Settlement the Best Choice for Getting Out of Debt?
Stella2024-10-24T13:50:09+00:00Depending on your financial situation, one can decide whether debt settlement is the best option to pay off debt. Debt settlement might be a good choice if you are having trouble making payments on a sizable amount of unsecured debt.
How To Get Out Of Debt : Know the Top 6 Best Ways
Stella2024-10-24T13:52:20+00:00Remaining deeply in debt can prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities such as home ownership or employment.
10 Ways You Mindlessly Waste Money
Stella2024-07-15T08:01:27+00:00Silently, secretly, your money disappears under some hideous voodoo spell, right? No way. Take a look at some ways you're flushing your cash down the loo -- and what you can do about it. Do you ever feel like there's a leak in your bank account? It's like the sound of water dripping, a tiny crack through which a slow stream of money is draining away. You know it's there (because the cash isn't), but you can't find the source. You scrounge...
Home Equity Loans: The Three-Day Cancellation Rule
Stella2024-07-15T08:26:39+00:00If you're considering applying for a personal loan and using your home to guarantee repayment, you should know that a federal credit law gives you three days to reconsider a signed credit agreement and cancel the deal without penalty. Your "right to rescind" or "right to cancel" is guaranteed by the Truth In Lending Act. You can rescind for any reason but only if you are using your principal residence—whether it is a condominium, mobile home, or house boat—as collateral,...
Bankruptcy: Is It the Right Solution to Your Debt Problems?
Stella2024-07-15T09:38:05+00:00There are two types of bankruptcy available to most people. If you file Chapter 13 , you may keep a mortgaged house or car. Rather than surrender property, you may pay off your debts over three to five years. Filing bankruptcy under Chapter 7 requires you to surrender all assets that are not exempt in your state. Exempt property may include items such as basic household furnishings and work-related tools. Both types of bankruptcy may get rid of debts where creditors have...
Budgeting: 10 reasons it’s good for you
Stella2024-07-15T09:45:51+00:00If you’ve never been on a budget in your life, it’s time to start. Everyone can benefit from more structured finances, especially if you find yourself without much money after you’ve paid your bills. Here are 10 great reasons why budgeting is good for you. It helps you reach your financial goals and provides direction. Budgeting is a good measure of how well you keep going the right direction. Budging gives you control over your money, instead of letting the...
Budgeting 101: 10 Steps to Financial Freedom
Stella2024-07-15T10:03:27+00:00Many Americans are caught in the cycle of overspending, using credit cards, and, simply put, living paycheck to paycheck without saving any money to secure their future. Everyone has their reasons for living this way, from the “I want it now” culture that we live in, to not knowing how to make a budget. No matter what your income, creating a realistic budget can help relieve your financial worries. The following are some practical ways you can start a budget...
3 Ways to Protect Yourself in a Credit Crunch
Stella2024-07-15T10:24:42+00:00Rising debt, delinquencies, tapped-out equity: ominous signs of a credit system that is seriously out of whack. Here’s your best insurance against the day when dollars are scarce and credit is tight. First it was the stock market bubble. Then the housing bubble. Now concern is growing about what may, in fact, be the ultimate bubble: consumer debt. Americans have piled on so much debt in the last decade that some economists are worrying about the possible fallout if consumers, already living...
Consolidate Loan
Stella2024-07-15T10:32:34+00:00A debt consolidation loan is the traditional way to handle your debt in a monthly payment. You go to a bank or credit union for a debt consolidation loan to pay off your creditors, and your debts are rolled into one monthly payment. You pay the bank back and the single monthly payment works better within your budget. However, the way these consolidation loans really work is that you are given a secured loan against your PERSONAL PROPERTY and in...
Creating a Budget…
Stella2024-07-15T10:57:40+00:00I’ve committed to squeezing my flabby money habits into that new skin-tight budget. Oh brother! Wearing this thing is a bit painful. Here’s how I did it. Creating a budget after 36 years of living without one is like finding that perfect pair of jeans. You try them on in the store, and you cannot believe how great those jeans make you look. Then you take ’em home, wash ’em a few times. Suddenly they’re a little too snug — or...
Credit Card Debt Consolidation
Stella2024-07-15T11:02:22+00:00Credit card bills can quickly get out of hand. The interest rates on credit cards are extremely high, and users can find themselves drowning in debt before they realize what’s happening. Credit card debt consolidation is one of the best ways to quickly pay off credit cards and find relief from excessive debt. Uncontrollable and heavy credit card debt can be very debilitating, causing depression, anxiety, family problems, and even physical illness. Our Christian Debt Services consolidation program is focused on...
Credit Card Scams
Stella2024-07-15T11:07:17+00:00If you have no credit history or have had credit problems , the ads, which offer credit card approval, may sound like an answer to all your questions. Unfortunately, for many people who sign their names before reading the fine print, they turn into a nightmare. Often, the scam can start with a phone call, a postcard, or a letter, which claims that for a fee you can obtain a VISA or MasterCard or other major credit card, or establish that...
6 Simple Steps to Effective Credit Counseling and Debt Management
Stella2024-07-15T11:16:04+00:00Fill out our convenient on-line form for your Free Quote. This is done utilizing the latest in secure server technology to protect your privacy, and is the easiest way to contact us. After reviewing your application, a professional debt counselor will contact you to verify information and provide you with payment plan and interest savings. If all parties agree that this is the best plan for you, an agreement will be sent to you, which authorizes our employees to negotiate...
“Unexpected” Debit Scams
Stella2024-07-15T11:43:36+00:00For the last years, deceptive telemarketers have found yet another way to steal your money, this time from your checking account. Consumers across the country are complaining about unauthorized debits (withdrawals) from their checking accounts. Automatic debiting of your checking account can be a legitimate payment method; many people pay mortgages or make car payments this way. But the system is being abused by fraudulent telemarketers. Therefore, if a caller asks for your checking account number or other information printed on...
Consumer Debt and Bankruptcy
Stella2024-07-15T12:21:59+00:00Bankruptcy Reform. Federal bankruptcy reform legislation has been under consideration for over five years. The 107th Congress has issued its Joint House/Senate Conference Report and is awaiting action by the House to initiate passage in the lO8th Congress. Partisan politics has been responsible for failure to enact this legislation both under the Clinton administration and under the current Bush administration. This legislation contains language that will serve to provide regulation of the credit counseling industry through the Executive Office...
Ads Promising Debt Relief May Be Offering Bankruptcy
Stella2024-07-15T12:37:09+00:00Debt got you down? You’re not alone. Consumer debt is at an all-time high. What’s more, record numbers of consumers-nearly 1.5 million in 2001-are filing for bankruptcy. Whether your debt dilemma is the result of an illness, unemployment, or simply overspending, it can seem overwhelming. In your effort to get solvent, be on the alert for advertisements that offer seemingly quick fixes. While the ads pitch the promise of debt relief, they rarely say relief may be spelled b-a-n-k-r-u-p-t-c-y. And although...
Debt Signs and Symptoms
Stella2024-07-15T12:50:31+00:00Typically, debt doesn’t just happen overnight. In most cases, it’s the result of consistent bad spending practices. The sooner you recognize these practices, the better off you’ll be. Here are some practices that should raise the red flag: Spending more money than you make. It’s so easy to make this mistake. You may not even realize it until it’s too late. You might be dipping into your savings here and there, thinking it’s just a little bit and won’t hurt, or...
Debt Statistics: Consumer Confidence and Credit Trends in Early 2000s
Stella2024-07-15T12:54:19+00:00Economic Environment. The fourth quarter of 2002 found consumers exhibiting little confidence in the economy, unemployment at over 5.7%, individual bankruptcy filings at an annual rate of 1.6 million, interest rates at a forty-year low, and unsecured credit delinquencies at an all-time high. In the beginning of 2003 the stock markets are still depressed and low interest rates make the bond market a less than attractive alternative. Retirees have seen their fixed-incomes plummet. Many consumers have taken low interest second mortgages...
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act
Stella2024-07-15T13:18:48+00:00The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) ensures that all consumers are given an equal chance to obtain credit. This doesn’t mean all consumers who apply for credit get it: Factors such as income, expenses, debt, and credit history are considerations for creditworthiness. The law protects you when you deal with any creditor who regularly extends credit, including banks, small loan and finance companies, retail and department stores, credit card companies, and credit unions. Anyone involved in granting credit, such as real...
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Stella2024-07-15T13:23:03+00:00As amended by Public Law 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 (Sept. 30, 1996) To amend the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prohibit abusive practices by debt collectors. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new title: TITLE VIII – DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) Sec. 801. Short Title 802. Congressional findings...
How We Can Help
Stella2024-07-15T13:27:18+00:00Being in debt doesn’t just affect your credit; it affects many parts of your life. You might feel as if you will never “get ahead.” Too often this is due to high interest credit cards. Many people simply do not have enough income to cover their basic living expenses, let alone their debt repayment. If you are struggling to make payments on your unsecured bills contact us for a free, no obligation telephone consultation, and see how easy it really is to...
Impulse Purchasing: Tips to Control Your Spending and Save Money
Stella2024-07-15T13:33:04+00:00Admit it. You’ve been there, standing in a long check-out line, waiting, and your eyes begin to wander. You can’t help it—products line the aisle, so bright and attractive. They offer everything you need, even things you forgot you needed, or maybe just a healthy snack. It’s our emotions which often contribute to these unplanned purchases. It’s so easy to fall prey to purchases that are well intended, or that you think you need at the time, only to...
Secured Debt: How to Manage Auto and Home Loans to Avoid Repossession and Foreclosure
Stella2024-07-15T13:35:15+00:00Auto and Home Loans: Debt repayment plans usually cover unsecured debt. Your auto and home loan, which are considered secured debt, may not be included. You must continue to make payments to these creditors directly. Most automobile financing agreements allow a creditor to repossess your car any time you’re in default. No notice is required. If your car is repossessed, you may have to pay the full balance due on the loan, as well as towing and storage costs, to get it back....
Secured vs. Unsecured Credit Cards
Stella2024-07-15T13:36:55+00:00When used properly, secured credit cards are an effective way to establish a good credit rating or rebuild a bad one. However, some of the offers are deceptive and can end up costing a lot of money. First, there is a big difference between a secured credit card and a regular one. With a secured card, you are required to open and maintain a savings account at the bank from which the card is issued. With unsecured you are not required to keep...
6 Ways to Save Money
Stella2024-07-15T13:39:42+00:00Transportation Airline Fares You may lower the price of a round trip air fare by as much as two-thirds by making certain your trip includes a Saturday evening stay over, and by purchasing the ticket in advance. To make certain you have a cheap fare, even if you use a travel agent, contact all the airlines that fly where you want to go and ask what the lowest fare to your destination is. Be flexible, if possible. Consider using low fare...
How to Stop Creditor’s Harassment
Stella2024-07-16T05:56:04+00:00If you are getting repeated calls from bill collectors, it can elevate your stress level to the point where you are unable to effectively handle your debt problem. If you are afraid to pick up the phone because you are afraid it will be a collection agent calling again, then you need to take action to stop these calls. There are Federal laws protect you as the consumer from these problems. By utilizing these laws, you have the right to stop unwanted...
Turn $1 a day into $67,815
Stella2024-07-16T06:02:24+00:00The coins rattling around in your pocket can add up to big savings over time. Want a foolproof way to turn $1 a day into $67,815? It doesn’t take a lot of money or time or personal sacrifice. There’s no magic, no multilevel marketing and no salesman will call at your door. In fact, it’s the simplest and most-proven way to get richer, and if you extend this concept to other parts of your life, you could end up with an enviable...
Warning Signs: Do You Need Debt Consolidation Help?
Stella2024-07-16T06:04:44+00:00Regardless of the cause, financial problems can impact both your work life and family life. Many times we don’t see the signs of a financial trouble until it’s too late. But financial crisis doesn’t occur overnight. There are several signs that will tell you whether you need debt consolidation help. Please read below just a few of these: You pay only monthly minimums or miss payments on charge accounts. You consolidate debts by borrowing from a high-interest lender. You spend more each month than you earn. You borrow...
Knowing When to Borrow – and Why
Stella2024-07-16T06:29:11+00:00Borrowing has a bigger impact on your wealth than almost any other decision you make. So what’s a good reason to borrow? To buy a house, sure, but not much else. The decisions about when and why to borrow have a bigger impact on your overall wealth than almost any other decision you make. Yet few of us think about it in those grand terms. Instead, we think of solving an immediate problem or fulfilling an immediate need — or desire. Thinking...