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Email Newsletter 12/19/01
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DEBTSMART EMAIL NEWSLETTER - Tools for financial success!
A Free E-Mail Newsletter from DebtSmart Online and Press One
Publishing.
ISSN 1538-6740
December 19, 2001 Issue 15
Scott Bilker, Editor and Publisher, mailto:publisher@debtsmart.com
Richard Crammer, Editor, mailto:editor@debtsmart.com
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For instructions to SUBSCRIBE, and DISCLAIMER, see bottom of this
email.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Advertisers
=> DebtSmart Resources
=> Letter from the Publisher
=> Ratings
=> Quiz: Credit Repair
=> Survey: New Year's Resolutions
=> Lower Your Credit-Card APR
Right Now!
=> Comparing a Refinance
=> Reflections--A Top Ten List of
Year-End Questions
=> Messed Up Car Lease
=> Subscribe/Disclaimer
Information
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However, if you have any problems, please let us know by sending mailto:comments@debtsmart.com
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EMAIL NEWSLETTER MARKETING! IT'S
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DebtSmart Resources
How to advertise in the email
newsletter:
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How to advertise in the online
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Archive of DebtSmart Email
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How to use DebtSmart articles FREE in
your ezine or on your web site:
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Letter from the Publisher
by Scott Bilker
I want to thank you for helping make
the DebtSmart email newsletter a success! Your interest in the
articles at DebtSmart has helped us create a powerful web site
that's available 24-7-52 to assist many people in saving money on
their debt!
This is the final issue of 2001 and
with that I want to ask everyone about their New Year's Resolutions.
Do you make them? What are they? Please let me know your aspirations
for 2002 by taking the survey.
By the way, if you have ever
considered working with a credit repair company then you should test
your knowledge with the Credit Repair quiz included in this issue.
Below are the results of the last
survey that asked about your holiday shopping:
1) How far along are you with your
holiday shopping as of today (12/5/01)?
As of 12/5/01, 32% responded by saying they are 75% complete with
their shopping.
2) How much will you (did you) spend
for your most expensive gift?
Again, 32% responded in one range, $31 to $60. Very reasonable for a
nice gift.
3) How many holiday cards do you send
out through the mail?
As you may expect, most people, 93% send less than 30 cards by mail.
Have a great holiday season and a
happy New Year!
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Rate the Articles
Please be sure to rate the articles
in the email newsletter. You can do so by clicking below:
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Quiz
Credit Repair Scams abound today.
Every time you turn on the TV or read a newspaper it seems that
someone is promising to improve your credit rating. Take this quiz
to improve your awareness of credit repair scams, and don't get
ripped off.
Use the below link to take the quiz:
http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/go/011219_en.cgi?08&7428
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Survey: New Years Resolutions
Do you make them? What are they?
Please let me know your aspirations for 2002 by taking the survey.
Use the below link to take the
survey:
http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/go/011219_en.cgi?09&7428
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Lower Your Credit-Card APR Right Now!
by Scott Bilker
When was the last time you took a
look at your credit card APR (Annual Percentage Rate)? You may think
you know what the bank is charging you for the use of their money,
but you might be surprised to find that terms have changed and
you're now paying as much as 18 to 20%. The U.S. average is around
18%, and I believe that is much more than you have to pay-especially
when you've been a good customer with that bank.
So what do you do if you discover
that you are paying too much for your loans? Well, quite simply,
make the bank lower your rate. Sound impossible? More than half of
the time I've been able to make my banks lower their interest rates.
The trick is to have...
Use the below link to read the rest
of the article:
http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/go/011219_en.cgi?10&7428
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Comparing a Refinance
by Gary Foreman
Dear Gary,
My husband and I want to refinance our mortgage and add a credit
card debt. We owe $44,000 on our mortgage at a rate of 7 1/8% and we
have 11 years left. We want to add a credit card debt of $17,000 at
a rate of 9.99%. The best mortgage rate that I have been able to
find is a 15 year fixed at 6.25% with a fee of $1161 and no points.
Would we be wise to refinance? Thanks. I hope you can help me with
the answer or point me in the right direction. --Lynn O.
You don't need to be refinancing your
home to ask this question. We face the same problem with competing
credit card or auto financing offers. And many of us have a similar
reaction. There's just too many numbers to even know where to start.
So we end up with something that could be costing us extra money
every month.
Let's break Lynn's question down into
bite sized pieces and see if we can't simplify things. We'll look at
a method that you can use to compare any two loans. First we'll
figure out...
Use the below link to read the rest
of the article:
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Reflections--A Top Ten List of Year-End Questions
by Michael Angier
In order to embrace the new, we must
release the old. A trapeze artist cannot swing from one bar to
another without letting go. An important part of preparing for the
New Year is to review the past year--to release it--and to learn
from it.
To go where we wish to go and be whom
we wish to be, we need to know where we are and who we are. An
honest self-analysis is always helpful to gain clarity. As we end
the year it seems particularly fitting to devote some time to
reflecting on the year past.
The following questions should
stimulate your thinking for this process. I hope that you take time
out of your busy schedule this holiday season to ponder...
Use the below link to read the rest
of the article:
http://www.debtsmart.com/cgi-pl/go/011219_en.cgi?12&7428
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Messed Up Car Lease
by Craig Thor Kimmel
Dear DebtSmart,
I have a 2000 Ford Windstar van. I currently owe $20,150.00. The
private party retail is $18,225 and trade-in is $15,385 per Kelly
Blue book. My payments are $449 a month. At the time I took on these
payments I could handle it, but now I cannot. I have tried to trade
the van in on a cheaper vehicle, like a 10,000 or 11,000 vehicle.
But the car dealers always come back telling me they can't do it
unless I could put 3 or 4 thousand down. I already put 5 thousand
down when I bought it! I am in a "Red Carpet Lease"
program and the lease is not up til April 2003 and can't absolutely
hang on til then. Any suggestions? --Messed up in Texas
Dear "Messed Up": Your
inquiry touches on questions several readers of this space have
asked about. Let's start from scratch.
A lease is a contract whereby the
vehicle is sold by the dealer, not to you, but to a third party,
usually a bank. The bank essentially "rents" the car to
you over a set term, varying between 24 - 72 months, based upon
depreciation, interest and taxes. If negotiated fairly, leasing
serves the primary advantage of substantially lower monthly payments
compared to a purchased vehicle. However, leases have several
shortcomings in that they are far less flexible if you wish to
terminate before the contract ends.
What you are experiencing firsthand,
"Messed Up", is this inflexibility. Asking to be released
early from the remainder of the term you signed on for requires the
remaining amounts to be paid and in most cases, a purchase of the
vehicle for your dealer to re-sell. That gets pricey as I will
explain.
When you go to the dealer to
terminate, the first thing they do is...
Use the below link to read the rest
of the article:
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HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER
TO SUBSCRIBE to this newsletter click on the below link and complete
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Please contact mailto:comments@debtsmart.com
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The author(s), Press One Publishing, and DebtSmart.com shall have
neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with
respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused,
directly or indirectly by the information contained in this email
newsletter and/or at the DebtSmart.com web site. The information,
methods and techniques described may not work for you and no
recommendation is made to follow the same course of action. Every
effort has been made verify the accuracy of all content contained
herein. However, there may be mistakes; typographical, mathematical
or in content. This email newsletter and the DebtSmart.com web site
have been created for your entertainment only. You must always seek
the proper professional advice before taking any financial or legal
action. You have been warned.
Copyright (c) 2001 Press One
Publishing. All rights reserved. Please do not reprint, or host on
your Web site, without explicit permission. However, if you found
this newsletter helpful, we grant you permission, and strongly
encourage you, to e-mail it to a business associate or a friend.
Thank you.
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