Tools for
financial success! A Free Email
Newsletter from DebtSmart Online and
Press One Publishing.
Letter from the Publisher by Scott Bilker
Hi,
Valentine's Day is around the corner.
Time to take the
Financial Compatibility Test
with your honey--to see if you agree on
the money.
Also in
this issue is a great article by Amy L.
Cooper-Arnold about the Fair and Accurate
Credit Transactions Act (FACTA).
She does a wonderful job explaining many
details of the law.
Speaking
of laws...Tell
Congress to enact strong ID theft
protection for consumers...
Security
freeze key to war on I.D. theft
"Security freeze" laws
let you stop new creditors from
looking at your consumer credit files.
This cuts off ID theft at the start,
since thieves can't open new accounts in
your name. Look here to see if your
state is
considering such a law now, and take
action to stop ID theft! Find out if
your state is among the 12 that
already have this right.
I'm
starting to make myself available for
speaking engagements. Until recently,
I've only done media interviews (print,
radio, TV), but a few people have
encouraged me to start speaking about credit card and debt management in
live seminars. So, if you are interested
in hearing me speak at your association,
library, school, group, etc., then
please complete this form so
we can talk about the details.
It is well known
that money is the #1 reason for divorce!
Money is very important in your
relationship. It's the blood that flows
through the financial veins of the
family. If there is a problem with its
flow, everyone in the family will
suffer!
Take this
test with your spouse/partner to see how
compatible your philosophies and
monetary strategies are when dealing
with money and debt!
You both
need to take the test without looking at
the answer key or each other's answers.
Print two tests (one for each of you).
Circle your answer for each question,
then, after both are completed, click on
the link for the score key (at bottom of
this page) and calculate your score.
"It took me
7 minutes to settle a 4,374.81 debt at
50% with Wells Fargo Financial. Piece of
Cake--with your book, of course! Thank
you! My husband has leukemia and had to
have a bone marrow transplant, we
traveled out of state for the transplant
and are both not working. You are
directly helping us get our lives back
on track, be proud"
How much
are you really saving to be there for
that sale? This is a true situation at
our house. My wife drives a Dodge Ram;
it gets 12 mpg (miles per gallon). Gas
in our area is $2.45 per gallon. The
mall is 18 miles each away. If she cuts
back and only goes to the mall once a
week, instead of twice a week, how much
would she save in one year? (Steve, DebtSmart Reader, submitted this
question.)
Our story
began 23 years ago when my wife and I
got our first credit card ever. We were
young, married just a short while, and
had already established good credit
(without a credit card). Back then the
credit card was for "emergencies" only.
What a crock!
We fooled
ourselves. We shortly discovered how
easy it was to whip out the credit card
to buy something we wanted. Oh, at
first, we always paid the balance back
right away (putting aside the money from
our meager paychecks so we would have it
to pay when the bill arrived). Then it
happened, the "emergency!" I was in a
serious auto accident. I was not hurt
too badly, fortunately, but my car was a
total loss, and we still owed money on
it.
We did
not have much money in savings. Of
course, we did get a check from the
insurance company for the loss -- but it
was nowhere near what we owed on the
car, and we had to get another vehicle.
So we did the dumb thing...
Helping you with your debt is very important to me personally! If you've been
reading my articles, you know that I always encourage self-help as a first step.
However, being buried in debt can be very overwhelming, which is why you may
want to explore other options.
One of those options is professional, ongoing help with credit counselors.
I've started to check out certain companies personally so I can recommend the
ones that are worth considering!
If you would like to speak with a representative from a...
Your
credit report is your financial résumé.
Everyone is looking at it. From
employers to landlords to
creditors--even insurance agents. And
they're judging you based on your report
and score. A good report and score can
mean saving thousands of dollars in
interest, getting that apartment, and
landing your dream job.
When I
want to find information about credit
scoring and credit reporting, I turn to
Evan Hendricks' book! This book is
clearly the best, most complete work on
the topic! Evan not only presents the
details needed to understand the system,
but he also provides the tools needed to
take effective action to resolve
specific problems. If you want to...
"CardRatings.com has been offering
ratings of credit cards since 1998 and has been featured by Good Morning
America, The Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports®, NPR, PBS, etc.
Thanks to consumers like you, CardRatings.com has become the most
comprehensive free source for comparing credit card offers."
Do you know
all the implications of identity theft?
Do you know that an imposter can open
lines of credit, drain your bank
account, file for bankruptcy, get an ID
card, get a job, and even be arrested
all in your name? All the missed
payments an imposter doesn't make are
reported in your credit file causing
your credit score to suffer.
And
according to Liz Pulliam Weston, author
of Your Credit Score and MSN Money
personal finance columnist, a poor
credit history affects your whole
financial life. It's not only creditors
who have access to your report, but also
insurance agencies and potential
employers.
Financial
success is having control over your finances
rather than having your finances in control of
you."--Scott Bilker
Quotes from all previous
newsletters
Debit cards--which avoid
debt by withdrawing the purchase amount from a
consumer's bank account--were used to pay for an
estimated 23.1 billion transactions nationwide during
2005, surpassing the estimated 20.3 billion transactions
paid by credit card.
More credit, more options
Credit options are your weapon against the banks! The key to
success is using your credit lines to save money--not to go
crazy spending!
Blue from American Express®
Intro Rate: 0.00%,
Time Period: 15 Months,
APR: 3.99% (for life on transferred balances)
Free PDF
calculator allows you to compare your current mortgage to other mortgage
options! No need to install new software! Calculator runs completely in
the free Adobe Acrobat Reader!
You can add DebtSmart® News RSS feeds to your newsreader pages. Note: RSS feeds are not a
replacement for the email newsletter but a fast method of finding out what's new
here at DebtSmart.com.
DISCLAIMER
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 to 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.
Subscribe FREE and start
finding new ways to save
money and pay off your debt.
"The DebtSmart Email
Newsletter is packed with
cutting-edge strategies for
solving credit problems. I
highly recommend it."--Gerri
Detweiler, radio host and
author of The
Ultimate Credit Handbook
