Tools for
financial success! A Free Email
Newsletter from DebtSmart Online and
Press One Publishing.
Letter from the Publisher by Scott Bilker
Hi,
Boy, I'm
in the wrong business. How much do think
the Capital One Financial's, CEO,
Richard D. Fairbanks was compensated in
2005?
Ready for
this...$280,083,843!
That's
$280 million! This guy wins the
Powerball Lottery every year!
Mr.
Fairbanks is one of many high-paid CEO's
who salaries are in the stratosphere.
Are these people worth that kind of
money? Can they add that much value to
the product? In his case, that money is
made up of our interest payments!
Let's do
the math. If the average interest rate
(APR) is 13 percent, and the average
household has $8,000 in debt, then his
salary represents an entire year's
interest payments for 269,311
households! Wow! That's 14 times the
number of people that live in my NJ
town!
You can
take a look at the entire "Special
report: Executive compensation" in
USA Today by
clicking here.
What are
you worth? PLENTY! There's a lot of
money out there in the world--now let's
go get it!
The beginning of my
financial life was when I received my
driver's license. Before that I rode my
bicycle around and had no bills. Well, I
needed a car, right? I had to get to
work so I could pay for the car, to get
to work.
That's
what started the bill cycle. The car was
used (pre-owned), so I had no payments,
but I was using my gas credit card to
get around. And let's not forget that I
could now go to the mall, buy stuff, and
take Larissa on dates better than
McDonalds (we started dating before I
could drive). So it didn't take long for
the bills to start arriving in the mail.
"I spent
about 2 hours reading this book (Talk
Your Way Out of Credit Card Debt),
getting comfortable with the strategies.
Then, after my first phone call, which
saved me $210 per year, I was off and
running! I was able to reduce my
interest rate by as much as 9%. I called
all six of my Mastercard/Visa companies
and was able to save $1,983 per year
from the finance charges plus having a
$59.00 annual fee removed and a late fee
removed ($29.00). The $/hour saved
ranged from $141/hour to $2,464/hour and
averaged $1,334/hour. It was so easy!!"
Every
time you order a sub, whether it's a
whole sub or a half-sub you get a
coupon. When you accumulate 15 coupons
you get a free whole sub. Four (4) of us
from work are going out to lunch,
everybody is going to order the Cheese,
Boiled Ham, Proscuittini, Cappacuolo
sandwich which costs $7.45 for a whole
sub and $4.70 for a half-sub. Each
person eats a half-sub for lunch and we
plan on going here all the time.
We've
already collected 11 coupons. Is it
better to get 4 half-subs now and get
the free whole sub next time, or is it
better to split 2 whole subs this time
and next time, and get the free whole
sub on the third lunch trip?
I see a
guy on TV all the time. He says that you
can buy a home with no money down and
then come from closing with money in
your pocket. Supposedly people buy homes
and make millions a year. Do you know
about this? How this could be done? Is
it worth the 3 payments of $59.99? Or is
it a scam?
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...
What are
thrift shops? Where do you find them?
What are they all about? How can they
help you cut down on your debts?
What are
Thrift Shops?
Hospitals, churches, and other
charitable organizations establish
thrift shops to raise money for their
causes. Items from clothes through
appliances to devices to aid the
elderly, such as wheelchairs and
walkers, are donated to them.
The cost
of running a thrift shop is nil,
especially if the rental is donated.
Volunteers spend a few hours a day there
in shifts and help patrons of all ages.
Certain
thrift shops specialize in specific
items. Those could be books, maternity
clothes, sweaters, shoes, and other
articles. Many carry children's clothes
and toys.
Thrift
shops can help immensely with family
budgets, especially these days when it's
raining pink slips.
46.2% of all families now
carry a credit card balance. This is up from 44.4% in
2001. Households are also carrying higher balances; the
mean balance is now $5,100 ($4,400 in 2001) and the
median balance is $2,200 ($2,000 in 2001). The median
income is currently $43,200 and the typical family's
credit card balance is now almost 5% of their annual
income.
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)
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