|
IN THIS ISSUE #134 |
|
Publisher:
Scott Bilker |
|
Editor:
Larissa S. Bilker |
|
Assistant
Editor: Denise Troy |
|
ISSN
1538-6740 |
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
In 2005, the
personal savings rate as a percentage of
disposable income in this country was negative
0.5%, by far the lowest of any industrialized
nation. In France, the savings rate was 11.6%.
Germany's rate was a robust 10.6%. Japan clocked
in at 6.7%. |
|
|
|
 |
|
Stop Debt Collectors Cold! |
|
Stop Debt Collectors Cold! Plus, for a
limited time, 4 bonus reports: How to
Get Collection Accounts Off Your Credit
Report, How to Avoid Losing Your Home In
A Foreclosure, What to Do if You Are
Behind on Your Car Payments, and
Confidential Interview With A Former
Debt Collector. |
|
Read about stopping debt collectors |
|
|
|
|
Letter from the Publisher
by Scott Bilker
Hi,
I love hearing
about how my DebtSmart readers are saving money! Please send me your
stories--they do make my day! I got this one last week.
-----------------
Dear Scott,
I just wanted to write in and let you
know how great this web site is. The suggestions you make and the
information you provide are amazing! Moreover, these make so much sense
from a financial perspective. By following your advice, I was able to
change my debt structure and will be completely debt free by the end of
next year. And, in doing so, I was able to save over $250 a month.
Thank you so much!
Joe Saxton
-----------------
How do you win every time on eBay?
You can save money on
eBay. I've talked about that before. Not just from selling stuff to earn
money, but also from purchasing items at low prices. When I first
started bidding on eBay, I lost every time!
Why?
Because people outbid me in the very last
minute of the auction!
Now, I win every time by using the same
strategy. Except, the only way to win every time is to bid in the last 10
seconds of the auction.
Last week, I decided to purchase a new scanner. I found
one on eBay with two days to go until the end. When there were only 20 minutes to go, I
synchronized a countdown timer to the exact time remaining on the
auction. Use the refresh button and watch the time to set.
Once the time synchronization was
verified, I started the bidding process all the way up until the last
step. I bid $1 more than my max bid. In this case, I wanted to spend no
more than $50, but I'm sure my opponent had that number. So, I went $1
more.
Ticktock, ticktock (24 reference)...I waited until
there were 15
seconds to go and submitted my bid. There simply isn't enough time for someone
to see that bid and respond. The result--I won! My closest opponent bid
$50.01. Nice try. "Timing is everything," as they say.
Talk to you later.
Best,
Scott
PS: Don't forget to watch the video from this issue's quote (see the link
there)--it's a great one!
Getting Your Overpayment Refund
by Scott BilkerDear Scott,
I receive your newsletter and love it.
Very helpful!
Recently, I have taken out a debt
consolidation loan. The time from application for the loan to closing on
the loan was 3 months. The consolidation loan included preprinted checks
made out to each of my creditors (5) with the total balance owed at the
application time.
The problem was that during the 3 months
before closing, I had been paying the minimum payment. So, when the loan
closed and the checks were issued, the check amount was higher than the
actual balance.
I have received credit checks from all
but one of the creditors for the difference. I have sent 2 letters to
the customer service address requesting the account be closed and a
check be issued.
It has been 2 months with no response
from the creditor. I have received 2 statements showing the credit. What
is the next step to getting the money back?
They owe me $179.00; too much money to
walk away from. What is very upsetting to me is that, if I owed them
money, I would have to pay late fees, interest and get marks on my
credit report.
Sincerely,
Aimee
Finish reading article
"It's like money falling from the sky!"
Since 2001, after my divorce, I had $5,500
in debt. I started the zero percent credit card game and nailed that
debt in six months. Then that same year, I decided to slam down my house
of $154,000. They let me pay off my house with a HELOC at 3.25%, and I
rode that up until last September. Then I jumped into a 5.4% fixed home
equity loan. On top of that, since 2001, I have been paying down $20,000
a year using a credit card at zero percent for 12 months. I have been
running the credit card parallel to my house payments. I borrowed $20K
from the credit card company, paid down the house and paid the credit
card company back before they charged me interest. The next year I asked
them for a new rewards card and had them transfer my available credit
over to the new card.
From listening to your advice...you want
to know where I am six years later? $40,000 at 5.4%!!!!!!! Scott, YOU
ARE THE MAN!!!!
I dropped my house debt from $154,000 to
$40,000! I started out with $1,100 a month payment, and now I am paying
$345 a month. The money freed up goes on that credit card. So every
month I send in $1,666.67 to beat them at interest. So, in about 7.5
years, which is next year, I will have no house debt!!!! Now I don't
know if I should reward myself and buy a vacation (second) home in the
mountains and first mortgage that place with credit cards. But the main
thing I want to say is a BIG THANK YOU!
I just can't believe I'm almost debt
free. I know if it weren't for your website, I would have never found a
way to use the credit cards as leverage to get out of debt.
My life is easier now and we just got
married and paid all CASH for the wedding. Money that I never had
before! It's like money falling from the sky! I thank the wonderful
credit card companies, but more important--YOU Scott. I hope one day I'll
meet you in person to shake your hand and personally thank you. I didn't
have a game until I jumped on this website. You made someone out here
very happy. Thanks again, Scott.
Greg Cards, Delaware
Read about special offer for all three of Scott Bilker's best-selling books
Household Math™: Car Per Hour
by Scott
BilkerJanice has finally received
her driver's license! She's a happy camper! Now it's time to get the car
and go places with her friends. She's pretty smart about money and knows
that she's going to need a decent job to support the car. She only has
time to work 20 hours each week. She estimates that the car financing
will cost $300 per month, gas $25 per week, auto insurance at $600
semiannually, and repairs and maintenance at $350 per year. How much per
hour must she net just to pay for the car?
Answer this problem
 Advertisement
Rating Your Credit Card"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."
See how your credit cards are rated by
CardRatings.com
Cha-Ching! Tips for a Successful Day of Yard Sale Shopping
by Nancy
TwiggFor those of you who truly
want to save money on your family's expenses, yard sale shopping is a
great way to find gently-used clothes, toys and household items for
pennies on the dollar. Here are some tips for making your yard sale
shopping trip as fun and profitable as possible.
| 1) |
If you don't
subscribe to the newspaper, buy or borrow one the day before
your shopping trip. Or, if your local newspaper lists all garage
sale ads online, save yourself a little money and get the yard
sale listings there. Just make sure that the paper's online
listing is complete. Some newspapers charge advertisers extra to
have their ads posted online. A quick call to the newspaper's
advertising department can confirm if the newspaper's website
contains all the yard sale ads or not. |
Finish Reading Article
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!
The Credit Repair Kit plus bonus
CD!
by Joe Sainz
What do you
think of when you hear the words "credit
repair"? I think of scam! That's because
many companies have made promises to
"fix" people's credit but then simply stole
their money. However, there are still
reputable sources for people to learn
how to straighten out their credit
reports.
Your
credit report is your financial résumé
and everyone from lenders to insurance
agents reviews it. It's vital that there
are no mistakes shown, and if there are,
that they're removed!
There are
many books on the subject but my
personal favorite is The Credit
Repair Kit. That's because Joe
Sainz offers great practical advise for
correcting errors. Plus, he includes a
Credit Booster CD-ROM with the
book!
If you're
having trouble getting the rates you
deserve because of your credit report,
then you must read this book!
Read more
about The Credit Repair Kit plus bonus
CD...
|
How to UPDATE your
information, SUBSCRIBE, or UNSUBSCRIBE from this
newsletter |
|
All recipients of the
DebtSmart® Email Newsletter signed up voluntarily for
the newsletter via our website. |
|
SUBSCRIBE to this newsletter |
| Please contact
comments@debtsmart.com
with any comments, problems, or concerns. |
|
|
|
|
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.
Copyright ©2006 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.
|
