Does this sound like you or anyone you know? Many people are fearful of asking a stranger for help, even though the stranger is a certified credit counselor. I suppose that this goes back to the old family tradition of not airing your dirty laundry in public.
You know what - that’s just plain silly. A credit counselor is trained to cut through the nonsense and get the job done. We all need help from time to time. My family was secretive about where they were financially and consequently us kids (there were 3 of us) never knew whether we should ask for what we really wanted for our birthdays or Christmas. Personally I always wanted an electric train but never asked for one because I “just knew” it was too expensive. When my family came along we always told our kids if we couldn’t afford something and would suggest an alternative. That way no one ever was left out. And if you can’t afford it then you can’t afford it. There’s no sense in feeling embarrassed.
If credit card bills are getting you down don’t be afraid to call. They are professionals, totally non-judgmental and nothing you can say will shock them. They will help you get the credit card companies paid and if you follow their direction you will find you can pay your bills and have money left over. Call today!
Here’s a great website if you are looking to quit smoking!
Another great site for good Inspirational short stories!
For the rest of credit help available please visit our website! Thanks!!
AIG, the global insurance and financial services giant, has been pulled back from the edge of bankruptcy by the federal government with a two-year, $85 billion line of revolving credit. It’s secured by AIG’s numerous operating subsidiaries — many of them insurance companies that sell everything from life, home, accident and health insurance, to high net worth and identity theft insurance.
AIG’s board of directors issued a statement in an attempt to quell any concerns from policyholders.
“Policyholders of AIG companies around the world can rest assured that AIG’s commitments will continue to be honored. AIG is a solid company with over $1 trillion in assets and substantial equity, but it has been recently experiencing serious liquidity issues. We believe the loan, which is backed by profitable, well-capitalized operating subsidiaries with substantial value, will protect all AIG policyholders, address rating agency concerns and give AIG the time necessary to conduct asset sales on an orderly basis.”
AIG was chin-deep in Wall Street quicksand, thanks in large part to credit default swaps, or CDS. A credit default swap is like an insurance policy against a debt obligation defaulting and, of course, defaults are in vogue, so AIG got into big trouble.
Fortunately for consumers who have AIG insurance policies, what happened on the financial services side of AIG had little, if any, impact on the other side — the insurance business, says David Schiff, editor of Schiff’s Insurance Observer.
“It really has to do with guarantees that they made through AIG Financial Products — they basically engaged in derivatives and swaps. A lot of AIG’s problems stem from the fact that they had a triple-A rating. Everybody wanted them to be a counter party, so they did things like guaranteeing these securities — pools of mortgages. Some weren’t so good, but you throw them all together and AIG got paid for guaranteeing them. But there really was risk there and they didn’t even realize it.”
AIG has several lines of business, and within those lines there are dozens of companies.
“One of them is AIG American General, which issues life insurance policies,” says Ron Adair, Certified Financial Planner and partner at The Resource Group in Glendale, Calif.
“AIG American General is a subsidiary within the parent company, AIG. The parent company can’t gain access to those assets because AIG American General operates as a separate legal entity.”
Adair’s assertion that AIG would have a tough time robbing Peter to pay Paul stems from the tightly regulated insurance industry.
“The insurance company subsidiaries of AIG are regulated and monitored on a state basis,” says Donald Light, senior analyst in the insurance group at Celent, a consulting firm. “The duty of state insurance departments is to make sure there are sufficient assets and sufficient quality of assets on hand to pay claims. Say what you will about them, but they take their responsibilities seriously to make sure that every insurance company they regulate is financially solid. That includes the amount of assets, the quality of assets and the accuracy of understanding the claims upon those assets.”
The AIG situation highlights the disadvantage consumers have when trying to select an insurance company. As we’ve seen so often in this financial debacle, ratings assigned to financial companies may be meaningless.
“After you put your eggs in whatever number of baskets, keep your eye on those baskets,” Light says. “In a way, that’s harsh, but it’s common sense. If we’ve learned nothing else, it’s that ratings don’t last and financial conditions change. It’s the responsibility of every consumer and every agent that a consumer relies on to stay current with developments.”
Light says he’s not suggesting that consumers make fast decisions and change policies, because there are costs and risks associated with that, too. But don’t assume that because you see its ads on TV that the company must be good — and don’t buy a policy and forget about it.
If you have any questions about your AIG policy, the New York State Insurance Department has set up a hot line. Call (800) 339-1759 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. EST. Or contact them by e-mail at consumers@ins.state.ny.us.
For more credit help, please visit our site. We have been there and know how bad credit can affect everything, including your health. Take a look! We offer some great auto insurance rates, take a look!
If you know someone struggling to quit smoking we found a great site that offers genuinehelp. You can Quit!!
Here is a great site for some wonderful Spiritual articles, short stories, plays, family stories, Bible studies etc. Check it out.
Usually in this space we write about business. Either what we know from our own business experience or what we have learned that we believe is applicable to the business climate. But today I want to tell you about a lady, my lady.
My name is Dewey Kearney and my daughter Leslie and I co-own and manage this site. Let me tell you about the Lady that I just mentioned. Her name was Kathy and she and I were married for 45 years before she passed away in March 2006.
Kathy was one of the most fantastic women I have ever known, not just because she put up with me for all those years or because she worked with me in business for 15+ years, or because she helped me raise three great children. She was a fantastic lady because she loved God and put him first. Now before your eyes glaze over please let me explain just who Kathy Kearney was.
Besides being a wife, mother, grandmother and all that goes with it she was a playwrite, lecturer, teacher and musician. Everything she did she did with her own unique flair, and to the best of her ability. Knowing that she was representing Christ to those around her, she was always gracious and loving. She loved a great joke (puns were her favorites) and she lit up a room when she came in!
She was an English major in college and that was her first love, in fact she was a wordsmith extraordinaire. She was a published writer in the Christian marketplace and also had her own repertoire company. She wrote and directed all the plays and melodrama’s they produced. In between times she taught Bible studies, was a seminar speaker, loved her husband and raised her family. What a Lady!
She wrote many short stories and articles that were never published - because the Christian marketplace pays so little - and that she, being the artist she was, wrote for the joy of writing whether published or not. Kathy had the ability to take a subject and find a Spiritual application. Her short story “Believe The Compass” is an example that best describes this ability.
She, along with a Christian Psychologist, were in the process of collaborating for a book that never was published. At least three chapters were completed prior to her death and submitted to every major Christian publishing house in the U.S. but was rejected because as they put it, “the subject was too controversial”. Those will be on her website within a short time.
I recently posted a website dedicated to Kathy and her work. It is about 95% complete but it is on the web. The URL is: www.firequillpublications.com - I hope that you will take a few minutes to be inspired. She was quite a Lady! And she was MY LADY! Wow, was I ever blessed!
If you know someone that wants help to stop smoking, here’s the website for real help! Check it out!
Wanted to take a break from normal posts about credit and debt to just pause and be thankful for this great country of ours. And to think about how WE as individuals can make a difference in the lives of people around us.
Regardless of what’s happening to you financially right now there is always someone just a little worse off that you can help. Even if it’s just a sick friend or neighbor that you cook a meal for. Thinking of others first, sacrificing of ourselves, even just a little, is what has made this country so great. And that’s what sets our country apart from so many others. WE as individuals take responsibility for ourselves, our neighbors, our community, our country.
So we wanted to pause and give you a little post we found yesterday on Fox. RealAmericanStories.com.
We hope you enjoy being inspired and may you have a wonderful 4th of July. God Bless America
For more credit help, please visit our site. We have been there and know how bad credit can affect everything, including your health. Take a look!
If you know someone struggling to quit smoking we found a great site that offers genuinehelp. You can Quit!!
Here is a great site for some wonderful Spiritual articles, short stories, plays, family stories, Bible studies etc. Check it out.
If you have been having financial trouble for some time and wondered if there was any debt relief in your future then it’s time to cheer up, the answer is YES!
If you don’t get a handle on your past due accounts there is no hope for the future. We have been there ourselves, that’s why we built this site, to help others. So let’s look at some options.
First let’s get a handle on your credit card debt . If you are like most Americans you’re credit cards are maxed out! The average person in the USA has 11 credit cards according to the banking industry. Eleven credit cards are way too many; you should have not over two or three. If you are looking for debt relief and are considering getting rid of some cards the first rule is to get rid of the credit cards you have had the shortest time not the old timers. Part of your credit score is computed by how long you have had the credit card, thus a card you have had for 10 years is worth more than one you got yesterday for credit score purposes.
Of course, if the older card company is jerking you around and making you pay 30% interest then it’s better to get rid of the card. Just don’t throw away ALL of your older cards!
The easiest way to start feeling some debt relief is to pay more on the cards that have the highest interest first. Make the minimums on the others if you have to, but get those high interest rate cards paid down. Never just pay the minimum; you will never get out of debt. Keep chipping away at these till you have them paid down. It may take a while, but we know you can do it!
When you have the cards with the highest interest paid by approximately 40 – 50% call them and ask for an interest reduction. Tell them that you want to keep their card but unless they give you a rate reduction you are going to pay it off and cancel the card. They will in all likelihood cut the rate considerably.
Set up a budget and live by it. This is the true answer to debt relief. We have budget forms available on our site both the one-month and twelve-month, and they are FREE. They are easy to work with and will help you to see EXACTLY where your money is going each month (you’ll be surprised!)
What Do I Do If My Debts Are Too Far Behind And My Credit Card Companies Won’t Work With Me?
Let me say first off, try everything before bankruptcy. In 1989 – 90 I owned a business and took out an SBA loan so I could purchase a second one from a “friend” of mind, who I thought wouldn’t lie to me. Well, he misrepresented the facts about the business. He wasn’t making the money he claimed and it drained all our money from both businesses and forced us into bankruptcy and out of business – one of the saddest days of my life.
So when I say don’t declare bankruptcy if you can avoid it, I know what I am talking about. Our credit was ruined for 10 years. Plus the new bankruptcy laws won’t allow you to wipe the slate completely clean on credit card debt. So let’s explore another debt relief option. Credit Counseling Credit counseling is a way to get some debt relief and get your payments under control. With credit counseling you can pay off your credit cards in about three years. There are upsides and downsides to using a credit counselor though so you’ll want to consider these facts.
What does a credit counselor do? A credit counselor takes all your current credit debt and contacts the creditors to negotiate a “pay-off” amount. Sometimes they say they negotiate a “lower interest rate.” It’s the same principle. It lowers your monthly payments. Why will credit companies do this? For a couple reasons:
First – they are guaranteed a payment from you every month until the principle amount is paid off. And to their thinking, something is better than nothing.
Second – the credit cards are canceled so they know you won’t run up more credit debt with them.
You agree to cancel the cards and get set up on a payment plan. The credit counselor will collect the money each month in one payment and then pay each creditor their piece of it, so you don’t have to keep writing multiple checks.
Upside – Some much needed debt relief! And your payments are finished in three years.
Downside – Your credit score will not go up until you are finished paying off the credit cards.
If you’re not sure a credit counselor is right for your situation you can take our quick survey by clicking here.
Repairing Your Bad Credit
Once you have managed your past due bills, the next thing you will want to do is start to improve your credit score. Here are some steps you can take.
Order a copy of your credit report. Order all three. You can get them from free credit report.com here. At least 79% of the credit reports contain some errors according to the credit agencies themselves.
The LONG way to fixing your credit involves writing to the credit bureaus (one letter, one disputed item) and challenge any item that is wrong or outdated and ask them to remove it. They will contact the creditor and then make the decision as to what to do. Don’t be surprised if nothing happens in your favor.
The SHORT way is to use a credit attorney to get things moving. We recommend Lexington Law because of their track record in this business. As attorneys they know what it takes to clean up your credit report. Can you afford this? Absolutely! They charge a modest monthly fee with a 100% satisfaction guarantee if you are not satisfied! How can you afford not to!
Debt relief is possible, but only if you don’t procrastinate! You can do it, with a little effort and perhaps some help from a credit counseling agency. Good luck to you! Don’t delay!
For more credit help, please visit our site. We have been there and know how bad credit can affect everything, including your health. Take a look!
If you know someone struggling to quit smoking we found a great site that offers genuinehelp. You can Quit!!
Here is a great site for some wonderful Christian articles, short stories, plays, family stories, Bible studies etc. Check it out.
Do you have debt that is bogging you down and keeping you from reaching your financial goals? Using credit and debt can be a powerful tool that allows you to buy a home, a vehicle, send children to college, and even provide leverage for other purchases. But when you accumulate too much debt , it can pose a serious problem that affects other areas of your finances.
Here are some key warning signs that could mean that you’re in too much debt. While nobody wants to admit they are in debt, you can overcome it. The sooner you recognize there is a problem and begin to make changes, the better off you’re going to be. Don’t delay and put your other financial goals in jeopardy. Find out today whether or not you’re in over your head. Here are a series of statements to compare to your situation. If any of these apply to you, it is time to stop and take action to remedy the problem.
10 Warning Signs Of Too Much Debt
You don’t have any savings.
You only make the minimum payment on your credit cards each month.
You continue to make more purchases on your credit cards while trying to pay it off.
You have at least one credit card that is near, at, or over the credit limit.
You don’t even know how much total debt you actually have.
You use cash advances from your credit cards to pay other bills.
You bounce checks or overdraw your bank accounts.
You’ve been denied credit.
You lie to friends or family about your spending and debt. Take Action Now
Sometimes we know deep down inside that we have a debt problem, but it is easier to deny the problem than to address it. It can be painful and require hard work, but the sooner you realize that you are in over your head, you can begin to make positive changes. Delaying changes to your habits will only prolong the problem and make it worse. If you don’t think you can tackle the problem alone, there are people out there willing to help.
Wanted to take a break from normal posts about credit and debt to just pause and be thankful for this great country of ours. And to think about how WE as individuals can make a difference in the lives of people around us.
