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Here’s Why to Have a Date With Your Money

May 24, 2017 debtmanagement

Do you think of your money as a friend or an enemy?

You really should think of it as a friend. After all, would an enemy pay your rent or mortgage? Would an enemy buy you a car or pay your utilities?

Money is not only a friend, it has superpowers. It can take you on vacations and even give you peace of mind.

Given the fact it’s such a good friend, why not ask it out on a date?

Have a recurring date

Get out your calendar and set a recurring date. This could be as frequently as once a month or just once a quarter. The idea here is to set aside time to brainstorm things you could do with your current cash flow to have more money. If you implant an idea about money in your subconscious, it will go to work in the background analyzing opportunities. It’s likely that you’ll notice and remember articles on investing. You might spot the opportunity for a business venture. You’ll find this happens almost automatically once you have that recurring date in place.

What to do pre-date

This may sound silly but you should dress up just as you would for any date. Put on your makeup or comb your hair and put on a nice shirt. The trick is to make this feel like a special occasion. Then, set your intentions for the next couple of hours. For example, you might say, “I am putting my finances in order, and I’m going to think creatively about money.”

Next, set aside a limited amount of time. It would be a mistake to spend many hours pouring over your bills and end up feeling lost and overwhelmed. Three hours could be a good place to start.

Turn off your phone and maybe play some soft music to get in the mood.

Finally, make a list of the tasks that you want to perform that day.

The date itself

The first thing you need to do for your money date is assemble all your personal monthly and household expenses. Take a look at the previous month. What was your largest expenses? Do you foresee a big expense coming up in the future like a dental bill or car repair?

Check your transactions – credit cards, PayPal, checking account, purchases on Amazon, direct debits, etc. Mistakes can happen so look for overcharging or purchases that weren’t yours.
Think about your financial goals. You say you don’t have any yet? Then, sit down and define some. Is your goal to pay off your mortgage, save for a big trip, or a sabbatical year? It’s critical to visualize these goals and then track your progress.

Do you have stuff that doesn’t bring you any joy? If there’s something you haven’t used for 6-plus months, think about getting rid of it. You could donate, sell, or trash it.

Are there services like that health club membership you no longer use? Either cancel them or call the providers to see if you can get a better deal.

Think about side hustles or what you could do to earn extra money. We understand that Uber and Lyft can be good ways to do this, and that driving for Jimmy John’s can mean big money.

Look for things you can automate. Do you have an expense tracking app? Two of the best of these are Mint and Toshi. How about your bank? Does it offer options you have not yet used like automatic bill paying?

Finally, check out your investments to see if they need rebalancing. If you have not yet started investing, get to it.

Why hav a long-term relationship with your money

You don’t want your money date to be a one-night stand. It’s important to create a long-term relationship by doing things like reading money books. Keep in mind that you need to both enjoy and appreciate your money. Choose an activity or an item that you want to spend your money on that will give you a lot of pleasure. You’ll have more money coming so treat yourself to something like new athletic shoes or an expensive dinner with a loved one. It won’t exhaust your checking account if you do it just once a month, and it will enhance your life.

Lastly, pick a money or success goal for the upcoming month. This could be something as small as packing healthy food for your lunch instead of eating out. Or it might be something as big as a new outfit.

In conclusion

Having a recurring date with your money can be a very good thing. It can help you focus on your finances now and set your brain to working on them subconsciously. Your life and your money will thank you.

Three Common Mistakes That Can Trash Your Credit and How to Fix Them

May 18, 2017 debtmanagement

However, there are other things you could do that will trash your credit practically instantly. The problem is that these are actions that can seem to make good sense at the time but can have consequences that are tough to foresee. Here are three of them and what you could do to limit or undue the damage.

Taking money out of your 401(k)

It can be tempting to cash out your 401(k) to pay off your debts or to make a down payment on your first house. But it can be a mistake to even withdraw small amounts, and the younger you are, the worse the damage is. The mistake here is misunderstanding that when you cash out even a portion of your 401(k) this triggers penalties and taxes that can eat up as much as $500 for every $1000 you withdraw. All you have to do is click a button and the money is gone, and with it goes all the tax-deferred gains it could’ve earned going forward..

The downside is any you withdraw from your 401(k) isn’t earning tax-deferred returns any longer. Plus, those returns can’t earn returns any longer. When you the keep money in your 401(k), compounding works miracles. But when you withdraw money, it works against you, and what it costs you only grows worse over time.

So, the way to undo the damage is easy. Never withdraw money from your 401(k) – until you’re ready to retire.

Missing a credit card payment

The problem with credit card payments is that they’re just so darn easy to forget. You’re busy, life is hectic, the credit card statement disappears under the sofa, and so the bill doesn’t get paid. You figure that’s not a problem. You think you’ll catch up next time and all you’ll just get hit with a late fee. Better think again. If there’s a payment where you’re 30 days or more late this could drop your credit score by 100 points or even more. You could go from having good to poor credit, and even end up getting hit with higher interest rates.

In addition, the odds become greater that you’ll be turned down for credit. Recovering from this can take up to three years, and the damage it dues can go well beyond your credit accounts. In fact, an investigation done by Consumer Reports found that people who had “good” credit may be paying hundreds of dollars a year more for their auto insurance than those with “excellent” credit. This means the penalty for having “poor” credit could be $1000 or more.

The way to eliminate the damage from missing a credit card payment is to pay your bill late but before the account is 30 days overdue. This will turn things into a non-event.

Failing to file your income taxes

Owing a great deal of money to the IRS is very bad. It’s even worse if you don’t file a return when you owe money. If you don’t pay your taxes on time, there will be a penalty of 0.5% per month of the unpaid amount. If you fail to file, the penalty is 10 times that or 5% per month. Plus you’ll owe interest on your balance.

How can the IRS tell what you owe if you don’t file a return? It can sort of “Frankenstein monster” one together based on information from financial institutions, other government agencies, and employers. It will then pursue you relentlessly for what it believes you owe. The IRS can put liens on your home, seize your bank accounts, and your wages,, and even file criminal charges against you.

How can you restrict the damage from failing to file a return? File your missing returns and pay whatever portion of the debt you can. Then, work with the IRS to set up an installment plan for the rest.

6 Things You Don’t Know About Money That Could Be Keeping You From Getting Rich

May 10, 2017 debtmanagement

John D. Rockefeller once said, “If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.” The thing about getting rich is that it can’t be pursued directly – just like success and happiness. If all you think about is getting rich, the odds are that once you make the money you will be unhappy.

There are some things about money you probably don’t know. But if you learn them, you’ll have a much better chance at building wealth.

1. Smart money is slow money

The world’s best money managers think slow before taking action. This is because if you want to make better money decisions, you need to take pauses. You may have seen movies like Wall Street where decisions and trades are made in just a matter of minutes but that’s not investing, it’s speculation. It takes time for the best investments to play out. They are not based on a single event or a single product. Take a lesson from Warren Buffett. He is slow to get in and even slower to get out. One of his best quotes is, “Our favorite holding period is forever.”

2. Money by itself is worthless

Money should never be an end in itself. It’s only valuable when it gets you something you want. Money touches many hands. You need to invest it, give it, or save it for a rainy day — assuming you don’t yet have money put aside. Another good way to use your money is to support a company or organization that’s especially meaningful to you. Money was meant to be exchanged, and not kept in one place. Don’t hoard it.

3. Building weath is boring

What we see on the Internet and on television is where someone had some kind of instant financial success story. The reason you see these stories is that they’re unusual. Watching a person earn tons of money over their lifetime is a bit like watching paint dry. There’s nothing exciting about it. The money is earned by a thousand moves, all of which are directed towards a long-term goal. In other words, you save money a little at a time. You invest it. Then, you receive dividends or income. You reinvest your proceeds and your earnings increase – year after year. There’s no drama and no shortcuts.

4. You must study money

Unless you’re a highly unusual person you have a limited attention span. Plus, there are only 24 hours in a day, and they can go by in a flash. If you want to become truly rich, you need to dedicate energy and time to the task. If you’re not interested in learning deeply about money, or if you don’t have time to study it, then you’ll have to automate the steps you’ll need to get there as much as possible. You need to learn the basics of those processes. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to automate a process before you really understand it. Big accidents can happen this way. Don’t press “go” until you’ve read all the fine print.

5. You’ll need to learn to say no

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is nothing. You’ll find yourself tempted by a lot of bright, shiny objects begging for your money. One of the biggest keys to financial success is to say no to almost all those opportunities. The only exception to this is when the investment aligns with your core values like investing in a business you believe in. The critical thing is to understand your truest goals in life, and then align your financial actions with them.

6. Money requires an encouraging environment

You’ve learned the basics, changed your financial habits, and chosen the things you want to support with your money. That’s all well and good but you’ll fail if the people who surround you don’t support your new financial life. They may actually try to tear down what you build up. They’re not terrible people. It’s just that some people hate to see others succeed. If you find yourself surrounded by a bunch of naysayers, you may need to clear the decks. Look for new friends who live life frugally and blow their money sparingly.

In conclusion

The point of becoming wealthy isn’t to magnify you. It’s to provide opportunities – to help someone you love, to contribute more to your favorite charities, or to invest more in your future.

7 Tips for Being a Successful Debt Negotiator

May 3, 2017 debtmanagement

Here are two statistics that may surprise you.

Households that have credit card debt have balances averaging $16,748
Households that have any kind of debt have a total average of $134,603 in debt, including their mortgages.

Where do you stand?

If your family has more than $16,000 in credit card debt or more than $134,000 of total debt, the first thing you need to do is admit that you have a problem. Step two, of course, is figuring out what to do about it. This means you basically need to become your own debt negotiator. However, being your own debt negotiator can be complicated and requires a lot of fast thinking. Do you believe you have what it takes to be your own debt negotiator? If, so here are seven tips that can help you be successful.

1. Be prepared to pay some money up front. Many lenders will want at least 50% of your overall debt up front. In fact, some won’t even begin negotiating with you until they’ve received some money.

2. Don’t be surprised if you have to deal with an attorney. Most lenders have customer service reps or agents to handle their debt negotiations. However, at some point, you may see a lawyer involved that is representing one of your lenders. But there normally needs to be a large amount of money involved before you see a lawyer involved.

3. When you make payments to a creditor, use a money order. You might never have thought of it this way, but if you make a payment to a lender with a check, it will have all of your pertinent banking information. So, if you are sued, the lender will have a much easier time getting at the money in your account.

4. Try to have the debt reported as “paid in full.” The whole idea behind debt negotiation is to pay off a debt for less than you owe. This is possible because most lenders will settle for less so they can at least get something back. The way you want the debt reported to the credit bureaus is as “fully paid” or “paid in full.” The way you don’t want it reported is as “settled,” “settlement” or “settled for less than the full amount due.” That’s because if the debt is reported that way, it will have a very bad effect on your credit score.

5. Consider hiring an attorney. If a lender refuses to negotiate with you, or if it fails to live up to its promises, you may have to file suit. This means getting a lawyer involved to strengthen your position. You’ll need to spend money to hire a lawyer, but a good one could save you more than she or he costs.

6. Be realistic in your negotiating. The customer service rep you’ll be dealing with will be a very experienced negotiator. He or she may convince you to back down a bit and accept a payment that is still more than you can afford. Don’t let this happen. It’s a mistake to agree to any debt settlement that you can’t comfortably handle. Be honest. Let the other person know what you’re willing to pay. If that doesn’t work, pull out the big guns and threaten bankruptcy. This will generally get what you want because lenders understand that if you’re forced into bankruptcy, they won’t get anything.

7. Determine how far the lender will go. Remember the adage that once you name a number you can’t go higher, you can only go lower. Make your first offer a low one. You might be pleasantly surprised as the lender might accept it. Are you asking it to waive your payments for a few months? If it offers three months, ask for six. In other words, always ask for more than you think you can get. The worst that can happen is that you’ll get a no. The important thing is to always aim high, and to know how much room you have for negotiating within your budget.

In conclusion

If you think you have what it takes to negotiate your debts, then go for it. But, if at the end of 90 days, you haven’t been able to negotiate any debts successfully, it might be time to hire a debt settlement company.

Trapped in a Quagmire of Debt? Take This Tip to Get Out

April 25, 2017 debtmanagement

If you’re faced with an unmanageable amount of debt, It can affect you emotionally and physically. This is due to the stress related to dealing with those debts. A 2009 Associated Press/AOL health poll found that 27% of people stressing out over their debts had ulcers or digestive tract problems. A total of 44% reported they had migraines or other headaches, while 29% suffered from severe anxiety.

If you’re experiencing one of these physical problems, drugs probably won’t help. You need to get to the root of the problem, which is your debts.

Fortunately, a fairly simple path out of your debt exists. It’s called consumer credit counseling.

How to find a good credit counseling agency

Reputable credit counseling agencies generally belong to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) or the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA). Some are actually sponsored by local Better Business Bureaus.

How it works

Reputable, credit counseling agencies are nonprofits. If you go to one of these agencies, you will need to take your household budget (if you have one), and a list of your debts with each one’s interest rate. You will also need to take a list of the debts you are behind on, your assets and what you could sell them for.

The agency will assign you a trained and certified credit counselor who will go over all this information. She or he will review your budget to determine if it’s realistic, and may suggest improvements or additional cuts. Your counselor will also show you a realistic picture of where you stand financially and may suggest you revise your budget to generate more cash flow.

You could get a debt management plan

If your counselor finds that your finances are in really bad shape, he, or she may suggest you pay them off via a debt management plan (DMP. If this happens, he or she will explain how a DMP works and will discuss its pluses and minuses. You should also be given a general idea of how much you will be required to pay on your debts each month.

It will work with your lenders

Your counselor will figure out exactly how much you can afford to pay your unsecured creditors each month to eliminate your debts over a three- to five-year timeframe. She or he will then contact your lenders to see if they will agree to let you pay those amounts. Your counselor will likely ask your lenders for other concessions like lowering your interest rates, and waiving or reducing any fees you owe.

Before signing off on your DMP

When your counselor has prepared the final version of your debt management plan, be sure to get a copy. Don’t sign your DMP until you have read it very carefully, understand it all, and are sure you can live up to it.

Paying the credit counseling agency

Once you sign off on your DMP, you will be required to pay the credit counseling agency each month, and it will then distribute the appropriate amounts of money to your lenders. You will get regular monthly updates as to the status of your DMP, and this should include confirmation that your creditors were all paid per the terms of your plan.

What consumer credit counseling agencies cost

The advice and counsel you’ll get from your credit counselor will be free. However, if you sign up for a debt management plan, the agency may charge you a small monthly fee of $25 or $35 to administer your plan. Or, it may do it free. This varies among credit counseling agencies. Be sure to ask if you will be charged anything to administer your plan before you sign off on it.

Alternatives to consumer credit counseling

Good alternatives to consumer credit counseling exist but whether they would make sense will depend on your financial situation. For example, if most or all of your debt is credit card debts, you might consolidate them by transferring all of their balances to a new card with a lower interest rate. Or, if you qualify, you could transfer them to a 0% interest balance transfer card, where you would have as many as 18 months interest-free.

Other options for debt consolidation include a home equity loan and a homeowner equity line of credit. Of course, you would need to have equity in your home to qualify for either of these loans.

Debt settlement

Finally, there is the alternative of debt settlement. It’s grown a lot in popularity as it represents the only way to pay off debts for less than what you owe. The trustworthy debt settlement firms such as National Debt Relief are usually able to get debts cut by as much as 50% or even 60%. Of course, they are for-profit firms and charge for their services. However, if you owe more than $10,000, then using a debt settlement firm could still save you money.