David McCullough
Sales & Marketing Manager at Provanta for four years. Previous experience as a financial advisor with over seven years of experience in the financial services industry. BA, University of California, Davis.

dmccullough@provanta.com

The FTC Fights Back

In an effort to educate consumers the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) launched a campaign today debunking the silly and false advertising associated with the television ads for FreeCreditReport.com.  The only website for consumers to legitimately obtain their credit report for free is found at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Can I Avoid Bankruptcy?

Often times this question simply boils down to cash flow.   If one has enough net income every month to pay for their living expenses and there’s a little left over for one’s creditors then bankruptcy might be avoided.

If you are struggling to make your monthly payments to your creditors it’s time to take a hard look at your budget.  Take a few moments to prepare a simple budget analysis to determine if you have sufficient cash flow to make ends meet.  If you’re running negative then it may be time to arrange for a free consultation with a qualified bankruptcy attorney.  However, if you have a little income left over to work with then bankruptcy could be avoided.  For more information on budgeting see: “Can You Afford A Debt Settlement Program”.

Qualifying for bankruptcy can be tough.  There are several means tests that a qualified bankruptcy attorney will perform in order to determine if you should file either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  If you actually qualify for bankruptcy you are in essence rescinding most of your control over your finances.  Additionally, the cost of filing usually starts at about $1,500 and goes up from there depending on the complexity of your circumstances.  See http://www.provanta.com/bankruptcy/.

Take a moment to determine if you really are Living Beyond Your Means.  If you make some time now to examine your financial circumstances you may be able to avoid impending financial ruin.  Don’t wait until it’s too late to to take a hard look at your finances.  It may be painful but once you do you will be that much closer to experiencing financial freedom.  You may have several options from CCCS (consumer credit counseling services), to debt settlement, to bankruptcy.  However, if you wait too long you may ultimately limit yourself to the last and most painful option of bankruptcy.

Provanta is not a law firm and none of our employees or contractors are attorneys.  However, if you are interested in determining if you qualify for our debt settlement program please feel free to contact us for a consultation.

Money Basics – What Exactly Is Money?

When one ponders how money is made thoughts often turn to images of a press churning out millions of dollar bills.  The reality though is that money is made every time a loan is given.  The government is not necessarily the primary creator of money.  Banks are.  These days you may hear about the economy contracting or shrinking.  This simply means that there is less available credit and fewer loans are being issued by lenders.  Economic growth is directly tied to the ability of banks to give loans.

A few months ago a friend of mine sent me a link to wonderful video produced by Paul Grignon that explains in very simple terms what money is and how it is made.  While it may bit a little bit on the long side I found it extremely entertaining and informative.  No matter what your age or background I am sure that you will find it very enlightening. 

“Money as Debt”

If you are unable to view the video above click here.

Does Your Credit Score Matter?

Almost every other day I see those goofy commercials on TV for your free credit report.  You know, the ones where some guy in a pirate hat is singing and playing his guitar.  Quite amusing to say the least but quite misleading on several levels. 

The advertising on TV and radio for “free” credit reports often comes at a price.  They often give you your credit report in exchange for signing you up for a monthly credit monitoring service that you have to pay for.  Not free in the least bit.  Several years ago the Government supported the creation of a site where you can obtain all three of your credit reports (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) for FREE once a year: www.annualcreditreport.com.  Or, you can call the toll free number to order your reports by mail: 1-877-322-8228.

More important than actually finding the right place to get your credit report is actually determining whether or not you need to in the first place.  The lending industry would love for all American consumers to believe that their financial livelihood hinges solely on knowing what’s on their credit report and what their credit score is.  Constant advertising for services providing this information doesn’t help.  In reality, most lenders are more concerned with your debt-to-income ratio than your actual credit/FICO score.  (FICO is the credit score used by most lenders and is generated by the Fair Isaac company.  See www.myfico.com for more information on how your credit score is actually calculated).

If you have a large amount of revolving unsecured debt (primarily credit cards and personal loans) then you have a problem that far outweighs concern for your credit score.  Your credit score will most likely continue to decline as the years pass even if you are making your minimum payments every month.  The only way to see your credit score improve in this situation is to pay off your debt as fast as you can.  To find out how fast it will take you to pay off your debt use this calculator: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/calc/creditcardpay.asp.  If you find that it will take more than 3 years to pay off your debt find help NOW!  Don’t wait around thinking that you can pay off your debt on your own.

Even if you have obtained lower interest rates from your creditors or managed to get them to accept lower payments it is only a short-term solution.  These types of arrangements typically only last 3 – 12 months and then you’re back in the same boat.

For unsecured accounts such as credit cards the terms of the loans are quite arbitrary.  Your creditor can increase your payment or your interest at just about any point in time.  If they believe that you pose a greater risk and if your creditworthiness decreases they may begin to limit your available credit and increase your APR.  You might have low interest now but ask yourself how long you think that’s going to last.

With so many banks going out of business, merging, or being acquired by other banks, the terms of  your original credit card contract may become void.  Any time your creditor changes you will receive a new contract with potentially very different terms than your previous one.

Don’t get hung up on this notion that your credit score is all important.  If you have a large amount of unsecured debt getting out of debt is far more important.  Focus on this and before you know it you’ll be in a position where you can rebuild financially.

10 Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Debt Settlement Company

Evaluating a debt settlement company can be tough.  It seems that wherever you turn some debt relief company is trying to get your attention via a variety of channels from radio, TV, the Internet, e-mail, to even the bus bench.  Who can you trust? Who is reputable? And, more importantly, who is going to actually perform for you?  

As discussed in previous postings (see “Commitment“), entering a debt settlement program is a LONG-TERM commitment.  It takes a great deal of time and effort for the debt settlement company to negotiate settlements and it takes time and effort for you, the client, to save money for the settlements.

When evaluating doing business with a debt settlement company there are many important questions to ask.  However, the following items represent what I consider to be the “top 10″ questions to ask as you investigate various debt settlement companies:

1. How long have you been in the debt settlement business? In my opinion the answer needs to be at least 10 years.  Any less and the company does not have enough of a track record to provide feedback on average settlement rates etc. 
2. Are you going to be handling my settlements or do you outsource this to a third-party?  Generally speaking you do NOT want to be dealing with more than one company.  You are going to feel more at ease dealing with a single entity rather than several.
3. Are you a member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB)?  If not you can immediately discard the company regardless of what they say.  If they are a member visit www.bbb.org to search for the business listing.  Make sure that all outstanding complaints, if any, have been resolved.
4. Can you do business in my state of residence?
5. Can you reach settlements with my creditors?  Provide the company a list of your creditors with the respective balances.  Make sure they have a history of settling with your particular creditors.  Tell them your story.   Provide a little background as to how the debt accrued.
6. What is the total cost of the program including fees?  This figure should be somewhere around 60% of your current debt amount.
7. How much are your fees and how are they assessed?  The answer you should be looking for is somewhere between 15 – 20% and the fees should be fixed.  If there are “administrative”, “retainer”, “variable”, or other fees involved, or if the company cannot quote you a figure for fees then this might be a red flag.
8. What are your hours of business and who can I contact if I have a question regarding my account?  The rep you speak with on the phone with may not ultimately be the person you have to deal with if you have an issue.  Strong customer service is the cornerstone of a successful debt settlement company.
9. What is your web address (URL)?  The company website can provide a wealth of information as to the legitimacy of the business.  Make sure they list a physical address under the “contact us/about us” page.  Look around for fresh content.  Make sure the site is copyrighted for the current year.  Make sure there are no discrepancies between the messages on the website and what the representative on the phone tells you.
10. Ask a couple tough questions and guage the response.  For example, “can my creditors sue me”, “will they continue to call me”, and “will my credit score go down”?  The answer to all these questions is “yes” so make sure the representative does a good job explaining why.

Sixteen Percent Settlement!

The best news of the week came yesterday when our settlement department supervisor came by my desk and informed me that she had just achieved a 16% settlement on two accounts with the same creditor.  Things got even better when I learned that the accounts belonged to a client I had personally referred the program.  I was ecstatic!

When James (alias) and I first spoke he was coming out of a difficult divorce and just finishing up a doctorate program at a local university.  James was financially insolvent and owed approximately $52,000 in credit card debt.  Because of a high concentration of debt with one creditor we placed him on a shorter program.  We also talked in some detail about some of the difficulties we typically encounter with this particular creditor.

The original debt amounts on the two largest accounts, $27,000 and $24,000, respectively were ultimately settled for $4,400 and $4,000 respectively.

I am pleased to report that James will be graduating from the program with a total program cost at approximately 38% of his original debt amount.  In other words, James saved approximately $32,000!

While James’ situation is not indicative of most of our clients I am encouraged by the two recent settlements. Hopefully this is an indication of things to come even when considering the struggles within the financial industry.

(Ref 1538)

S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices Fall

On September 30th data released by S&P for the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices showed continued decline in home prices among almost all major US cities measured by the indices.  

Las Vegas has continued to be one of the hardest hit cities with an annual decline of 29.9%.  All city/metro indices show an annual decline ranging from 29.9% in Las Vegas to 1.8% in Charlotte.

David M. Blitzer, the Chairman of the Index Committe at Standard & Poor’s indicated that there was no evidence of a bottom to the current decline.

For the complete report visit Standard & Poor’s website or click here.

My personal take on the current situation is that it will be a solid two years before we see any sign of recovery in the housing market.  Financial and housing sector woes have create ripples throughout our entire economy that are now just starting to reach other sectors.  Retail and manufacturing businesses are already beginning to feel the effect of reduced consumer spending.  Prices will go up and jobs will continue to be lost.  

Let’s take some cues from our grandparents.  Maybe it’s time for a heart-to-heart talk on how they weathered the storm during the great depression.  While I do NOT believe we are entering another depression I believe we all have equal responsibility to put our individual financial houses in order.  Now is the time to save, ensure job stability, work harder, and focus on paying off debt.  It would be ludicrous and irresponsible to believe that the legislature alone can remedy the current financial crisis.

Give Yourself an Early Christmas

Yes, it’s October 1st and yes, I did say “Christmas”.  I am ordinarily one of the first to complain about how Christmas decorations seem to promulgate retail establishments sooner-and-sooner with every passing year but this year is different.  Why?  The meltdown in the financial markets and the economy has given everyone in this country the opportunity to take a second look at their personal financial circumstances.  The observed changes to a certain extent effect everyone. 

What does Christmas, the financial sector, and the economy have to do with each other?  Well, as you may or may not know most retailers go “in the black” during the holiday shopping season.  In other words the sales/revenue generated during the holiday season typically predicates whether or not they turn a profit for their fiscal year.  What this means is that they are absolutely dependent on American consumers having disposable income to spend on gifts and the like during the holiday rush.  If Americans don’t spend as they ordinarily would then retailers may suffer, may actually end the year “in the red”, and may not be able to sustain growth during the next fiscal year.  Some may even go out of business.

To this end I am encouraging everyone to start preparing now.  Buy your Christmas gifts a little earlier this year.  Look for sales.  More importantly create a budget for October, November, and December.  Don’t wait until the last minute to load up your credit cards with gifts on December 24th.

The most significant and important gift one can give themselves or their family is a balanced budget.  I realize this is not a very exciting topic but if you work toward this end now then you may actually have a worry free holiday season.  If you currently carry a large amount of revolving unsecured debt on credit cards and personal loans now is absolutely the time to strategize as to how you are going to pay off the debt.  Don’t wait until the new year!  If you cannot balance your budget and cannot pay off your unsecured debt within three to four years on your own then it is time to reach out and look for some professional help.  Investigate your options.  Find a reputable company with a proven track record of success to help you plan on how to eliminate your debt.

Give yourself and your family the ultimate gift this year – financial freedom.

Living Beyond Your Means?

A great article was published via Yahoo! Finance on Monday titled “Five Signs That You Are Living Beyond Your Means”.  This article stresses several key factors that many struggling with debt are acutely aware of:

1. Your Credit Score is Below 600
2. You are Saving Less than 5%
3. Your Credit Card Balances are Rising
4. More than 28% of Income Goes To Your House
5. Your Bills are Spiraling Out of Control

What struck me more than any of the other statistics quoted in the article was that the personal savings rate has severely deteriorated over the past couple years.  The following chart was provided based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

For the full article provided by Investopedia on Yahoo! Finance click here.

Commitment

One size does not fit all.  Everyone suffers from unique symptoms that require an individualized remedy.  Regardless of the plan of action to eliminate debt, it takes a high level of commitment.

If you have ever worked with a fitness/athletic trainer you know this to be true.  Any trainer worth their salt will tell you that in order to see results, long-term commitment is needed.  Results simply don’t happen overnight.  The same applies to any plan chosen to eliminate one’s debt.  Too often those struggling with debt assume that there is a magic bullet that will somehow fix all of their problems.

Whether one decides on a debt settlement program, consumer credit counseling, a home equity line of credit (HELOC), bankruptcy, or simply to pay off the debt on their own, one must be fully ready to COMMIT.  Success, in any area of life, requires a high level of perseverance and commitment.  This is especially true as it pertains to one’s finances.

If you are struggling with debt take a few moments to think about how long it took you to accrue the debt.  It is important to realize that any plan to eliminate the debt, no matter how carefully thought out, is most likely going to take several years to execute.  Once you have made that decision to live cash only and live a life free of debt take a deep breath.  This is going to be an endurance run and not a sprint.  Focus in on the finish line with the unwavering eye of an Olympian and don’t quit until the last penny of your debt has been taken care of.

Many have traveled this path before and rest assured that you are not alone in your quest.  For words of encouragement and ideas please read other blog postings on this site or give us a call to discuss your options.

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