Debt Management, Relief & Consolidation

A new start may be just what you need, but bankruptcy cannot be the only option. There are other options that will bring relief, and preserve and rebuild your credit. A bankruptcy trustee can explain the details of the following options and help you select the one that will work best for you. Debt Consolidation Loan What is it? A debt consolidation loan gives you the money to pay off all your debts. In exchange you only have one loan to repay. That’s one monthly payment and your former debts are paid in full! You need to have good credit and assets to secure a debt consolidation loan. Any secured loans (mortgage, auto) are not typically included in a consolidation loan. How it will benefit you You

The Truth about Bankruptcy and Your Credit Are you one of the many who are trying to avoid bankruptcy like the plague to spare your credit score? Are you trudging through stifling debt just because you fear your credit will never be the same again? Bankruptcy does have an immediate and negative effect on your credit. In a month or less, your credit report will include bankruptcy. But don’t panic; there’s both good and bad news when it comes to your credit and filing for bankruptcy. Here are the details. Bankruptcy will appear on your credit report for seven years. Following the discharge of your debts, there will be an “R9” note on your credit report. This signals to your creditors that you’ve filed for bankruptcy.

Today, you have many options when deciding how to best manage your finances: cash, credit, debit, prepaid cards … or perhaps a combination thereof.(Read more…)

The calls to “shop local” have been growing louder year after year. Even one of the largest credit card companies, American Express, started a movement called “Small Business Saturday” to entice consumers to shop at small businesses. It seems that society has become a bit hypocritical lately. As a whole, we applaud entrepreneurial spirit and even encourage people to start a businesses to achieve financial success (although it isn’t always the answer or even the right thing for certain people). But then we condemn big-box national chains for whatever reason with our next collective breath. It’s a very confusing message we send since most businesses started small and locally. Where is the line drawn to signify when a business outgrows that status?

I bet you thought you were going to be blown away by some super-secret, S.H.I.E.L.D. level 10-access info, huh? You probably saw the title and thought “Oh, wow, now I’m going to get the real scoop!” Or, perhaps you just clicked on the link because it looked really important with the uppercase font showcasing the “biggest secret” that would be revealed. Well here it is…. You are gullible, and everyone knows it! Why, you ask? Not everything that people say are secrets are even remotely close to that. It’s generally just a ploy to get your attention. There are no secrets to tax deductions. For that matter, there are no secrets to losing weight or making