Thought you all would like to see this. A friend of mine took it upon himself (I really had no hand in it!) to play test rat with a debt negotiation company and see what they would tell him about their services and fees. Here are his results:
For fun I called an 800 […]

Popularity: 6% [?]

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If you are one of the savvy consumers who pays off their credit card balances in full each month, the required minimum payment “mystery” is probably of zero interest to you. I admittedly am one of the few and proud, using the minimum payments strictly when I have taken advantage of a zero interest credit […]

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Did you hear the one about 36-year-old Rene Rebollo who spent his Sunday nights last summer copying a total of more than 2 million of Countrywide’s customer records and selling it to identity thieves? You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
According to numbers released November 18 by the Identity Theft Resource Center, financial institutions were responsible […]

Popularity: 7% [?]

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My sister works for a financial services company and seems to always be on the money, if you’ll forgive the pun. Last night she was explaining a few things to me about 401Ks, and I thought it would make a great blog post. I may know a thing or do about credit […]

Popularity: 9% [?]

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With mortgage interest rates dipping to historic lows, many homeowners may be asking this very question; should I jump on the refinance bandwagon now?  The answer will naturally be contingent on a number of factors, first and foremost your ability to qualify considering tightened lending standards, along with the equity (or lack thereof) available in […]

Popularity: 10% [?]

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The United Kingdom (U.K.)  payments association, APACS– along with some of the major players in the credit card industry– met with the British government last week to outline a new industry standard restricting the imposition of interest rate increases for debt-ridden customers, while providing help for those struggling with their finances. APACS (Association for Payment […]

Popularity: 11% [?]

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With the credit crunch continuing the tightening of the noose on lending buyers need to be diligent and perhaps even creative at finding financing for home purchases. I suppose borrowing money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would fall into the creative category; don’t they regulate foodstuffs, crops,  porky pig or something of that […]

Popularity: 12% [?]

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I recently ordered my annual free credit report and just about jumped out of my skin initially as I reviewed the inquiries section– I didn’t recognize the half of them!
Fortunately, the lengthy list of inquiries I didn’t recall were simply “soft inquiries”, and therefore not going to be included in calculating my credit score. But […]

Popularity: 14% [?]

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No, it’s not too late to take steps to reduce your tax bill for 2009! Here are some ideas:

Sell Stocks Now That You Were Thinking about Dumping.
If you were thinking about selling some stocks that have gone down in value, make sure you do by the end of the year so you can deduct […]

Popularity: 14% [?]

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The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Fannie Mae announced that they will allow tenants to remain in their homes and avoid eviction, even if the property’s landlord is facing foreclosure. The new rules are expected to take effect on January 9, the expiration date of an earlier initiative announced by both Freddie Mac […]

Popularity: 12% [?]

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