Having been a corporate slave for a good portion of my life, I am all too aware of the complacent, comfortable feeling that traditionally comes with long-term employment. The daily routine is built in for most Americans, who, on average, spend 70% of their Monday-Friday waking hours on work-related activities. But it seems, with recent […]

Popularity: 14% [?]

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With the latest numbers from the Federal Reserve indicating that Americans are facing $900 billion in credit card debt, the proposed bailout is probably a case of banks simply attempting to cut their losses. Seeing the writing on the wall as consumers deal with record unemployment rates, skyrocketing home foreclosures, inflated prices for goods and […]

Popularity: 20% [?]

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A clear message was sent to payday lenders last week by voters in Arizona, which rejected Proposition 200 by a 3 to 2 margin.  And the payday lenders are most certainly unhappy campers, after spending more than 14.6 million in one of the most expensive advertising campaigns in Arizona’s history.
The ballot proposition that was backed […]

Popularity: 15% [?]

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With the onslaught of the latest economic news, more people may be moving to use bank or home safe deposit boxes for storing their liquidated cash and other valuables. Are they absolutely, positively safe there? Not necessarily. Jewels, gold, stock certificates, annuities, deeds of trust, coins, stamps, cash; many people mistakenly assume that these items […]

Popularity: 15% [?]

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Given that the media has been bombarding us with the news that we are either in, or quickly approaching, a recession “the likes of the great depression”, perhaps it’s not a bad idea to scale down the level of gift-giving this year.
We’re not suggestion being “cheap” or becoming Scrooge; simply, to be thrifty and put […]

Popularity: 18% [?]

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With the credit and banking situation in the United States facing uncertainty and turmoil, the “person-2-person” (P2P) social lending sites that have sprouted up in the last several years initially seemed like they had found a successful market niche. A recent article in the New York Times, however, indicates that the social lending industry appears […]

Popularity: 15% [?]

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It’s bad enough getting into apayday loan in the first place. But even more fun is involved if you are unable to pay back your payday loan. Most companies keep piling up interest and late fees, making it tough to repay the loan. A reader recently wrote of her experience paying back […]

Popularity: 18% [?]

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Just received this question from a reader:
Q. I had a collection that originated in 2004 in Maryland. The statute of limitations (SOL) was 3 years; 2007 came and went with no suit from the collection agency.
Now I live in a state where the SOL on a written contract is 6 years. If they can […]

Popularity: 18% [?]

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In Honor of Halloween, we are publishing this post.

El Cobrador del Frac — “The Debt Collector in Top Hat and Tails” — has had to hire 150 new collectors in the past 6 months just to keep up with demand. The company’s secret: Use costumes and attention to embarrass companies and individuals […]

Popularity: 15% [?]

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I get this question all the time, “How do I make my student loans affordable? I can’t make the payment.” Some people are under the impression that you can file bankruptcy to get out of student loans, or bargain with a collection agency once the account goes into collections. Wrong. There […]

Popularity: 15% [?]

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