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  Category: Articles » Articles by Author » Author: Charles Essmeier
Results 1 - 49 of 49 [1 Pages]  
1.Latest Work From Home Offer Just Another Scam
Many Americans would love to work from home. The reasons vary; some people may not wish to commute and some may simply not enjoy working in an office environment. Others may have small children at home and would prefer not to have to enroll them in day care. Whatever the ...
[Added: 16 Mar 2006   Hits: 408   Words: 376]

2.Medicare Drug Plan Lures Identity Thieves
Among the many problems facing senior citizens is that of trying to pay for their necessary medications while trying to live on a fixed income. This problem drew the attention of Congress, which passed a prescription drug plan last year that was designed to help older Americans ...
[Added: 11 Mar 2006   Hits: 402   Words: 447]

3.Internet Scams Add to Worries of Online Banks
The advent of the Internet has been a huge boon to the banking industry. Long concerned about the costs of doing business, banks have quickly embraced the Internet as a way of doing business with their ...
[Added: 25 Feb 2006   Hits: 408   Words: 398]

4.Debt Consolidation - Don't Hire an Agency; Do It Yourself
The average American household now has more than $9000 in credit card debt and the savings rate in this country is lower than at any time during the Great Depression. And a quick glance at all of the debt consolidation commercials on late night television will tell you the ...
[Added: 23 Feb 2006   Hits: 353   Words: 442]

5.Credit Score Lowered When You Cancel Credit Cards
Most people are aware that anytime they seek a loan, the lender will check their credit report to see if their credit history warrants such a loan. Along with the credit report, the lender will almost certainly check the borrower's credit ...
[Added: 23 Feb 2006   Hits: 340   Words: 356]

6.Payday Loans are the World's Most Expensive Cash
If someone told you that they would lend you $500 today if you repaid them with $5000 a year from now, would you take it? What if the repayment amount were only $2500? Would that strike you as a good deal? This may sound like an insane amount ...
[Added: 16 Feb 2006   Hits: 295   Words: 411]

7.Credit Score of 800 is Not Impossible
By now, most consumers with even a minimal history of credit are aware that something known as a credit score has a tremendous amount of influence on his or her financial lives. The score, a distillation of one's credit history reduced to a three-digit number between ...
[Added: 14 Feb 2006   Hits: 338   Words: 481]

8.Rapid Refunds Rapidly Take Your Money
At tax time, most Americans find themselves expecting a refund. That's no surprise, as most people have too much money withheld from their paychecks. It would be a simple matter to adjust the withholding so that the amount of money withheld is roughly equal to ...
[Added: 08 Feb 2006   Hits: 383   Words: 369]

9.Debt Consolidation Scam Claims Repayment Unnecessary
Most Americans have a problem with debt; the fact that the average household owes nearly $10,000 on their credit cards makes that pretty clear. And with interest rates and minimum credit card payments rising, consumers are ...
[Added: 08 Feb 2006   Hits: 348   Words: 396]

10.Establish Credit and Join a Health Club
Everyone knows how difficult it can be to establish credit. It's the old "chicken and egg" situation – you need credit in order to get credit. The fact that you have nothing in your history to suggest that you will not repay a loan will ...
[Added: 27 Jan 2006   Hits: 375   Words: 371]

11.Instant Credit Cards Can Be Expensive
One day, while you are shopping at your favorite department store, the sales clerk says to you, "If you apply for our credit card, you can save ten percent on your purchase." You think about it and decide, "Why not?" You ...
[Added: 21 Jan 2006   Hits: 330   Words: 299]

12.Credit Cards Without Late Fees? What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
Americans know all too well how much it costs to use credit cards. The average household in the U.S. now has nearly $10,000 in credit card debt. Carrying such debt is fine, as long as you realize that there are costs associated with it. ...
[Added: 02 Nov 2005   Hits: 344   Words: 408]

13.Bankruptcy - Look for the Warning Signs
The Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act, signed into law last April, will take effect this month and bring with it some of the most sweeping changes in debt law in history. As the new requirements are much more strict, expensive, ...
[Added: 08 Oct 2005   Hits: 684   Words: 389]

14.Credit Reports - Errors Can Be Costly
In today's society, we can't function without credit. We need it to pay bills, borrow money, and to buy our homes and cars. A luxury of the current age is that credit is often granted easily and quickly, a result of years of ...
[Added: 30 Sep 2005   Hits: 337   Words: 414]

15.Credit Reports - Fixing Errors Can Be Difficult
Most Americans are aware that any time they try to borrow money, the lender consults with a credit report outlining the borrower's credit history. These reports are prepared by the major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax and Trans Union, and ...
[Added: 30 Sep 2005   Hits: 347   Words: 373]

16.Bankruptcy and Debt - New Law May Hurt Katrina Victims
The world remains horrified at the tremendous destruction caused throughout the Gulf Coast recently by Hurricane Katrina. An unknown number of people are dead and thousands more are homeless, jobless and completely destitute. It may be months before the city of ...
[Added: 13 Sep 2005   Hits: 366   Words: 393]

17.Debt Management - More Ways to Save on Gas Consumption
The price of gas continues to climb, and with continued uncertainty in the Middle East, they will probably continue to do so. In California and elsewhere, prices for some grades of gas have now reached the previously ...
[Added: 25 Aug 2005   Hits: 330   Words: 376]

18.Credit Report - Watch Out for Parking Tickets
The economic downturn of the last five years has affected millions of Americans, but it has also affected the budgets of states, cities and counties. With limited tax dollars with which to work, various government entities have had to ...
[Added: 20 Aug 2005   Hits: 321   Words: 434]

19.Debt Consolidation Primer - Four Things You Can Do to Get Out of Debt
Problem debt is rampant throughout America. In addition to mortgages and auto loans, the average household in the U.S. has nearly $10,000 in credit card debt. As the major credit card companies have recently doubled their minimum payment requirements, now is a good time to outline the ...
[Added: 19 Aug 2005   Hits: 316   Words: 474]

20.Credit Counseling - Six Tips to Avoid Counseling Scams
Credit counseling is a useful service for anyone with problem debt. A good counseling agency can provide advice regarding money management and debt consolidation. They can also help arrange a repayment plan with your creditors to help you get out of debt. A bad agency can charge ...
[Added: 17 Aug 2005   Hits: 452   Words: 523]

21.Credit Card Debt - Watch Your Credit Report and Your Bill
Most consumers are aware of the importance of their credit report. This document, offered to consumers and lenders by the three major credit bureaus, offers a fairly complete list of financial transactions and debts incurred by a consumer. Lenders examine the report, ...
[Added: 17 Aug 2005   Hits: 325   Words: 416]

22.New Bankruptcy Law - Five Essential Things to Know
Last April, Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act, the most sweeping reform of our nation’s bankruptcy laws in more than twenty-five years. Proponents of the bill argue that most consumers who file for bankruptcy do so simply because they do not ...
[Added: 12 Aug 2005   Hits: 385   Words: 454]

23.Credit Counseling - Congress Offers No Details in New Law
The recently passed Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act was hailed as a breakthrough in bankruptcy law. Passed with bipartisan support in Congress and signed enthusiastically by President Bush, the law creates sweeping changes in debt law and will make it much more difficult for ...
[Added: 03 Aug 2005   Hits: 312   Words: 421]

24.Identity Theft - Additional Protection for Soldiers on Active Duty
Congress passed the Fair Credit Reporting Act several years ago in an attempt to smooth out some problems in the credit reporting industry. The best known provision of this Act is one that permits Americans to receive ...
[Added: 03 Aug 2005   Hits: 330   Words: 433]

25.Debt Consolidation - Be Careful When Trading in Your Car
The automobile has long been recognized as the classic American status symbol. America’s millions of miles of roads and overall lack of long-distance mass transit leave the automobile as the primary method of transportation for most Americans. Because so many people spend so much ...
[Added: 27 Jul 2005   Hits: 343   Words: 595]

26.Credit Report - Look Out for Your Debit Report, Too
Most consumers are aware that there are companies that keep track of their personal financial transactions – installment loans, mortgages, credit card accounts, bankruptcies and judgements. These items are assembled by the three main credit bureaus into ...
[Added: 26 Jul 2005   Hits: 333   Words: 435]

27.Credit Counseling - Get in Line Now to Avoid the Upcoming Rush
Credit counseling is a valuable service for consumers who have trouble managing their finances. A distinctly different service from debt consolidation, credit counseling assists consumers with problem debt by educating them about the basics of money management. Americans really don’t get the education they need about how to manage bank ...
[Added: 25 Jul 2005   Hits: 303   Words: 478]

28.Free Credit Report - A Website Typo Could Be Costly
In 2003, Congress passed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions act (FACT), which made it possible for consumers to obtain a copy of their credit report for free. In fact, the legislation makes it possible for consumers to obtain one free report from each of the three main credit ...
[Added: 25 Jul 2005   Hits: 331   Words: 375]

29.Credit Report - How Your Credit Score is Determined
Most consumers are aware that they have something known as a credit report that is used to determine whether or not they would qualify for a loan. Fewer are familiar with the FICO score, a creation of the ...
[Added: 22 Jul 2005   Hits: 296   Words: 510]

30.Identity Theft - More Tips on How it Can Be Avoided
Recent security breaches at several credit card companies continue to worry Americans, as stolen financial information can lead to identity theft. Identity theft occurs when someone obtains your Social Security number and/or other vital information and uses it to pose as you. By doing so, they can take advantage ...
[Added: 21 Jul 2005   Hits: 305   Words: 550]

31.Identity Theft - Monitor Your Credit Report
The recent security breach at credit card processor CardSystems Solutions has many consumers worried. Thanks to a well-placed computer virus, nearly forty million credit card numbers were stolen, and cardholders nationwide are justifiably concerned about identity theft. Should a ...
[Added: 20 Jul 2005   Hits: 330   Words: 362]

32.Identity Theft - Beware of Phishing Attacks!
“Dear Bank of the West customer”, the message begins. I’ve just received an e-mail message, purportedly from the security department at the Bank of the West. The message explains that certain features of my account have been ...
[Added: 20 Jul 2005   Hits: 303   Words: 489]

33.Debt Management - Watch Out for Bank Fees!
During the last twenty years, banks have offered a number of improvements in the area of being customer-friendly. The old 9 AM – 2 PM “banker’s hours” are gone, replaced by a schedule that makes it easy for most people to visit when the bank is ...
[Added: 15 Jul 2005   Hits: 332   Words: 420]

34.Credit Reports - Why Your Credit Score is Important
If you have never heard of a FICO score before, you should become familiar with the term. Named for the firm that invented it, Fair Isaac Corp., the FICO score is the three-digit credit summary that, in essence, reduces your entire ...
[Added: 30 Jun 2005   Hits: 315   Words: 461]

35.Debt Consolidation - How to Protect Your Credit Accounts from Theft
Last week, a security exploit at CardSystems Solutions, Inc, a credit card processor, may have allowed thieves to obtain as many as 40 million credit card numbers from unsuspecting victims. The theft was brought about though ...
[Added: 21 Jun 2005   Hits: 321   Words: 446]

36.New Bankruptcy Law - Targeting the Wrong People?
Last April, President Bush enthusiastically signed into law the oddly-named Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act. This bill, representing the biggest overhaul of bankruptcy law in twenty-five years, was written in order to discourage “bankruptcy of ...
[Added: 15 Jun 2005   Hits: 354   Words: 395]

37.Website Promotion - Writing Articles May Be Better Than Hiring SEO Firms
It is a well-known fact that a key to obtaining a good search engine position is having a lot of other Websites link to yours. The quantity is important, and the quality is important, too. A link to ...
[Added: 14 Jun 2005   Hits: 341   Words: 571]

38.Credit Report - Check Yours Regularly…and for Free
In the twenty-first century, there are few documents that have a greater impact on the lives of Americans then their credit report. Credit rating determines one’s ability to buy a home, a car, or to obtain a credit card or a job. Since these things are important, ...
[Added: 02 Jun 2005   Hits: 329   Words: 499]

39.Debt Consolidation - Ways to Save on High Gas Prices
Memorial Day has come and gone, and the great American travel season is here. During the summer, most Americans take at least one extended vacation, and four fifths take that trip by automobile. Unfortunately, this year, the price of gas is near record highs, and no ...
[Added: 31 May 2005   Hits: 298   Words: 404]

40.New Bankruptcy Law Will Not Protect You from Identity Theft
Recently passed by Congress with overwhelming support, the oddly-named Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act was designed to eliminate “bankruptcy of convenience.” The perceived problem is that many compulsive gamblers, shoppers and drug users often run up huge ...
[Added: 28 May 2005   Hits: 332   Words: 545]

41.Debt Consolidation - Can You Negotiate with Your Credit Card Company?
The average American household has nearly $10,000 in credit card debt, and many people are only able to make the minimum payment of 2% of the balance. Even 2% is $200, and by paying the minimum payment, you could be paying on ...
[Added: 28 May 2005   Hits: 347   Words: 486]

42.New Bankruptcy Legislation May Make it Harder to Find an Attorney
The recently passed Bankruptcy Abuse prevention and Consumer Protection Act will make it harder for people with problem debt to have their debt eliminated through filing for bankruptcy. This new legislation will make it harder to have ...
[Added: 25 May 2005   Hits: 281   Words: 426]

43.Minimum Credit Card Payments to Rise
For years, major credit card companies have allowed cardholders to make minimum payments of 2% of the outstanding balances on their credit cards. Having customers pay the minimum doesn’t reduce the balance by very much, but when the 18-30% interest rates that many credit cards charge is applied, the ...
[Added: 25 May 2005   Hits: 322   Words: 426]

44.Student Loans Can't Be Swept Away Through Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is in the news these days, as Congress has finally overhauled the Federal bankruptcy law after years of talking about it. The credit card companies, rightly or wrongly, have been pressuring members of Congress to tighten the bankruptcy statutes, saying that too many people were willfully spending money ...
[Added: 24 May 2005   Hits: 254   Words: 379]

45.Change in Texas Law May Make Reverse Mortgages More Popular
Texas was one of the last states to allow homeowners to take out home equity loans. Laws going back to the nineteenth century strictly prohibited home equity lending, as legislators feared that unscrupulous lenders would take advantage of homeowners for the purpose of seizing their ...
[Added: 24 May 2005   Hits: 252   Words: 374]

46.Mandatory Credit Counseling for Those Considering Bankruptcy
Most Americans are aware of the sweeping changes in U.S. bankruptcy law that were made by Congress recently. These changes, strongly supported by the credit card industry, were designed to make it more difficult for Americans to file ...
[Added: 20 May 2005   Hits: 254   Words: 363]

47.Free Credit Report - Watch Out for Scams
Many people may still not be aware of an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that Congress passed last year. This amendment allows U.S. citizens to receive a copy of their credit report, for free, once per ...
[Added: 17 May 2005   Hits: 248   Words: 442]

48.Bankruptcy Interest Increases as Deadline Approaches
Congress recently passed sweeping legislation that will significantly reform American bankruptcy law. Designed to eliminate the “convenience bankruptcy” of compulsive gamblers and the financially irresponsible, this legislation will make it more difficult for those seeking bankruptcy protection from the courts to have their debts relieved. Under ...
[Added: 11 May 2005   Hits: 289   Words: 414]

49.Debt consolidation - Consolidate Your Student Loans Now!
The Federal student loan program has benefited thousands of college students in the forty years since it was introduced. Interest rates for the program have historically been quite competitive, and the program has allowed many people to acquire a college education who ...
[Added: 10 May 2005   Hits: 240   Words: 299]