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Browse published articles attributed to Mike Killian, with full-archive search.
What do you do when all of a sudden the month is just beginning and the $$$$'s aren gone? You put the emotion away and get crackin' with bill priorities and some cold hard facts about your bills... and maybe even the priorities in your life. Believe it or not, some bills are definitely more ...
Have you ever asked yourself why there always seems to be too much month left over at the end of the money? This article attempts to explain that monthly crisis by exploring how we have been lulled into thinking in terms of "monthly" instead of "total" cost. Actually, the monthly phenomenon has ...
In the field of debt collection and delinquencies, judgments and judgment risk factors are a very real concern. Will a creditor sue and seek legal judgment against me? If he does, what type judgment might it be? What exactly is a judgment and what can I do about it? These are just some of the ...
If you ever wanted to get ahead financially… if you ever thought you wanted to get out from under a sea of debt… if you ever wondered where the money went… YOU NEED A BUDGET! But how do you develop a good budget and how do you stick with it? Developing a Workable BudgetnReview ...
Before a divorce, during, and after getting a divorce you need to conce yourself with credit... credit establishment, credit files and credit scores. Though divorce and credit is a conce for both men and woman, woman tend to have the greater credit difficulty due to societal standards. ...
When the month continues to live on well after the money is spent, a very logical approach is to utilize the equity in your home to alleviate the pressure. But is this a good idea or a bad one? Take a look. Consolidating may free up your dollars, but at what cost? Usually consolidating debt ...
If you are an employee, you can get a 40% pay raise without ever asking the boss. And it's all tax-free. Similarly, if you are an employer, you can show each of your employees how they can earn a 40% pay raise and it won't cost the employer a thing. Before writing me off as being a pair short of ...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says, "If you or someone you know is in financial hot water, consider these options: realistic budgeting, credit counseling from a reputable organization, debt consolidation [debt negotiation], or bankruptcy. How do you know which will work best for you? It ...
Gift Cards Can Be Good You can barely walk thru a grocery store or many other outlets without seeing racks and racks of gift cards. Are they safe and are they as convenient as promoters would have you think they are? The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) offers guidelines for ...
If you want to change any habit, change the actions that produce the habit. Within this article you will learn the most powerful 5 step system I have ever seen to change any habit plus 2 key bonuses that add rocket power to your efforts. Success Consider the following definition: Success is a ...
Bankruptcy is available when all other debt payment measures have failed and the unpaid debt is simply beyond the means of the consumer to repay. It is essential, then, to understand debt options prior to bankruptcy and to determine which debt repayment method is the least detrimental. ...
Credit cards are just like drugs. There is no better analogy. They offer short-term pleasure and long-term pain. They give the illusion of having more money than you actually do. Then you live with less because each month a portion of your income is siphoned away paying past credit debt. A ...
The way to more spendable money is not complicated. You either decrease expense or you increase income. Decreasing expense is the subject of numerous other articles at this site. Increasing money and doing it through a common sense approach is the current subject. How Much and Why? - Without ...
File Segregation Scam If you have filed for bankruptcy or have bad credit generally, you could be the target of a fraud the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) calls “file segregation”. In this scheme, you are promised a chance to hide unfavorable credit information by establishing a ...
What is a credit score? Is there a good or bad side to credit scoring? How is a score calculated? What is "FICO"? What are the benefits of credit scoring? What are the down sides? In a nut shell, a high credit score helps your request for credit to be approved. It can also mean lower interest ...
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was established to protect the consumer from harassing and illegal tactics used by unethical and unscrupulous debt collectors. The act does not apply to the original creditor but does apply to someone other than the original creditor who tries to ...
Chris Tapp, UK deputy director of Credit Action, said: "Retirement should be a time for some well-ea ed relaxation, but for all too many it is a time of financial stress… when we consider that inflation hits the over-60s hardest, pension provision is looking increasingly shaky, and we ...
Whether you are thinking of getting married, you are a newly wed, or you are a seasoned couple of marital bliss, you must have a joint talk about debt and credit. Debt communication is simply not an option. This debt and money talk article can open doors of communication and enhance the success ...
The American consumer is looking at a very scary environment! He/she is also becoming more and more vulnerable to serious debt collection issues. The new bankruptcy law, increased minimum credit card payment, tightening of debt counseling options, exceptionally easy access to very high credit ...
Okay, you feel your debt is out of control and it is too late to say, "I wish I had taken action sooner." What do you do? First of all you don't panic and you keep things as simple as possible. Secondly, look to see just how bad it really is. Third, decide which of 4 actions to take with your ...