Other Media

What to do if your credit card rate goes up
By Fred O. Williams and Chris Kissell at CreditCards.com

Credit card holders beware: The gathering strength of the U.S. economy may soon cause a spike in your monthly debt payment. . . . Fortunately, Kermicle started getting financially fit by paying down debt, putting her in a better position to cope with rising rates. With an assist from CCMS, a nonprofit credit counseling service, she found savings in her budget and started whittling down her balances by $850 a month. Read full article here…

…the third of a five-part series examining what goes in to creating your FICO credit score… even if your history isn’t perfect, it’s still important to have one. “It’s better to have some sort of credit history — even if there have been some problems — rather than no credit history,” says Andrew Bernstein, a certified personal finance counselor with CCMS Read full article here…

Counselor Carlos talks about Housing Counseling on Spanish Media There a lot of single mums out there that need help. … The US government also provides grants to help single mothers go back to school and the money does not have to be paid back. The biggest problem right now with some of these programs that offer grants is that they follow a first come first serve basis, which can make it difficult for some people to get the help they need. Read full article here…

Think you can astonish a credit counselor with your $20,000 credit card bills? Not a chance. They’ve seen it all — from shopping divas who outspend their incomes to clients who have severe gut reactions once all their hidden debt is revealed…. Looking for miracles. Many clients hope for a magic solution to their problems, making realistic options difficult to propose. Andrew Bernstein, from West Palm Beach, Fla., remembers a resistant-but-broke big spender. Read full article here…

Here are some tips on how to make your money render more cutting costs. Find more of these tips at debthelper.com, which is an agency financial non-profit education that can help you cut your credit card payment in almost 50%. The institution offers advice on ‘ First-time home buyer, bankruptcy, reverse mortgage reverse mortgage), credit card and how to avoid foreclosure. Read full article here…

Going through a divorce can be stressful enough, and if you don’t end things amicably, sometimes people can do hateful things. Your ex has access to all your personal information, your social security number, date of birth, address, and maybe even your bank account information. This could give your ex the information he or she needs to make your financial life a nightmare or it could be someone who doesn’t even know you who digs through your trash. Read full article here…

In over your head and struggling to pay your credit card bills? Compared to a year ago, credit card issuers are more sympathetic to financial hardships facing many families. Card lenders are more willing to help consumers enrolled in debt management plans repay their loans by slashing interest rates and waiving fees. . . . “They are trying to get whatever they can from whoever they can get it from,” says Andrew Bernstein, a senior certified credit counselor at DebtHelper.com, a nonprofit consumer credit counseling agency in West Palm Beach, Read full article here…

Taxes: Tips to Help Financially Struggling Couples Get through Tax Time This year, tax time might be a little more complicated than normal. A large segment of people who plan to pay down their debt with their tax returns may not be doing so. Instead they will be trying to meet normal expenses that they have left untouched during the holiday season. Post Holiday Stress Syndrome generally happens when the holiday bills come in and of course set an individual or couple behind to begin the New Year. They then shift the focus to the tax return and hopefully will then catch up on those first quarter bills. That is when they see that they are not going to be able to do that and they are placed in the negative economic situation. Read full article here…