Judgments - How You Can Remove from Your Credit Report

By John Cooper

A judgment, default judgment, and credit card judgment all mean the same thing.

You have been found to be legally responsible for a debt. This will happen in a court of law.

The lender went to court and filled a lawsuit against you and won their case. This will give the lender legal grounds to have your wages garnished to repay this debt.

This is a very severe mark to have on your credit report and will cause your credit score to go down dramatically. This can happen with any sort of unsecured debt; credit cards, automobiles, phone bills, etc.

This mark will remain on your credit file for 7 - 10 years. It depends upon what state the case was filled in and what the statutes of limitations are in that state. It is also common for lenders to seek a renewal judgment if the debt has not been repaid at the end of 7 or 10 years.

This can make it impossible to ever get out from under a judgment. However you can have a judgment removed from your credit, sometimes without having to pay the debt.

I recommend you first disputing the judgment with the credit bureaus. This is done by writing a dispute letter in which you explain why the listing is wrong and should be removed.

The bureaus will then hold an investigation. They will try and verify the debt and the amount of the debt with the lender or collection agency.

If the debt is inaccurate or is not verified then the bureaus must remove it from your credit. Frequently investigations result in a negative listing being removed.

However a judgment is a very bad mark and these marks are more likely to be verified. This typically means you are going to just have to live with the negative mark.

However in some circumstances a judgment is simply wrong. The mark should be removed from your credit report.

This is when I would suggest a credit repair law firm. They can use their knowledge and expertise and if necessary a court of law to prove that this judgment is not correct and not accurate.

Surprisingly you can hire a professional credit repair law firm for reasonable rates. A leader in the industry Lexington Law can be hired for less than $100/month (premier service).

About the Author:

To learn more about how to remove judgments or to find out 3 tips to choose the best credit repair service for you visit us, or for a free credit repair letter to dispute a judgment yourself.

Finding The Right Credit Counselling Agency Is A Must

By Mr Bolden

Imagine over the years your debts have somehow piled up to an unmanageable level. And now amongst unpaid bills and dealing with angry creditors, you feel the only solution for you is to get some help to clean up the mess. That is all well and good, but where exactly do you go to find this help?

Now imagine this: tired of the growing debts and with no way out you decide to consult a 'professional'. You go to a credit counsellor and let that person try to help you out of your debts only to find that they have put you in more trouble than you already were in when you started.

Needless to say, over the years because of changes in lifestyles and spending habits, many individuals have found themselves in a situation where they are too deep in debt. Unfortunately, at the same time there has also been an increase in the number of abusive practitioners who pose as credit counsellors only to make the situation much worse than it was in the beginning.

The traditional credit counselling agencies were small and local services whose main function was to lend a hand to consumers with guidance and education about budgeting and how to manage their debts. Each case is studied individually and depending on the individual consumer's situation they will be directed towards debt management, or at the worst case, filing for bankruptcy.

However, there has been a shift in the nature of these small agencies. For a start, a lot of them are not small anymore. Nor are they local. The trend in credit counselling agencies finds organizations that operate at a national level and adopt aggressive marketing strategies to break through to the public. It is not unusual to see these credit counselling agencies selling their pitch by advertising through television, magazines, radio and the internet.

When going to a credit counselling agency keep in mind that most genuine agencies of this kind offer their services at a minimal fee. This fee that is charges is usually just enough to cover their expenses, thus they make the grade at a 'non profit' business. It might only be natural for consumers to drop their guards when they are met with the word 'non-profit'. But one has to be aware of the fact that not all these organization have your best interest in mind.

Experts suggest that people who are looking for assistance from credit counsellors should be cautious with the choices they make. It is important to understand the fee structure and look into the structure more deeply if they operate on the basis of percentages and commissions.

You should understand points such as who pays the commissions, you or the credit card company. Also be sure to check out if the agency gets a kickback from the credit card company from the outstanding amount when it repaid, since that is something that is likely to have an effect on the way the agency works with you.

About the Author:

Mr Bolden specializes in helping internet marketers to have the right mentoring to be successful on the internet. See what is providing Mr Bolden an abundance of success on the internet each day.

Budget to Retire

By Basdeo Paul

Nobody wants to work in their seventies and yet most people only have ten to twenty thousand in their retirement fund at 50. How long could you live off of 20 thousand dollars? One year? Maybe two with social security but that is just no way to retire. You must save money now in order to enjoy your golden years.

When do you plan on retiring? Most people want to retire by 65. That means that your retirement fund will need to last you 20 to 25 years. That is a long period of time to save for so it takes real work to calculate how much you will need and how to get that much money.

In order to save efficiently you really need a goal in mind when you start. For a worry free retirement many people need to have about half a million dollars in the bank. Instead of randomly picking a large number like this you can be more accurate by creating a budget for your retirement years. Figure up how much you need for rent, bills and other expenses for each year. Then multiply that by 20 or 25 to come up with your savings goal.

After creating a savings goal you might feel it is hopeless. You can never save that much money. Well, with a good budget now you will be surprised how much money you really have. You can do simple things like cutting out coffee shop visits and trips to the drive thru. The average person can save several thousand a year by eliminating those two things alone. You can also become a bargain shopper and clip coupons to save extra money. By creating a strict budget for yourself now you will be able to enjoy life after work.

Once you know how much you need and how much you can afford to save you can try to make the two numbers add up by finding some safe investments for your money. A mutual fund or a high interest savings account will help your money multiply on its own. All of this budgeting and calculating can get pretty confusing. If you need help with this or other financial issues you can use an online financial calculator. There are many to choose from that are easy to use at www.personalfinanceissues.com .

With a bit of thought anyone can save for retirement. You just have to prioritize your life and your spending and you will find plenty of room in your budget to stash some money away for your future. Budget now and enjoy the future.

About the Author:

Basdeo Paul is a skilled webmaster and owner of the website http://personalfinanceissues.com . He offers a list of 35 online financial calculators which helps to control and resolve the financial issues like credit card payoff, savings, mortgage, etc.

Learn All You Need To Know About Cheap Loans

By Mary R Stewart

I happened across a really great website about cheap loans a few days ago. Now, don't make my mistake and automatically assume the site is trying to sell cheap loans, because that wasn't the case. Instead, it helps people just like you and I understand how to find cheap loans, and to get the best deals when we apply for them.

Look around the site. Do a little searching, and compare your notes. getting cheap loans is so much easier when you let the experts do the searching for you, and the people who run this site seem to know what they are doing. When it comes to affordable loans, this place could be a huge help.

I'm sure that many will agree with me that getting a cheap loan can be a huge hassle. You have to find a company to apply to, fill out the forms, jump through the hoops, and keep your fingers crossed. But the articles I found on this website I'm speaking of made it possible for me to cut through a lot of the frustration, and go for what I wanted without fear of being taken advantage of.

And the site isn't really a cheap loans service. They provide useful information about getting cheap loans, not the loans themselves. I learned about what types of services are available on the internet, and how to spot the best ones to fit my needs from this place, but it was all by following the easy-to-understand links, not by purchasing or applying for a loan from the site.

One cool thing I didn't know was that getting a cheap loan online is usually cheaper than going through a physical business. The process is automated, which saves a lot of time. The amount the companies charges is usually lower, as well, because there is a reduction in human intervention. The companies save money on overhead, and pass it the savings on to their clients.

Online, you will find a large number of helpful tools to help you find cheap loans. There are loan calculators, budget calculators, and many, many charts and diagrams that help you make sure you are getting the best cheap loans without paying outrageous costs. This website can help you understand what you need, and how to best work it into your financial future.

I'm not usually the kind of person who tries to tell people they should look at a particular website. But as far as getting information about cheap loans, I don't think you can find a more informative or helpful place than the one I'm talking about. It impressed me enough to say that I think anyone who needs to find cheap loans should look here before they begin their search.

There's a lot to learn about getting cheap loans, and this site can really help out with that. From how to spot the best loans in a crowd of companies that are somewhat dubious, to calculating how much of a loan you are going to qualify for, there is information here that you shouldn't miss. Getting cheap loans is easy as long as you find out how to go about getting them the right way.

About the Author:

If you are searching for information on cheap loans then check out this superb new site. Full of helpful tips on finance and cheap mortgages, click on today and save money.

Equifax Dispute

By Justin Hutto

A dispute can be filed with Equifax by creating a dispute letter and mailing it to them. In your letter you will need to include a reason as to why the listing is inaccurate.

There are two options to do this; you can do it yourself or hire a credit repair service to do it on your behalf. However be aware if you do it yourself that you must send a letter to each credit bureau.

This means that if you send a letter to Equifax and they remove the mark you will also need to send a letter to Transunion or Experian. There is no communication between the three bureaus regarding disputes.

Reasons to dispute a listing are; item is out of date, information is wrong, not my account, account paid in full, and more. The Fair Credit Reporting Act says that you have the right to dispute any mark on your credit report.

In addition the act says the bureaus must remove an item if it is not verified by the creator. This act is what the dispute process is based upon.

When your dispute is filled the bureau will conduct an investigation. They will contact the creator of the negative mark and ask them to verify the debt, the amounts and the dates.

If the mark can not be verified then it is removed from your credit report. Often an investigation results in the removal of bad credit. This is a result of many businesses being unwilling to spend the time and money verifying disputed debts.

However before the credit bureau will conduct an investigation your dispute must be a valid dispute. There is no way to tell if the bureaus will deem your letter valid or invalid.

Many claim that the bureaus are just avoiding having to hold an investigation so they will deem your dispute invalid and respond with a letter requesting more information about the dispute. It is widely speculated that this is nothing more than a stall tactic used by the bureaus.

This is because it will only cost the bureaus money to investigate disputes. The bureaus customers are businesses and only because of government law is there a dispute process.

I suggest you hire a service if you have multiple items you wish to dispute on your credit. If you have only minor damage on your report then you can do it yourself, just remember to be persistent and have some patience.

In sum you do not have to wait seven years for a bad credit item to be removed from your credit. You can dispute the listing and have it removed immediately.

About the Author:

For a free credit repair letter to dispute items on your credit report or to read a review of Lexington Law a suggested credit repair service visit us.

Credit Card Bills Unmanageable? Consider Debt Negotiation

By Daniel Atolben

Are you drowning in debt and finding it difficult to make your monthly payments? Even if you've had no problem controlling your debt in the past, there may be something unexpected that has come up. You may have recently become unemployed or there may be an illness in your family. These types of problems affect everyone and if you have little or no savings then you can easily find yourself in financial trouble. This is when debt negotiation with your credit card companies is a viable option that will benefit both you and the credit card company.

Debt negotiation benefits you since you'll be able to get your credit card bills under control. It benefits the credit card company by ensuring they receive payment (or partial payment) and preventing your account from going to a collection agency. Since credit card companies won't be getting all the money that you've agreed to repay, they will not accept all requests.

You can try debt negotiation on your own without the assistance of an outside service. Simply contact your credit card companies and ask for a lowered interest rate, lower payments and/or a suspension of penalty fees. If you're willing to close out the account on the spot, the credit card company may be willing to accept less than the balance. You'll need to give the agent a good reason why; be honest about the reason and what you can afford.

Each credit card company has different policies. The agent that you initially speak to may be able to help you but more than likely you'll need to talk to a supervisor. The initial agent may only be able to waive a fee or suspend a payment so it's beneficial to talk to a supervisor or manager in any case. If an agent isn't able to help you then ask for a superior.

Depending on your credit history and reason for negotiation, credit card companies may be able to work with you. Even if they're not able to help you, ask the agent to document your account so future agents can reference your request. Since each credit card company has different policies, you may not succeed with all of your requests. One company may be willing to work with you while another may not.

If you're not able to succeed in getting your bills under control then you can get the help of a debt counseling service. There are many to choose from but it's best to find one that has an office in your area so you can meet face-to-face with a counselor. Look for one that is non-profit or not-for-profit and funded by the government. They will usually offer you a free consultation and their fees are nominal. Try to negotiate your debt on your own but some credit card companies are more willing to work with counseling services.

About the Author:

Daniel Atolben routinely makes news stories on information similar to eliminate credit card dept and eliminating high interest credit card debt. You can learn about his writings on how to eliminate credit card debt over at http://www.debtania.com .