Choosing Which Debts To Pay First

By Ian Pelham

Prioritizing Debt

If you are having serious debt problems, you are probably having trouble keeping all of your debts up to date. You can only reduce some expenses, and available income can only be stretched so far.

In this situation you have no option but to delay, or not pay some of your monthly debt repayments as become due. There are hard choices to make about which bills you should pay first. This is especially difficult when you risk things such as your home, utilities, car and even your personal possessions.

Following the rules in this chapter may make the difference between keeping or losing important property.

Do Not Take On More Debt To Pay Off Old Debt.

A short-term fix can lead to long-term problems.

Many people opt to take on new debt to pay off old debt instead of delaying or eliminating certain debt payments. Very rarely is this a good idea. The option to refinance or take on new loans and when, if ever, you should do so is discussed in a later article.

Your main strategy in dealing with too much debt is deciding which debts to pay first, which you can refuse to pay, and which you can put off until later.

The creditor who makes the most noise most often is not necessarily the creditor you should pay back the first. Many times these creditors make as much noise as possible to intimidate you since they have no other way to reclaim their money.

More worrying are those creditors who make some noise but then very quickly take action to recover their money in the form of legal action to take away your home, car, gas, electricity, etc.

Pay off creditors who can take the quickest action to hurt you, not those who yell the loudest and call the most often.

Your available resources should be used for the things most needed for your family - usually food, clothing, home and gas & electricity.

It would be great if there was a recommended 'list' dictating the order in which your debts should be paid, but unfortunately there isn't. Your situation will be different to someone else's. The guidelines in this article should be used as reference points only as you make your decisions.

Debts with collateral are top priorities.

There is one thing you should bear in mind when deciding which debts to default on and which ones to make a priority to pay, and that is the idea of 'collateral'.

Collateral is physical property that a creditor has the right to seize should you default on your payments to them. Usually collateral takes the form of your home (mortgage) and your car when you take out a car loan.

A creditor may also have collateral in your household goods, business property, bank account, or even wages. Collateral can take many forms. When a creditor has taken collateral for your loan, it has a "lien" on your property.

Determine which of your debts are 'secured' and which are 'unsecured'.

It is very nearly always the best policy to pay off your secured debts first. Creditors with collateral are secure in the knowledge that they can take the collateral from you and sell it to get their money back. That is why they are called 'secured creditors'.

Creditors without collateral are often referred to as "unsecured." It is usually hard for unsecured creditors to collect what they are owed unless you pay voluntarily.

The idea that debts with collateral are the most critical may seem very simple. Unfortunately, it is difficult to keep this simple concept in mind when you are getting hassled by debt collectors trying to force you to pay your lowest priority debts.

It is extremely important to remember this concept as you make decisions about your financial future.

About the Author:

Ian is someone who has come through a very difficult time financially. He used credit debt consolidation to ease his situation markedly. Without good debt consolidation advice he would have certainly gone bankrupt.

Demo Vs. Live Trading Mindset

By Doug West

Of the nearly 1000 people we have taught how to trade the mini-Dow or S&P emini index, nearly all were able to successfully trade our simple index strategy on their demo accounts (we only know of 2 exceptions that reportedly could not even get consistent on the demo. One man claimed that every single trade he made was a loss. In my mind that would be as hard to do as to make profit on every trade). Yet, some have a problem going from demo to live trading!

If your day trading strategy is consistently successful on your demo account, then what is the difference when you go live? Mindset! It all boils down to that in your trading (in my opinion this is true of life in general, but you see the results immediately in trading - especially day trading).

I really hate to call what we do as index traders, day trading. That is only because of the negative connotation the term brings to mind. Stock trading is what most people think of when they hear the term day trading. Regardless of what type of trader you are, you will have to come to terms with the fact that each trade depends on YOU. What frame of mind you are in at the time you place those trades will have a HUGE impact on how many of those trades are successful.

Most traders think that it all boils down to the technical and/or fundamental analysis of the markets. This is where they spend all their time and money, but they never get around to working on the mindset. They feel the real key is in becoming a great market analyst. However, the world is FULL of good market analyst (just watch CNBC or Bloomberg for examples) who are not able to trade. They too didn't have the right mindset and had to take jobs instead.

So what is the right mindset for a trader (or day trader)? That would take volumes of articles to answer. A good start is to read Mark Douglas' book "Trading In The Zone". Don't end your mindset training there, but it is a good start.

Another good exercise is to keep a traders diary. Write down what you were thinking and how you were feeling as you made your trade. Do this immediately after the trade so that you can be as accurate as possible. Do this on winning trades and on unsuccessful ones too. You should notice that on your winning trades everything felt easy and sure. Once you notice the difference, don't enter trades unless your mind is in the correct frame!

It's amazing how the human mind is able to pick up on the overall mood of the market. Douglas calls this being "In The Zone". We have always referred to it as getting a "Market Feel". Some traders have felt that it was impossible, while others gain that market feel advantage rather quickly. The difference is always in the mindset of the person. Some people are naturally much more in tune with their emotions, and they don't let them effect their mind while trading.

Many traders get hung up in all the technical tools that are available today. They reason that if they can just add the right tools, they will become successful traders. After working with hundreds of traders over the years, I can tell you for certain that you will NEVER be successful unless you have the right mindset.

About the Author:

Mini-Dow Index Trading Made Simple. Discover how to build your trading income. Get Doug's Debt-Free Report. Read his blog here.

Personal Finance Troubles? Consider Debt Negotiation

By Dillon Azungen

Are you drowning in debt and considering debt negotiation? Debt negotiation has a bad connotation but does it affect your credit that badly? There are pros and cons to debt negotiation and there are alternatives. Here are some things to consider which will help you decide if debt negotiation is right for you.

First, you need to educate yourself on debt negotiation since there is a lot of misinformation out there. Debt negotiation is also known as debt arbitration or debt settlement. A third party negotiates with creditors and lenders on a payment plan and decreased interest. The creditors will put further credit to you on hold so you won't be able to use your credit cards until after your debt is repaid. After that, it is up to the creditor to decide if you should regain credit approval and if so, how high of a limit.

Lenders will usually only lower your rates and give you a break on fees if there is a reason. If they can be shown you're personal finances are not in a position to make the agreed upon payments then they will usually negotiate. They would prefer to negotiate rather than turn your account over to a collection agency.

Some people think that your credit report is unaffected by debt negotiation. This is not the case however. Your negotiation is reported and shows as such on a report. This is why debt negotiation should be used only if you can't otherwise pay off your bills. If you're finding yourself paying your lenders late and incurring fees then this will hurt your credit rating more than negotiation. And if you end up declaring bankruptcy then this can be even worse.

Before debt negotiation you should first find help with your budgeting and learn about other options by seeking a credit counseling service. A credit counselor can give you the information you need to help reduce your payments and get your finances back on track. They will tell you what will affect your credit rating, what will not and recommend what steps you should take. They can also help you with credit consolidation.

To find a credit counseling service search the internet or the yellow pages. Be careful since there are some that are not as helpful or legitimate as others. There are some that are supported by the government which are legitimate and should be researched first. A legitimate service will usually have a free consultation face-to-face and will be upfront about their services and fees. Don't sign anything until you are comfortable with their terms.

Don't think that since debt negotiation will tarnish your credit report that you should give up and let your account go to collection agencies. Ignoring the problem will make things much worse.

About the Author:

Dillon Azungen routinely pens reports on news relating to how to negotiate a settlement amongst creditors and how to negotiate within creditors. On his site you might discover his work on how to negotiate a settlement within creditors and how to negotiate debt settlement yourself.

Free Credit Repair Service - It Does Exist And Where?

By William Blake

Free credit repair services defy the notion that nothing in life is free. It is possible to find credit repair service that offer their services free of charge. There are not many of them and to work for you they require that you meet certain guidelines that they have established. To locate a free credit repair service is not an easy task. It will take some searching, but they do exist.

One way to find a free credit repair service is to contact someone just starting their credit repair business. They will need the experience and may be willing to provide the service free of charge. This will help them get their business off the ground and help their new client as well.

Of course a person like this is not easy to come by. But it doesn't hurt to talk to others who may know of someone starting up their own business. This is a situation that you will have to search for but it may prove to be worth your effort. It could be a great savings for you.

Another Option

Another way to get free credit repair service is to advertise in the paper or in an online advertising site that you are willing to trade. Maybe you have something that you want to sell or trade in return for a free credit repair service.

There may be someone out there that can offer you free credit repair services as a trade for you teaching them how to sew or play guitar. When you open your imagination then there is no telling what can happen and how quickly your can find yourself the help that you are in need of.

If you have a friend or someone in the family who has experience in this sort of thing you may be able to get some free credit repair services from them. Maybe they worked for a company before that offered credit repair services and they learned all the tricks of the trade.

If there is no one who has a job related to credit repair maybe there is someone who has needed such a service in the past. Through their personal experience they may have acquired sufficient knowledge to be able to work with you to repair your credit. They can teach you what they know and down the road you may have the opportunity to do the same for another person who finds himself in a similar situation.

About the Author:

Tire of barely keeping up with your credit card debt? Get some simple credit card tips on the Debtopedia website. Visit http://www.debtopedia.com for a free copy of my "Secrets Of Credit Card Debt" report.

Debt Consolidation To Manage Your Finances

By Glen Stroude

Debt consolidation provides different benefits. To effectively utilize it as a solution, it is necessary to know what it is and the mechanics of consolidating your debt. Managing one's finances might become easier as a result.

When your debt is consolidated, it ends in a single periodic payment to an individual creditor. This creditor comes in the form of a credit counseling company. They will contact and deal with your previous creditors, while allowing you to pay off the debt via monthly amounts.

The two situations do not seem to differ by much, so what are the benefits provided through debt consolidation?

The first positive point, and the most obvious, would be that it is more manageable to have one single loan payment every month, then tracking a few each time. This can prevent one from forgetting a particular payment, which can cause undue harassment, inconvenience and extra costs such as late fees.

There is also an attractive proposition offered by credit counseling firms. They often provide lower interest rates for customers willing to consolidate their debt through them. If your own research shows that these rates will lower your overall debt, the method should be given due consideration.

Your monthly payments will also come in the form of lower amounts compared to not consolidating debt. This is the direct benefit of having lower interest rates attached to the loan. The extra cash will come in handy as you use it to better manage your financial portfolio.

An important benefit from consolidating your debt is the instant positive effect it has on your credit rating. Your debt exposure is considered to have lessened. Risk is therefore reduced considerably, providing improvements in credit scores. There are other advantages from this, such as giving you access to loans in the future that might be required.

If your finances need some housecleaning as a result of a worsening debt situation, consolidating it could offer advantages that can improve the situation. It will assist in managing your finances, and provide some order and discipline to repaying your loans. With the worsening global economic conditions, that is something that cannot be ignored.

About the Author:

Glen Stroude discusses the need to manage and learn how to consolidate debt. His site provides a resource for those who need free debt consolidation services.

The Bad Credit Special Loans.

By Denzel Abintenk

Many of the citizens are able to take delivery of bad credit loans after filing the bankruptcy, often almost immediately as thirty days time period next the release of the bankruptcy. a lot of companies have set up a high quality marketplace presenting these loans, knowing a person cannot declare bankruptcy for a at least of seven years following the bankruptcy release. This opens a novel market for a number of lenders will to take a likelihood of citizens with a bad credit score meaningful they have legal alternative to recoup the quantity of the loan.

Even though the majority customary lenders just will not grant bad credit personal loans after bankruptcy there are many lenders that come to blows over the market. Even by means of the counseling supplies of bankruptcy on monetary organization and liability, at present is no law that require those declare the bankruptcy to go after any suggestion made for the duration of the counseling. Follow the discharge of the bankruptcy, persons are free to search for bad credit personal loans after bankruptcy at whatever time they choose.

even though bankruptcy records are released to the public, and their accessibility is often seen as an uncomfortable punishment for ignore past accountability, the accessibility of the bad credit individual loans after the bankruptcy has a lot of taking that road to get out from beneath a serious debt load. still with the novel laws there are those who carry on to pile on debt and file for bankruptcy each seven years or as almost immediately as the law permits.

There Are No Laws to Govern For People Who Apply For the Bad Credit Loans

at the same time as a lot of laws exist over who can present bad credit personal loans after bankruptcy and the interest rates charge for them, there is no laws leading who can apply for them. yet a person who has manifold bankruptcies in their earlier period are free to seek financial help where on earth they can find it. in spite of the considerably higher cost of bad credit personal loans subsequent to bankruptcy citizens often flock to the lender presenting such loans.

a small number of, if any of the lenders presenting the bad credit personal loans after bankruptcy have need of any type of guarantee for the money, still meaningful there is a good chance the loan will go into non-payment, the alternative obtainable, counting wage garnishment, make them a money-making business. When a human being default on bad credit personal loans after bankruptcy a court-ordered reimbursement is characteristically approved for the amount of the loan and whichever expenses linked with collect the loan.

over and over again the cost of collection approach the sum of the initial loan along with courts costs, like the attorney fees and collection agency fees, all charged to the delinquent the creditor. This add even more to the charge of obtain bad credit personal loans after bankruptcy is filed.

About the Author:

Denzel Abintenk frequently produces online reports on issues similar to loan to consolidate debt. On his site you can come across his abstracts on personal loans to consolidate debt and loan to consolidate debt.

When You Become a Victim of Identity Theft

By Landon McGehee

Immediately upon becoming aware that your identity has likely been stolen, it's easy to begin to panic. This is the wrong reaction and should be repressed. Calm yourself down and consider your options. You'll need a clear head to minimize the damage done to your finances and credit. Here are the steps to take, one at a time, to stop the theft from getting out of hand:

First, contact your local police department to report the crime. Give them all the information you can. They will likely refer you to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to continue your report. File with both of those agencies as well. This allows the police on a local level to look into the matter while coordinating with the federal authorities. The FBI and FTC will likely want your local police's case number, which you should have received when you first reported to them.

In addition, reporting to the FTC (or their Consumer Alert website) will alert the three credit bureaus and put a Fraud Alert on your reports, which means that no new credit cards or other lines of credit can be obtained on your account for three months. Fraud Alerts are non-specific, however, and merely note to creditors that something illegal has happened involving your credit-whether that illegal activity otherwise involved you or not is left up to question. This is not a total blockade either and still allows a thief to use your existing credit.

Often the FTC requests that you change the passwords and access information for your accounts, but leave them open so they can monitor for thieves. While this seems like a good idea and it will help them catch the thief, it also leaves your accounts open to more fraud that you may or may not get reimbursed for. Most people opt to close their accounts and open new ones instead. It is your choice to do so and you are not required to cooperate with the FTC's investigation.

Now that you've gotten your financial life started back towards normal, it's time to get the rest of your identity secured as well. Contact the Department of Motor Vehicles for your state and request a new driver's license number, explaining the situation. Usually they will be happy to do this without any questions if you can present your original license and other proofs of your identity. Contact the Social Security Administration for the same purpose, to change your Social Security Number. This is trickier and often takes much more time, but it can also be done and is a good step towards renewing your broken life.

Now be prepared for a real battle to restore your identity, finances and life. Often, victims of identity theft find themselves battling for years over issues on their credit reports, bank accounts, and more.

Since identity theft continues to go on the rise as thieves utilize new technologies, the World Wide Web, and other techniques to find new victims, government and law enforcement have little chance of stopping the phenomenon. Repairing the effects of identity theft is difficult as well. It's up to individuals to take charge of their private information, be it their personal information or their bad credit history - and keep it safe from thieves, so that they will pass you by looking for easier targets. This includes family and friends as often, victims of identity theft find out that it's those closest to them that are doing the crime.

So take charge of your life and, if you find yourself a victim of identity theft, don't panic.

About the Author:

It is time to remove the clouds of doubt on the topic of reparing bad credit. You're only a click away - http://www.everlife.com/improvingcreditscore.php.

Folklore and the Reverse Mortgage

By Xerine Raziel

I received a phone call from a local real estate professional. She called in response to an ad I placed detailing how seniors can buy a home using the reverse mortgage to fund the purchase.

She expressed interest but not before going into a long, horrible and sad story of a friend of a friend who had an unbelievably bad experience with a reverse mortgage. I was intrigued from the get go.

First things first... The rule is you must complete this article. You can't just read what happened and then stop before I can explain. We can't have you running about telling everyone else how horrible the reverse mortgage is.

The real estate agent had a friend, who had a friend, who had a father (Strange how rumours get started) who obtained a reverse mortgage on his home. The father passed away and the house willed to the FOAFOAR (which is much easier than saying Friend Of A Friend Of A Real estate agent)

Well, more money was owed to the lender, at the time of his death, than the home was worth. According to the realtor the mortgage company required repayment of the entire amount owed.

The property eventually sold to repay a portion of the money owed the lender. The lender forced the FOAFOAR to pay the remaining balance of forty-thousand-dollars.

Did this happen? I seriously doubt it. The reason is reverse mortgages are known as non-recourse loans. This means in the circumstance of the FOAFOAR the mortgage company cannot come after the heirs for the difference.

In the circumstance of a deficiency or negative equity the borrower or estate conduct the sale of the property as follows....

The mortgage company will require a real estate agent to list and market the property for sale. In the process the realtor will furnish comparable properties so the mortgage company knows the property will be sold at a fair market value. Eventually the home is sold and the lender is repaid the sale price less closing costs.

This net figure is the maximum amount the bank has a right to extract, and can't come back after the borrower or borrower's heirs for the remaining balance of the loan. The bank eats the difference, and is reimbursed by FHA mortgage insurance.

A bunch of folklore is flying about concerning the reverse mortgage. You may have a financial obstacle in need of an answer. The reverse mortgage may or may not be a great tool for you. Make sure you have real facts at your disposal before making a decision.

About the Author:

Learn about other folklore plus five monster blunders at the Reverse Mortgage Texas Guide. For great questions for your lender try 5 big league inquiries for your Texas Reverse Mortgage lender.

Cash In On Bailout

By Doug West

Whether a shoe is flying at him or he is showing off his dog, President Bush has been on the TV a lot lately. Too late for him to go down in history as a good president, but we will give him credit for trying. The Pres. has assured us all that we can grow our economy by spending more money. He even sent us each a few hundred to help us do that.

Next came the BIG bailouts for the banks and boys on Wall Street. Hey, where do we apply for some of that 700 Billion dollar pie? Well, don't hold your breath on that one (in a moment we will show you how to cash in on the bail out actions with simple mini-dow index trading)!

Let's see, if you are already in debt up to your ears - like the US government is, how is sending out free money going to stimulate the economy? And, how is that going to help the US government?

OH, don't forget our friends over at the FED. The Reserve! The agency that is owned by the bankers. That masquerades around like they are part of the government. What many folks still don't know is that they all pulled a fast one on us by sticking that word Federal in front of their name. The same thing the guy at Federal Express did when starting his company.

Frederick W. Smith founded FedEx. I clearly remember years ago when he was on 60 Minutes, he said that by the time folks figured out that he was not part of the government his company was already well on it's way to success! Can't blame his reasoning? What a PLAN! IT WORKED for the FED why not FedEx too?

Let's quote right from the FedEx web site:

"Federal Express was so-named due to the patriotic meaning associated with the word "Federal," which suggested an interest in nationwide economic activity. At that time, Smith hoped to obtain a contract with the Federal Reserve Bank and, although the proposal was denied, he believed the name was a particularly good one for attracting public attention and maintaining name recognition."

I'm sure Smith did want a relationship with the Federal Reserve - who wouldn't! These guys have the legalized right to print money! Think about it. It does not matter if it is a $1 bill or a $100 bill, it cost them about the same to make it (a few cents each). Then they "LOAN" that money at full face value to the US government. Full face value PLUS INTEREST! So now you know where the national debt comes from. We now owe that money - Plus Interest - to the FED. A private corporation controlled by international bankers.

So if you are thinking that Bush's plan to grow the economy by handing out $100 bills won't cost anything - Think Again! Where is that money going to come from? That's right - the good ol boys at the FED. These mystical folks seem to be able to pull money out of thin air! Just think, with today's high-tech world, the FED can just punch a button on a computer somewhere and release new funds to the world. Most of which never represents new bills being printed, but just credit in some bank or financial institutions account. Electronic numbers moving through nanoseconds of time and space.

Not only does the FED create money, they also have the ability to set their own interest rate!

- The Fed's Open Market Committee (FOMC), announces their interest rate decisions. This is NOT the interest rate that you and I can get money for, (why don't we all meet at the Fed Discount Window - wherever that is) but what the BIG boys who keep the whole world flowing receive. They in turn pump up the volume and pass the savings on to you and me right - WRONG! It could take weeks or even MONTHS after a cut to see any savings at the consumer level. So why do the markets get so active after an FOMC announcement?

The BIG boys are the ones who really move the market right (and they CAN line up at the FED window for a bailout). We just want a small slice of it. That's all. Remember that when you are trading (or practicing the FED move trade -after an FOMC announcement).

So how do you cash in on the bailouts without getting a slice of the pie? Index trading! With all these bailout moves, the FED buying stock and giving away billions of dollars, it has caused some GREAT moves in the market. Not so good for stock traders, but Wonderful for those of us that just trade and follow the overall index.

No matter what happens, we can all do well with Simple Mini-Dow Index Trading. I look for GREAT times ahead for Index traders. We might have to pay more for the things we need, (because of the FED printing out bailout money like candy these days) but at least we can stay home and earn the money to get them!

Remember those FOMC announcements mentioned earlier? Many times after an announcement, the market moves and moves BIG. Much like the market moves we have all been seeing here lately with the bailout manipulation of the markets. The FED won't give you a partnership deal like FedEx was looking for, but you can capitalize on their dealings.

Just follow an index and stay away from stock!

About the Author:

Mini-Dow Index Trading Made Simple. Discover how to build your trading income. Get Doug's Debt-Free Report. Read his blog here.