Have you seen any of those ads for “President Obama’s Debt Relief Act (Plan, Program, etc)”? If you have one or more credit cards you probably have. Maybe you’ve even gotten one of those recorded phone messages (complete with an announced deadline) telling you that you need to “act now”. If you have, and if you’ve ever given it a momentary thought, don’t. It’s a marketing hoax, nothing more. The debt settlement companies are using the hoax to make it... Read more
In a previous post, I wrote about why you should avoid probate. What I didn’t mention, however, were practical steps you can take to do this. While there are several ways to avoid the probate process, in this post I’m going to mention one of the more well-known methods – through the creation of a revocable living trust. The Basics As just mentioned, a revocable living trust is a tool that allows you to avoid probate. You create one simply... Read more
Have you ever bought something that didn’t do what you wanted it to do? It’s frustrating when something doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to right out of the box. When reality doesn’t meet our expectations, we get disappointed. So when I heard a 50-year-old man complaining that he wasted 20 years of his life paying into a term life insurance policy, I couldn’t help but think: Is life insurance a waste of money, or did he just not have... Read more
Are you looking for someone to help hold you up during your hard financial times? Do you wish that you had someone who would be upfront and honest with you, but non-judgmental. I think we all want to know somebody who is like this. I know that there have many times in my personal life that I just needed someone to talk to besides my spouse about money. I honestly needed to talk to a woman because they would know... Read more
Death is certain, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. When someone passes away, their loved ones are left to deal with their funeral arrangements. Planning a final goodbye for a loved one is difficult, and the cost of planning a funeral is expensive. The details and choices presented to the family of a deceased person are often overwhelming, and making decisions regarding the funeral can be especially tough for family members while they grieve. For this... Read more
Finding a private student loan provider who will give a loan to a student without a cosigner is very difficult. Private student loans require strong credit history, and for students who do not have a longstanding job or steady income, their lack credit history usually won’t cut it. Most students who use a private lender for student loans will have a cosigner. Online resources that promise a student loan without a cosigner are most likely fraudulent and should be avoided.... Read more
Smart dividend investing can lead to a lifetime of financial support. The idealistic example of a person receiving a monthly income in the mail in the form of dividend checks is enticing, but most people have no idea where to even start when it comes to dividends. People who want to be successful dividend investors need to begin by understanding the elements of this kind of investment. So first, we’ll start by answering the basic question of ‘what is a... Read more
American Express has been around forever when it comes to credit cards. While they’re known for their credit business, they’re actually one of the best prepaid card providers as well. If you’re not familiar with the American Express Prepaid card, read our review below. Keep in mind that American express is giving away a $25 gift card when you load $200 on a prepaid card. There are no fees, no tricks, no gimmicks, just a cool $25 gift card. But... Read more
Many people might assume that refinancing is always the right thing to do, especially when interest rates are as low as they are. For most homeowners, that might be true. But it isn’t true for all. When you should refinance It’s usually pretty easy to know when you should refinance your mortgage. There are usually tangible financial benefits, such as the following… When the payments will drop. Lowering your monthly housing payment is probably the biggest single reason for anyone... Read more
The new college school year is starting up, and with college costs getting higher each year, one of the recurring challenges is trying to find jobs to help finance your education so you don’t have to rely so much on student loans. Jobs aren’t so easy to get these days, especially when you have a limited schedule that has to leave plenty of time for classes and homework. One of the best ways to get around that is by finding... Read more
Faith and Finance
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