Are the credit card companies blitzing you like there's no tomorrow? Are you worried about someone possibly stealing a credit card offer out of your mailbox? Would you rather just be "left alone" by the banks? There is a way to avoid it all.
Similar to the National Do Not Call Registry (http://www.donot-call.gov/), you can now eliminate the credit card offers from clogging your mailbox.You can contact them through a service run by the three major credit bureaus at http://www.optout-prescreen.com/ or call 888-567-8688.
You will need to key in your social security nuber and your date of birth. This will give you the option of removing your name from all lists for five years or permanently from prescreened offers that are sold to credit card companies.
Another option is to contact the credit card companies directly. If you get an offer in the mail and don't want to hear from that bank again, pick the phone and ask to opt out of solicitations or look for their privacy notices sent out about once a year.
May 19, 2008
May 5, 2008
Lose Your House or Lose Your Credit Card
Every day I hear horror stories from folks who tell me they're looking at losing their homes or the family farm. I always wish I could reach through the phone, grab 'em by the shoulders and shake some sense into them, while asking, "Why did you let it get to this point?"
The big question is usually: How did this happen? Most of us usually know. I see it every day. I see the credit card bills with hundreds and thousands of dollars of charges. That's great if you're paying it off every month, but frequently they're digging a deeper and deeper hole. It eventually catches up to you. Ask my brother, my brother-in-law or my favorite cousin. No names here folks. You know who you are. I love them to death, but they could all use a little lesson in discipline. They all lived well beyond their means, purchasing every little upgrade, every new gadget and every new electronic toy the day it came out. Cha-ching, cha-ching.
I can't tell you how many people I run into every day who would prefer to lose their house than lose their credit card. Is that right? Isn't it your castle, your sanctuary? Your piece of real estate is your most important possession and should be guarded wisely. I'm not talking about the Colt and the ADT, although ain't nothing wrong with that. (Sorry you S&W fans.)
I'm proud to say I don't live the life of an innovator. I sometimes shop at Goodwill, do my share of eBay (buying and selling) and love to find a bargain- be it at a department store or grocery store. Ask the wife- my coupon queen. (She inherited that title from my mother, who was also a serious coupon queen.)
And we're now hustling even more with gas now hitting 3.55 here in beautiful Richmond. My job allows me to talk to people across the country every day and the truckers are telling me it will be $4 nationwide soon and then we'll hit $5 by the end of the summer. More and more folks are on their motorcycles and the scooter sales in town have generated a waiting list. Be careful that you don't crash yours into a parked truck or police car like a few have done here recently. Geez. And don't forget your helmet peeps.
Anyho, back to the financial mess. Avoid the foreclosure or the bankruptcy. Cut it off at the pass. Reduce your spending (ASAP) if you're headed into trouble. If that's possible, get some help. Cut your cards up and get some financial counseling. The bankruptcy lawyers are more than happy to take your money to arrange settlements for you. What do they care about your credit? Don't get me started on that.
Avoid the rush to the poorhouse. Sit down with the other adults in your house, look at your bills several times a year, work out a budget and stick to it. Unless you're playing for the NFL or shooting a movie with Spielberg, we should all be doing this. Word.
The big question is usually: How did this happen? Most of us usually know. I see it every day. I see the credit card bills with hundreds and thousands of dollars of charges. That's great if you're paying it off every month, but frequently they're digging a deeper and deeper hole. It eventually catches up to you. Ask my brother, my brother-in-law or my favorite cousin. No names here folks. You know who you are. I love them to death, but they could all use a little lesson in discipline. They all lived well beyond their means, purchasing every little upgrade, every new gadget and every new electronic toy the day it came out. Cha-ching, cha-ching.
I can't tell you how many people I run into every day who would prefer to lose their house than lose their credit card. Is that right? Isn't it your castle, your sanctuary? Your piece of real estate is your most important possession and should be guarded wisely. I'm not talking about the Colt and the ADT, although ain't nothing wrong with that. (Sorry you S&W fans.)
I'm proud to say I don't live the life of an innovator. I sometimes shop at Goodwill, do my share of eBay (buying and selling) and love to find a bargain- be it at a department store or grocery store. Ask the wife- my coupon queen. (She inherited that title from my mother, who was also a serious coupon queen.)
And we're now hustling even more with gas now hitting 3.55 here in beautiful Richmond. My job allows me to talk to people across the country every day and the truckers are telling me it will be $4 nationwide soon and then we'll hit $5 by the end of the summer. More and more folks are on their motorcycles and the scooter sales in town have generated a waiting list. Be careful that you don't crash yours into a parked truck or police car like a few have done here recently. Geez. And don't forget your helmet peeps.
Anyho, back to the financial mess. Avoid the foreclosure or the bankruptcy. Cut it off at the pass. Reduce your spending (ASAP) if you're headed into trouble. If that's possible, get some help. Cut your cards up and get some financial counseling. The bankruptcy lawyers are more than happy to take your money to arrange settlements for you. What do they care about your credit? Don't get me started on that.
Avoid the rush to the poorhouse. Sit down with the other adults in your house, look at your bills several times a year, work out a budget and stick to it. Unless you're playing for the NFL or shooting a movie with Spielberg, we should all be doing this. Word.
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