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Saturday, November 25, 2006
Roger Schlesinger :: Townhall.com Columnist
Bad credit is a way of life -- It shouldn't be!
by Roger Schlesinger
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Will Congress pass Obamacare by the end of the year?

The battle to keep your credit in tip-top shape isn't easy, especially for young people.

The billions or maybe trillions of dollars being spent in advertising to show you how easy it is to live today and worry about it tomorrow trumps a lot of people's resistance. The credit card companies didn't get as big as they are by accident. They know how to push your buttons and they do!

Now back to the problem: poor credit. Poor credit affects you in so many ways because it limits the alternatives you have when money is short and problems aren't. There isn't one simple formula that will work for everyone. My critics will tell you that all you need to do is quit spending unless you have the cash, but they obviously haven't been there when your child is sick and needs medicine that you can't afford. They weren't there when you lost your job and your hope at the same time. They do not know what the constant phone calls can do to your psyche.

Sit down and make a real list of your bills, leaving nothing off. The list should include the amount and the monthly minimum payment. Now list all your income leaving nothing off including any financial help from your parents, friends or relatives. Now get a real idea of what your house is worth. Now you have the entire puzzle and you can start to figure it out.

“Seek help” is not a saying, it is part of the solution.

For those who have never been in financial trouble, the above sounds infantile. It isn't, because the hardest thing you have to do is face the truth, uncover the mess and then try to solve it. Not part of it, but all of it.

The missing ingredient to recovery is the need to include reserves in the formula, as it will not work without reserves. Why, because the first problem that arises will trigger the old solution. Once you have reserves, your chances of recovery are ten times greater than without them. They must be a part of the plan.

What I have written today is not a happy subject, but it can be. Take action and it will be.

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About The Author

Roger Schlesinger's Mortgage Minute is heard on hundreds of radio stations and daily on the Hugh Hewitt radio show and Michael Medved shows. Roger interacts with his hosts and explores the complicated financial markets in order to enlighten his listeners and direct them along their own unique road to financial freedom.

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DON'T PAT ATTENTION TO Rustyguns
And leave your equity in your house where it belongs. For most people it is the only nest egg they will ever have established for the future.

If you have run up outrageous credit card debt such as the ones mentioned above in the column, then and only then would it be advisable to to pull out your equity and pay the credit cards off. But... keep in mind that statics show that people who refinance to consolidate debt, dip in to their hard earned equity, maybe payoff their debt or a portion of it, but almost overwhelmingly because of spending habits find themselves in the same position in a few short years later. And usually the only thing different this time around is that their mortgage payment is higher because they increased the amount of their mortgage when they took out any equity that they once had.

hntr admin
http://wwwheadsneedtoroll.org

Due Date Creep
The major reason for credit card debt being so high and the increasing number of personal bankruptcies is "Due Date Creep". Let me make a brief comparison. When I obtained my 1st credit card in 1970, the statement issue date might be the 1st, 12th, or 17th, or End-of-Month (of January), but the Due Date would be the Same date the Next month (of February). The Grace Period began on this Due Date and ended on the Due Date of the 2nd-Next month (of March), so a customer had an Issue period of 28-31 days to pay ON TIME (the current calendar month to pay), then if not paid, an extended Grace Period of 28-31 days before the Credit Reporting Agencies were notified of a 60-Day Late status on the account. THEY-The credit card Companies issue credit on these criteria: your monthly-annualized earnings and your past payment history. By monthly-annualized earnings it is assumed THEY Bill customers each calendar month, and They do. However, Now THEY might issue a statement on the 1st but The Due Date may be the 25th of the Same month , & some THEY companies have moved the Due Date forward to the 20th day of the Same Month of the Statement Issue Date, this is euphemistically called a Grace Period. It is a FRAUD by the Credit Card Companies to base Credit terms upon false criteria, or to collect payment on any other terms, than those which are stated and are common. A calendar month is 28-31 days- a fact which is based upon verified scientific astronomical data. Every person is paid and bases their personal budgets upon a 28-31 day natural cycle. Payrolls are paid either: weekly, bi-weekly, once monthly(with periodic draws), bi-monthly on the 1st & 15th, or 15th and EOM. In all these methods if may be shown that persons do not have access to their entire monthly budget until the 28th day of every succeeding payroll period. Examples: Bi-weekly Payroll; Paid every 14 days, twice monthly = 28 days. Weekly Payroll; Paid every 7 days 4X monthly = 28 days. Bi=monthly payroll; in February- the 15th and 28th = 28 days, in February (of Leap Year only)- the 15th and 29th= 29 days- April, June, September, November- the 15th and 30th= 30 days. All other months each year- 15th and 31st= 31 days. However, the Credit Crad Companies are jumping into every persons pocket on the 25th or 20th day of the payroll cycle, before the person has access to their entire budget. This is an effective rate of collection of 14 billing statements per year, not what we bargained for in applying for credit or is it being solicited to take credit. Do the math: 25DaysPerCycle/365 = 14.6 effective statement collection cycles per year --- 20DaysPerCycle/365 = 18.25 effective statement collection cycles per year. This means it is necessary to borrow from these same Credit Card Companies to insure On Time payments every billing cycle, and if not then Late Charges & elevated interest rates. But the most insidious is using Late payments on other accounts as a bases for elevating interest on accounts even if not ever Late. Shouldn't who, when, and what amount you pay a creditor be a private budget decision and between you and that particular creditor? The US Constitution under the power to standardize weights and measures (ARTI,Sec8) must standardize the measure of the lenght of a month for business purposes.
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