Archive for April, 2011

Inheriting Debt: What You Need to Know

Posted by Tyler Cox On April - 28 - 2011 0 Comment

When a loved one passes on, financial burden can increase the family’s hardship and suffering. With so many life expenses ranging from mortgages to car loans to credit card debt, student loans, and everything in between, it’s a common worry to think about the future of large debts and whether or not that debt is inherited. Before worrying too much over inheriting debt, it is important to understand what actually happens when a loved one passes on and leaves a large debt behind.

So what happens when someone with a large amount of credit card debt dies? Is the debt left behind for their families or surviving spouse to pay off? Is the debt forgiven? Is it settled somehow, along with the funeral arrangements?

The answer is, it really depends.

“Whether you inherit debt or not depends on the state you are in ,” says Assistant Professor Mitzi Lauderdale from the Undergraduate Program Director in the Division of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University.

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Ice Flow in Edmonton’s River Valley

Posted by Aaron Myers On April - 27 - 2011 0 Comment

I was out for a bike ride yesterday and was mesmerized by the ice chunks flowing down the North Saskatchewan River. I shot this video on my iphone from the pedestrian bridge under the Anthony Henday near Cameron Heights. The pillars holding up the bridge sure take a beating!

Customers of Bank of America Corp. may experience a massive increase in credit card penalties, according to an announcement made by a company spokeswoman on Tuesday. The spokesperson said the major card issuer plans to hike penalty interest rates to as much as 30 percent for customers who miss payments in the coming months.

Bank Increases Penalty Rate to Compensate for Lost Revenue

In order to compensate for a large decline in revenue so far in 2011, Bank of America is making changes that could have a huge effect on its customers. Starting June 25, the bank will begin charging a penalty rate of as much as 29.9 percent for customers who make late payments on their credit card balances, the company spokeswoman recently confirmed.

The bank reportedly saw a decline in revenue to $5.6 billion in the first quarter of 2011. Th

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Americans’ Attitude Toward Debt — Before 2008

Posted by Tyler Cox On April - 25 - 2011 0 Comment

  Here’s one gift that I received from the recession: A profound fear of excessive debt. Before the financial crisis hit in 2008, I cared more about molding my life into what I thought it should be than about building a secure foundation for the future.     I thought nothing of paying for grocery bills with my credit card so that I could “afford” the rent in a tiny shared apartment in New York, and I came dangerously close to signing up for $60k in student loans so that I could hang a fancy graduate degree on my threadbare wall.   It wasn’t until I was seriously shaken by the Great Recession that I began to reassess my rocky relationship with debt. Nothing is worth a lifetime of restricted choices and unremitting financial fear. But the psychology that leads a person to accumulate excessive debt so that they can live a life more closely aligned with what they imagined is easy to understand.    A new study that is set to appear in the Journal of Consumer Research in December came to a similar conclusion. The study pro Full Article…

Tags: 2008

How an Excellent Credit Score Can Save You Thousands

Posted by Aaron Myers On April - 22 - 2011 0 Comment

As I have mentioned several times lately, I just moved back to New Mexico from California. My rent and the majority of my expenses are a fraction of what they were prior to my move back here, but there is one expense that just went up I needed a new vehicle. See, New Mexico is the land of dirt roads, arroyos, beaten paths, and trailblazing; it is not the land of nicely paved roads. Sure, the highways are fine, but around any town or city the roads are barely paved and often just rutted dirt paths. A MINI Cooper S, the car I had in California, doesn’t cut it here because it is so low to the ground that there are places in town that I couldn’t go to. Thus it had to go for that reason and one other, which is my plan to hit the road later this year with a camper being pulled behind my car. The MINI wouldn’t pull a camper too well, I am afraid. So wh

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The Importance of Building Business Credit

Posted by Tyler Cox On April - 21 - 2011 0 Comment

Countless small business credit card offers are just waiting for the next business account to open. You may have even received these specialized small business offers in the mail. Building business credit can be very important for the future of your company. Just like a good personal credit history, a strong business credit history shows your creditworthiness and also gives credence to your business as a legitimate company.

When you have your own company, you may have to juggle business credit cards, business lines of credit, and small business loans to keep your company moving forward. Your credit behavior with these forms of borrowing for business can help you to build strong business credit if you play your cards right. One thing to remember when working to build corporate credit is the importance of separating your personal credit and spending from your business credit and spending.

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Whether through excitement or oversight, credit-worthy consumers can be denied credit through errors on the applications. People can present responsibility by not only applying for 0% credit cards only when they have the means for repayment but also by presenting an error-free application.

Words
People should spell each word correctly. Remembering spelling rules, such as ‘I before E except after C’ prevents confusion and aggravation. Whether manually completing an application or using an electronic form online, always ensure that each word is spelled correctly.

Make sure that the address designation is correct. Full Article…