Clear Debt Solution - Debt Settlement Blog

What is the one goal businesses strive for that proves their honesty, trustworthiness, and reliability when it comes to serving their clients?

Give up?! Okay, I'll tell you...it's being accepted into the Better Business Bureau.

The Better Business Bureau was first established in 1912. They conceived to be an, "ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers c[ould] trust each other." Also stated on their website, "[The] BBB’s mission [was and still] is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. BBB accomplishes this mission by:

* Creating a community of trustworthy businesses
* Setting standards for marketplace trust
* Encouraging and supporting best practices
* Celebrating marketplace role models, and;
* Denouncing substandard marketplace behavior"

So it is no doubt that acceptance from the BBB is extraordinarily rewarding. When any business gains recognition by the BBB, they are also gaining a better way to represent their integrity and confidence. This is partly possibly due to that fact that the BBB is an accredited company whose standards are set high and acceptance into their program can be quite challenging. The BBB also strives on the goal of encouraging honorable and virtuous relationships among consumers and businesses alike. So, when compiling each of these traits together, achieving recognition adds a level of credibility for qualified businesses.

Irrevocably, not only is accreditation by the BBB a huge goal to achieve, but it is also a great honor to be affiliated with and recognized by the Better Business Bureau.

Constantly stressing out? Receiving annoying calls? Feeling buried alive? Wanting to scream?

If you, like myself, have ever felt these things, you’ve more than likely struggled with the shared nightmare of debt.

Of course the thought of debt alone is frightening within itself, but so are the various complications that come with it. Any one individual many have numerous debts and owe multiple different providers. Let’s say for example's sake, any one person may have high balance credit cards, a car loan, a mortgage loan, and student loans. Not only does this individual have to face the frustrations of being in such a financial hardship, they also have to experience the roller coaster of emotions that results from debt. Debt often causes bad credit, which leads to anger, depression, more spending, taking out resentments on loved ones, and many other negative actions.

Getting yourself in too deep hurts more than just your credit score. It hurts relationships, it hurts careers, and it hurts you. Stress from not being able to afford your bills and lifestyle can lead to health issues, both physical and emotional. Stress from debt could also lead to drinking alcohol or taking drugs to ease their worries. And still yet, stress can even be fatal for some people.

So if you ever find yourself walking down a path that leads to any of these complications, get yourself help. There are so many various forms of help that exist to assist with continued good health. For financial distress there are debt consultants; for health problems there are doctors; and for behavioral issues there are counselors to help solve these struggles.

Supposing the proper steps are taken, people will find the clear and healthy road to travel down and steer clear of the dark and ruinous road, that is debt.

When it comes to managing and attempting to eliminate debt, it is imperative to have your best interests in clear sight. If you choose to use a third party to help find financial freedom, be sure to select a reliable company. As this process unfolds, I like to think of it as a game of hide and seek.

If trying to verify a company's trustworthiness, there are a multiple approaches to the game. One plan of action, is to conduct research in order to find hidden treasures. Reflecting this point, I mean that rewards do exist within companies, you just need to seek them out.

One such way to fulfill this need is by telephone. After searching for and finding a company that catches your interest, give them a call. Inquire about their program and what they offer. Ask what the negative and positive aspects of their company are. Also, ask them what makes them any different from other prospective companies and why you should choose them.

Another technique to consider when conducting your research, is to seek information online. The same strategy should be followed as by phone. Enter key words into a search engine, skim across the search results until you find something that catches your eye, and select that company. When and if you've decided on a company to entrust your monetary funds with, make sure that you do a background investigation. By carrying out this game plan, you are one step closer at winning the game.

During this investigation, pay close attention to what companies hide and what they allow to be sought out. The first organization to look into for verification of a company's credibility and trustworthiness is the Better Business Bureau. If any, determine how many negative remarks or complaints a company has against them. From there, move ahead and seek another organization that approves of a company's honesty.

Another organization to consider using is The Association of Settlement Companies. TASC is an accredited company, providing help to consumers looking for companies who transmit ethical behavior to its customers. Being affiliated with TASC is quite an achievement, and it helps guide consumers in the direction they seek.

Don't limit your searching to only these two organizations. There are many different options available that assist each individual situation, so get out there and find your match.

As is any outcome, the ending of a game is never predictable. If the goal of the game is to locate any hidden entity, then the player must use strength and determination to seek out the dependability of their chosen victor. In other words, when learning to trust a company, a consumer must research their choices long and hard enough until they settle on the best company that fits their needs.

Wish you had known then what you know now? Want to turn back the hands of time and undo mistakes you've made? Wondering why you did such and such when you should have known better?

Sure, these are all questions we ask and beat ourselves up about. But what's the use of all the would've, could've, should've's when the outcome will still remain the same after all the anxiety? All the complaining in the world won't change the fact that we messed up and wish we could take something back; but all that resorts from constant regret and worry is further stress without a resolution for the complaint.

Rather than wilting away from negative thinking, change your attitude and seek the help you need to progress in life. Whether you seek the comfort of loved ones, schedule an appointment to see a counselor, or relax into a favorite hobby, channel your negative energy into a positive to lighten your burdens.

My suggestion - start early.

If you are a parent, start teaching your children, while they are young, how to cope with issues surrounding regret. Children are like sponges, as they absorb everything so quickly and retain information so well.

And if you are the adult trying to cope, don't give up because it's slightly more difficult for you to understand these concepts. Keep patient and soon you too will be able to see that harboring constant stress and regret doesn't do anything good for you. If you abide by these simple guidelines, you will be well on your way to leading a less stress filled life.

So, here's to equipping our lives with positive reinforcement and continual understanding of the irreversible.

So, what exactly is credit?

Sure, we all assume credit is borrowing money from a source and using it as our own.

But, isn't there more to it than that?

The answer: Yes.

Wikipedia defines credit as "[O]ne party granting a loan to another party where that second party does not reimburse the first party immediately, thereby generating a debt, and instead arranges either to repay or return those resources of equal value at a later date."

But if this is the definition, is our original hypothesis wrong then?

The answer: Not necessarily.

Let me explain myself. Yes, credit is receiving a loan from another, but there is more to it than that. When you borrow money, you are also borrowing from your credit score. Each time an individual signs up for one form of credit or another, a small amount is taken away from their score. The more credit you withdrawal, the lower the score you end up having. And as most know, having too low a score also has its consequences.

When someone's credit score falls too low they are much less likely to be approved for further debt. Often, low scores prevent people from approval of credit cards, purchasing automobiles, taking out loans, filing for financial aid, refinancing mortgage loans, and so on. I'm not say this is an impossibility, just that it makes the process a bit more challenging.

Another interesting tidbit of information regarding credit occurs when seeking help getting out of debt. A majority of people believe that signing up with a debt relief company ruins your credit, but what they don't know is that it can actually do quit the opposite. Unbeknownst to some, unsecured debt accounts for thirty percent of your credit score. So once you have paid off your debt, your credit report score returns to good standing.

Well, I hope I've at least provided a little solace in your attempts to get back on your financial feet. Just remember, it's not the end of the world and keep moving forward.

Late fees can be defined as accruing monetary penalties, which are placed against the responsible party. In other words, when you pay late fees, you are using your money as collateral to keep your loan.

There are many possible situations where you might face these fees. Late fees are assessed when movie rentals are late, as well as when books are rented from the library and aren't returned on time. These types of late fees typically charge per item, per day. The reason for this is to try to cause the borrowing party to return the items faster since.

On the other spectrum, there are also late fees assigned to past due payments owed to creditors. Possible creditors that people owe repayments to include automobile loans, mortgages loans, student loans, credit cards, etc. These types of late fees typically charge per month and have a higher fee than do rental fees, as the monthly payments are much higher than rentals are.

Yet another scenario where late fees are charged is on a more personal level. If you are late on making payments to landlords, utility companies, or exceed the funds in your bank account, late fees are also applied to these accounts. To some people this scenario might be the worst. Because if and when people are making late payments on these accounts, it usually means that they don’t even have the funds to pay the bills, let alone additional fees for being late.

Of course life would be much easier on everyone if late fees were nonexistent, but since they’re not, we are all stuck in the same game making the same late fee payments.

"Financial education needs to become a part of our national curriculum and scoring systems so that it’s not just the rich kids that learn about money.. it’s all of us." David Bach.

As this quote clearly identifies, understanding the ins and outs of all the fragments that make up financial concepts is a necessity. According to wisegeek.com a finance fee is, "any additional fee added to the original amount of a loan can be called a finance charge. This definition of finance charge includes the interest added to the balance, service fees for transactions, late fees, and balance transfer fees".

Another way to think of finance charges is to pay rent for borrowing the money. If you were to make consistent and on time payments on the borrowed money (account) each month, than you would not be charged that month's rent (finance charge). However, if you missed or were late on a payment, the rent money (finance charge) would be tagged onto your borrowed money (account). So in other words, you are paying to use money and that amount increases each time you miss a payment or are late.