Financial guru’s such as Jean Chatzky, Glinda Bridgforth and David Bach provide their plan to help you gain financial independence.

You will be asked to identify how much debt you have, stop unnecessary spending and to track all of your purchases regardless of how much they cost or what they were for.

Oprah’s Debt Diet site also provides spending plan worksheets and financial calculators to help you accomplish your goals.

Source: http://www.oprah.com/money/Debt-Relief-from-Oprahs-Debt-Diet-Action-Plan

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As always, if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics and learn to live debt free!

Care for your finances by making sound choices that will not only help you right now but choices that will guide you to a prosperous financial future. Too often decisions are made that might provide a quick benefit but no real long term solution.

Debt consolidation through a Certified Non Profit Credit Counseling Organization such as Debt Reduction Services Inc. can help set the tone for you to repay all of your debt in full and thus help you avoid the potentially damaging effects of Bankruptcy or taking out one loan to pay another off.

A debt consolidation loan may help you right now, however those loans typically take as much, if not more time to repay than the original debt being consolidated. Thus extending the amount of time it would take you to continue paying on your debt.

A non profit Credit Counseling Organization can typically consolidate your debt by working with your creditors to lower interest rates and stop penalty fees so that you can repay your debt sooner than if you were to continue making minimum monthly payments on your own.

The best way to care for your finances is to do your homework and explore all options thoroughly. You may find that debt consolidation really is in your best interest.

As always, if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

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The CARD (Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act) now prohibits credit card issuing companies from increasing interest rates for one full year from the date the card was first issued.

Lenders must also disclose, well in advance, any fee increases and explain why. Fees for inactivity, and late and over limit fees are facing more restrictions.

With the positive changes it is certain that lenders will be looking to make up for lost revenue.

Watch your statements closely because annual credit card fees are expected to increase and already have begun rising.

Also, interest rates have been inching upward. Keep track of your interest rates and remember to shop around for better rates, especially since new cards can’t up the interest rates for one year.

Another aspect of the CARD act is to help you understand your card and how it works in an easier fashion. You can find out how long it will take to pay your card off through making only the minimum payments and it will be explained in clear detail if you are being charged penalty fees.

As always, if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics and learn to live debt free!

School House Rock, for those of us who might not remember, was an animated series of educational messages about various topics ranging from Multiplication Rock to Computer Rock and has spanned four  decades on television beginning in 1972 and ended in 2000.

New School House Rock releases are exclusive to DVD. The most recent series that focused on environmental concerns and was released in 2009.

Money Rock aired between 1994 and 1996 and focused on personal and government money management topics.

Below are links to each video in the School House Money Rocks series as found on YouTube so you can share them with your children.

Click on the links below to watch each video.

• The Check’s in the Mail
• Dollars and Sense
• Making $7.50 Once a Week
• Tax Man Max
• This for That
• Tyrannosaurus Debt
• Walkin’ on Wall Street
  
• Where the Money Goes

We hope you enjoyed that step in the past and as always, if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics and learn to live debt free!

Smart About Money provides helpful tips and online resources to those needing guidance and advice regarding personal finances.

The site provides information regarding topics such as Major Life Events, Health and Family, Starting Off Right, Major Purchases, Crisis and Emergencies along with a multitude of other resources.

Visit the Smart About Money Site by Clicking Here

More Information about Smart About Money

The National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE®) is an independent, nonprofit foundation committed to educating Americans on a broad range of financial topics and empowering them to make positive and sound decisions to reach their financial goals.  For more than 30 years, NEFE has been providing funding, logistical support, and personal finance expertise to develop a variety of materials and programs, such as the Smart About Money public awareness campaign and this Web site.

Source – http://www.smartaboutmoney.org/WhoWeAre/tabid/407/Default.aspx

As always, if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics and learn to live debt free!

Everyone wants your money…okay, perhaps not everyone, but lets face it, businesses want your money. There are specialists out there that thrive on figuring out how to get you to part with your hard earned dollars regardless if you need what they are selling or not.

Below are some things you can do to keep more of your money.

• Set goals upfront. Determine what is a reasonable amount to save and write it down, or create an excel spreadsheet and track what you are saving. Do your best to keep yourself on track. If you find you can only save a small amount of your income each month try adjusting your budget in order to free up more money to save because every penny counts.
• Some people collect baseball cards, antique bottles…you name it and chances are someone collects it. Try getting yourself in the collecting mentality. View savings as just another way of collecting something. You might find the process more rewarding and gratifying.
• Continue paying a bill once it is paid off, only make that payment to yourself. How rewarding would it be to pay a credit card off and then take that payment and put it in your savings? Not only would you be saving money, you would also be earning interest rather than paying it!
• Evaluate your current budget frequently. I recommend at least twice a month. Doing this will help you identify where you are spending money and where you might be able to cut back and start saving. For example, if you eat out four times a month you might decide to try only two or three times a month and save what you don’t spend.
• Do some research. Are you getting the lowest insurance rates? How about your cable or cell phone bills? In many cases, once your contract terms are up, you may find that your rates are much higher than other services. It goes back to what I said at the beginning. Business want your money and often times carry great promotional deals to gain your business from their competitors. If you switch cell phone carriers and save $30 dollars a month you may find you can easily place that in savings.

Those are a few sure fire tips on saving money. I encourage you to call 1-877-688-3328 to speak to a Certified Credit Counselor for more ideas that specifically relate to your personal situation. As a certified non profit organization Debt Reduction Services offers the call and consultation for free.

Feel free to comment with your money savings tips!

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics and learn to live debt free!

I’ve compiled a list of things you can do to get the most out of your shopping experience and take advantage of the many back to school sale offers.

Organization Matters! – Knowing what is on your child’s school supply list (most schools provide these as a guideline of what is needed during the upcoming year) will not only save you money but it can save you time as well.

Clip Coupons – Search through the Sunday sales ads, scour the internet and do a little homework yourself before heading out. You might find some great deals, especially when buying in bulk, which leads me to our next tip.

Buy in Bulk – Buying pencils, papers, erasers, notepads and other items of frequent use in bulk can save you money in the long term. Ration what you purchase in books throughout the year and if your lucky you might have some supplies left over for next year, plus having enough supplies on hand means less impromptu visits to the store throughout the year when supplies are typically more expensive.

Built to last -  Look for quality items on sale. You can buy cheap pencils, markers or other items and save money upfront but if those items wear out fast you will be replacing them much sooner than you would quality items. Now is the time to take advantage of some top name brands on sale.

Need it now, want it later – Take care of the needs and basics now. If your child wants something, like the next trendy classroom thing, and it isn’t a ‘needs’ item from your list, you can wait before deciding. Some items that look fun might not be accepted in the classroom because they are viewed as distractions. Remember, its okay to ask the teacher if you have any questions.

Feel free to comment with your back to school shopping tips!

Good luck and remember if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics and learn to live debt free!

It was announced recently that the FTC will begin imposing new restrictions on the Debt Settlement practice due to widespread abuse against consumers who were struggling during our recent economic downturn.

A fee may only be charged to a consumer once their debt has been settled, reduced or renegotiated, rather than being charged upfront before any services had been provided or verified. This will go into effect beginning October 27th.

Full disclosure such as any negative consequences, how much it will cost and how long it will take to repay, must be made on the settlement companies part before an agreement is entered on part by the consumer. This is due to the settlement process typically resulting in mounting late fees, over limit fees and interest rates due to the accounts not being paid.

Another rule will be to disallow debt settlement companies from requiring customers to set aside money in a separate savings account managed by the settlement agency. If an account is required it will need to be opened by the customer at a separate banking institution.

Remember, Debt Reduction Services is NOT a debt settlement agency. Debt Reduction Services is a non profit Consumer Credit Counseling organization that places emphasis on education and assisting consumers repay their debt in full in a manageable fashion.

Source – Associated Press (View Full Story Here)

As always, if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics and learn to live debt free!

Click Here to Play Visa’ s Financial Football

Enjoy the game and as we find other resources we will pass them along!

As always, if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics and learn to live debt free!

Visit the USDA SNAP-ed Site by Clicking Here

History of the SNAP-ed Program

The Food Stamp Nutrition Connection was established in 2001, by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service with the goal of helping Food Stamp Nutrition Educators find the tools and information they need to provide quality nutrition education for low-income audiences.

On October 1, 2008 the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection became the SNAP-Ed Connection.

SNAP-Ed Connection is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service and maintained at the National Agricultural Library’s Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) in collaboration with the University of Maryland.

Source – www.http://snap.nal.usda.gov

As always, if you have any questions, would like to discuss your financial challenges, or are just looking for advice, please call us at your convenience. As always, we are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.

1-877-OUT-DEBT (688-3328)

www.DebtReductionServices.org

Debt Reduction Services and the National Financial Education Center

Become a fan and participate in money savings topics. You will be entered into a quarterly prize drawing just for participating!