The bathroom was not really shabby, but it had gone unchanged for a few years, and the tiles looked a little old-fashioned, so the easy solution was to run down to the giant DIY hypermarket and pick out a whole new bathroom, and with just a couple of signatures on a contract the new bathroom of your dreams was installed.

Unfortunately for many hundreds of thousands of people the good financial times are over and it  is a huge struggle to again achieve financial freedom, which means that you are not drowning in multiple debts that you had not noticed you had been slowly acquiring while times were good,

The best way to get back on the road to financial stability is to seek out debt solutions that can achieve your aim of removing the never-ending interest payments that seem to appear through the letterbox each and every day.

It is possible to deal with the debts yourself by contacting companies and laying yourself at their mercy. But realistically seeking professional help is the only long-term viable solution to truly cleaning up your debt situation.

A qualified debt professional will be able to counsel you as to exactly what your situation means and what are, and are not, the financial options available to you in order to clear your debt in a reasonable time period, at a rate that you can actually afford to pay.

A debt counsellor has built up long-term relationships with every high street bank, credit card company, DIY credit provider, and car finance house. They are in a position to talk to these companies on an equal and professional footing.

They can use their skills to clearly layout the financial realities of your situation and put forward proposals for payments that you can afford and the company can live with.

You may think that a company would have no reason to reduce the rate of interest payable, and cannot imagine why they would accept that you would pay back less than you actually borrowed in the first place.

But the truth is they will almost certainly do this, the reason is pretty simple, it is far better economically to have you paying back some of the money that you owe, rather than paying a debt collection agency to chase you, as well as paying all lawyers to attend court on their behalf, only to end up with possibly less than the debt counsellor is now proposing that you pay.

Once they have negotiated new terms on each and every one of your debts the total amount that you owe, the rate of interest, and the length of time that you have to pay off your debts will all have been moved to your advantage, giving you time to once again achieve the financial freedom you once took for granted.

Small finance companies have been setting up operations in every major city, often in lower income areas, and have made a lot of money by offering  short term financial products that come with high interest rates, such as payday loans, cash advance loans, and loans on car titles. Be very careful in dealing with these companies, more often than not the terms are stacked against you and you would likely be able to get a better rate somewhere else.

This can also be true for companies that provide loans online. Some companies that offer loans online are simply another arm of a respected bank or credit union, but there are also a number of finance companies online that you should stay far away from. Make sure to read reviews of what a bank of finance company’s customers say about them before taking out a loan with a company. Your best bet is to find a few companies that you already know and respect and see if they offer online options if you want to get a loan online.

Another option that is becoming increasingly popular is peer to peer lending. Prosper Marketplace and Lending Club allow borrowers to place loan listings online, then individual investors can choose to partially fund those loans and take the interest that you pay on your loan as their rate of return. Peer to peer lending companies essentially take the bank and the profits that banks take out of the picture, resulting in a better rate for borrowers and sometimes a better rate for investors.

If you’re looking to get a loan, make sure that you can easily handle the payments and make sure to consider the total cost of the loan rather than the monthly payments. Also make sure you are signing up with a reputable company online and make sure that you’re getting the best rate and terms.

One option that is becoming increasingly popular is peer-to-peer lending sites, such as Prosper Marketplace and Lending Club, which allow borrowers to take loans from individuals that are hoping to lend out money and get a rate of return on what they’re borrowing. These websites are often limited to those borrowers that have good credit, so if you have a credit score below 700, you’ll probably have to look elsewhere.

There are also a number of online finance companies that will make personal loans for borrowers. Each company offers their own variations of loans, with different interest rates and different lengths of loans, so make sure to find a company that offers a loan that offers terms that work for you. Some companies specialize in offering short-term emergency cash loans and others offer long term loans which range between 3 and 7 years.

There is not really a loan search engine similar to how one might find the best deal on hotels, so you will have to apply to a different companies online and take the best deal that you can get. Fortunately for credit score purposes, if you apply for a number of loans in a short period of time, it will only show as one new credit application on your credit info report, which will not damage your score in any meaningful way.

When taking out a personal loan, you should also make sure that the company you are borrowing from is reputable. Before signing up with a company, do research on the business and search for complaints about the company online. If you find a lot of their customers posting that they had a negative experience with the company, its best to search elsewhere.

Over the last 4000 years, bankers have had quite a bit of time to improve their trade. Now the financial services companies such as banks and investment firms are some of the most profitable businesses in the United States. Of course there’s a lot of competition for your business, so banks have to give out a number of perks and high interest bank rates to get new whatever new account you are looking for, whether it be a checking account, 6 month CD, or a savings account, but they have to make up that money from somewhere. Quite often banks will make use of some less than honest business practices in order to separate you from your money. Be sure to know what they are so that you don’t get trapped by them and have to write a check to the school of life.

Many banks have begun using what’s called a two-cycle billing process for credit cards. Here’s how it works. Let’s say you borrow $100 on a credit card. You pay $50 on it the first month, and $50 on it the second month, and pay it off. On the third month, you have a zero balance, but the bank still charges you a finance charge! This is because with two-cycle billing, they use the average balance of the last two cycles to calculate the amount of interest you pay. So in this case, you would still be paying interest on $25, even though your account was wholly paid off. Discover’s credit card line is perhaps the most notorious making use of this shady business practice.

When you are banking online, more often than not your bank will show you what’s called an available balance. Allegedly, this is the most accurate picture of how much money the bank thinks you have today. This is all well and good, but sometimes that number is a bit less than honest. Many online banks add the amount of overdraft protection you have on top of the available balance. So if you had $500 in your checking account, and $500 in overdraft protection, you would see an “available balance” of $1000. This will cause people to think that they have more money than they actually do. They spend the money they think they have and end up pay un-necessary overdraft protection fees

When banks offer Visa debit cards, they often claim to offer the exact same protection as your Visa credit card. This is not the case. If someone were to steal your Visa credit card, you can easily have all of the money refunded. When someone steals your Visa debit card, you can have all of the money that was in the account refunded, but there’s a catch. If they steal your debit card, chances are they are going to cause several overdrafts giving you hundreds of dollars in NSF fees. Visa isn’t under any obligation to pay for these things if your card is stolen. If your bank doesn’t want to cooperate and waive them, you’ll get stuck paying them.

It doesn’t end there. Quite often your bank will send you a check in the mail for ten dollars or so and on the back of the check, there’s a little note that says if you sign this check and deposit it, you are automatically enrolled into some sort of credit protection or other optional program. If you don’t pay close attention, and a lot of people don’t, you could find yourself paying $10 a month for some service you probably don’t need.

These are just a few examples of the many things that banks will do to separate you from your money. They are completely legal, but very deceptive. Watch out, and always read the fine print.

Late this year or early next, you will be able to upgrade your home appliances, furnaces and air conditioners and receive a generous rebate for doing so. Like Cash for Clunkers, this program is being established to help both consumers and an economy which continues to struggle through a recovery period. In addition, the program will also improve our environment by offering rebates only on energy efficient appliances. Consumers can get ready to go green and stimulate the economy at the same time.

Retailers and makers of appliances, heating systems and cooling systems have been struggling over the last few years. Sales have seen double digit drops two years in a row, the worst in industry history. The government is hopeful that this program will increase sales for these retailers and appliance makers and boost the economy at the same time.

Cash for Appliances, while federal government funded, will be controlled by each individual state. Three hundred million dollars have been set aside for this stimulus program, and the money will be distributed to each state sometime near the end of November. Each state will get an allotment of money for their individual program based on their population. This will average out to about $1.00 per person.

Right now, your state is coming up with its own plan on how the rebates will work. Each individual state will determine what will qualify for a rebate and what that rebate might be. Once a plan is in place it then has to be approved before moving forward. All state plans must stipulate that rebates can only be given out for appliances that are Energy Star Sealed. The general thought, at this time, is that consumers will most likely see rebates between $50 and $200 per item.

Consumers who take advantage of this program will also benefit with lower energy bills. Energy efficient appliances are said to use up to 30% less energy than their counterparts. Over a year’s time this can add up to a significant amount of savings for homeowners and renters alike. It is the government’s hope that consumers will put that savings back into the economy.

As we near the end of the year, be on the lookout for your state’s Cash for Appliance Plan. If you are interested in taking advantage of this stimulus offering, you will want to be ready. Once the money in your state is gone- so will the rebates available to you.

This is a good time of year to take advantage of credit card offers, particularly if you’ve got reasonably good credit.  Want to make money off the credit card companies?  Just consider it revenge for all the people out there who are struggling to pay extremely high interest on their credit card accounts and are barely keeping their heads above water.

Here’s what you do:  First, look for a credit card that’s offering a 0% promotion for twelve months.  You’re looking for a specific offer that includes 0% interest on cash advances for twelve months.  These are not as common as credit cards offering 0% interest on new purchases or balance transfers, but they do exist.

Once you find it, apply!  While you’re waiting for your card or cash advance checks to come in the mail, you’ll want to find a high interest savings account that you will use to deposit your cahs advance in for twelve months to earn as much interest as possible.

 Consider:

• Ing Direct 12 month CD 2.50% APY
• Capital One Direct Banking 6 month CD 2.6% APY
• E*Trade online savings account 2.4% APY

When your cash advance is available, deposit as much as you’re allowed to take out into the high interest earning account of your choice, and leave it there for twelve months.  Just make the minimum payment each month on the credit card (as you aren’t paying interest on it anyway).  At the end of twelve months, you pay back the remaining balance on your credit card cash advance and the rest is what you’ve earned!  Making money on credit card lenders money… what could be better than that?

To give you an idea, if you invested $5,000 for twelve months, at 3% interest, you would have $5,256 at the end of the year.  So you earned over $250 on someone elses money!  Then, you can simply look for the next credit card offering the 0% interest offer on cash advances and do it all over again!  Leave your earned $256 in the account along with your next cash advance deposit, and you’ll earn a little more because of the higher deposit.

Create a Budget

The “B” word is never a good word for individuals experiencing tough times financially.  Even though it’s a dreaded word, the fact is – if you’re having trouble keeping up with your living expenses, a budget is the answer to your prayers.

When you know how much money you have coming in each month, and how much money you have to pay out each month, you can accurately plan what to do with each of your paychecks.  If you pay $800 a month in rent, you know you should set aside $200 each week to cover rent when it comes due.

If you find that your expenses are greater than your income – you  need to get a second job, work overtime, or find ways to decrease your living expenses drastically to ensure you are earning enough to pay your bills and living expenses.  This is probably what lead you to borrow from a payday loan in the first place.

Decrease Expenses to Pay Loan

Be committed to paying off that payday loan.  If it means canceling your cable television service or downgrading your cable from 600 channels to 30 channels for a few months – so be it!   In all of your expensive categories, look for ways to reduce what you are spending.  Whenever you are able to save money, send that money immediately to the payday loan.  These additional payments will chip away at the loan and help you pay it off faster (therefore saving interest and finance fees).

Plan for the Future To Avoid Payday Loans

As soon as you’ve paid off your payday loan, you need to figure out how to manage without relying on them.  While they might feel like a quick fix to an immediate problem, the fact is the interest and fees end up costing you so much money in the long run and putting you in even more financial difficulty. 

 Set up a savings account for emergencies and set aside a few dollars every single payday.  Even when you don’t think you have enough, put $2 or $3 into the account.  If you save consistently, it will eventually build up and give you some emergency cash to use instead of another payday loan in the future.

There are several ways to assess the reliability of an online loan provider. What you may think doesn’t matter may be the little things you should really be paying attention to and looking at carefully. Here are a few tips for checking out the lenders on the web.

Company Standing

With the convenience of the internet, a quick search can reveal reviews and critiques by fellow consumers who have done business with the company previously. In addition to hearing feedback from strangers, you can also check with family, friends, and the Better Business Bureau to see if anyone has complaints about company service.

Company Website

While it may be a pop-up advertisement that caught your attention in the first place, you definitely don’t want to be inundated with pop-ups while reviewing the website. Make sure that the pages of the company site load quickly and efficiently and that the information content makes sense to you and is complete. Be wary if there are a lot of error messages with page loads or if written information seems incomplete.

Company Privacy

Obviously there will be plenty of your personal information disclosed during a loan application. Check out the privacy policy on the website. A huge red flag should be thrown if there isn’t one on the site. If there is a policy posted, review it for content and sensibility.

Company Profile

Check out the About Us or Profile page of the company on the website. Look for the company history, mission statement, and staff profiles. Not all companies will have the same information but there should be some information that provides you with background information. If not, you have to wonder what the company is hiding and why they are not sharing more about themselves when they expect you to tell them everything about yourself.

Company Application

Many online lenders offer you an initial form or application to complete in order to gauge approval potential. If you feel uncomfortable with the information being asked of you, you probably should trust your gut instincts and look for other loan alternatives.

Company Offers

If you have solicited information from other companies, it is important you read all of the fine print, including the fees, interest rates, and terms. This should be one of the most important pieces of information for making a decision. Compare at least 3 company offers before making a decision. Do not just go with the first company that gives you an approval or you could end up in a financial nightmare.

Company Communications

Once you have made a decision to move forward with the loan process, pay attention to how the company representatives treat you. If it is not easy to reach the company staff or you find it difficult to deal with the employees, you should consider moving on to a different company. After all, you will have to deal with these people for a long period of time and it is your money and personal finances that are affected by the loan so you must take control of the situation.

There are several things to think about before signing a commitment with a realtor. Going with the wrong person or company can end up costing you more money that you ever anticipated. Selecting a realtor will require a little work on your part. It may be necessary to essentially interview several before making a final decision.

Here are some things to look for in a realtor:

Reputation – If you live in a smaller community, it may be a little more cut and dry to evaluate a company on personal reputation. You may have family, friends, or business associates that can recommend someone that is good. You may also have the advantage of knowing who to avoid.

Exposure – If you live in a larger area that may have access to many realty companies, you may have to base your choice on advertising. There may be certain companies that are all over the television, radio, or billboards but it doesn’t mean they are the best. Pick two that are very high profile and two from the phone book and compare them before making a decision. Those companies who can afford large scale advertising may be able to bring more attention to your home quickly with the right resources.

Operation – Evaluate how much commission the realtor will take after the sale. Typically, the realtor is looking for 6-7% of the sale but it may be worth your while to negotiate one or two points lower in order to get more money back in your own pocket. If you must also find a realtor to help get you in a new home, find out if the realtor will give up some more of their commission if you agree to use them to buy a home as well as sell one.

Track Record – Do not be afraid to ask for their statistics. Find out how many homes they have sold that is similar to yours. Ask if they specialize in a certain price range that is similar to yours. Inquire about the amount of homes the realtor currently has under contract at the time.

References – You should also not be afraid to ask for referral names and then make sure you check a few of them out. Check out the realtor’s membership with the local and national realtor associations.

Overall, you want to have a great working relationship with your realtor and personality does matter. Signing a contract will commit you to working with that person or company many times until the house is sold. Read all contracts thoroughly before signing anything and make sure there is a stipulation that allows you to cancel in the event you are not happy with their efforts after a certain period of time. Do not get suckered in to a long term contract and opt for a 3-6 month initial time period. If the realtor will not allow such negotiations, you may want to reconsider your commitment. While it is okay to get some advice on selling your home and setting the price, ultimately the decision should be yours and your realtor should not force you into anything.

One such notable problem that has been in the news lately is the subject of  loan fraud. Uninformed or misinformed consumers have been victims of such fraud al too often and happens during times that should be of celebration, such as when buying a home for the first time.

There are a few things consumers can do to protect themselves during the loan process and even before, to help ensure that they do not become a statistic of fraudulent loans.

1. Contact more than one company to evaluate each of the pros and cons of the loan offer. If a loan company tells you that they are the only company that will give you a loan, walk away immediately. Getting several quotes can help you ensure you are being treated fairly.

2. Be very cautious about revealing too much information about your need for the cash. If a company understands such vulnerabilities, you could be facing an unfair advantage against the loan company.

3. Under no circumstance should you be told to lie or provide misleading information in order to get a loan. It should be a huge red flag if someone asks you to change information concerning your income, cash, or expenses. Walk away from any situation like that, no matter how badly you need the loan.

4. Never let anyone force you into borrowing more money than you are comfortable repaying. When an offer sounds too good to be true, it generally is.

5. Pay close attention to the terms of repayments. Balloon payments and interest only payments should be avoided. It is important you know and understand all of terms of the loan so there are no surprises. This includes repayment terms and all fees and penalties that can be incurred due to a late or missed payment.

6. Never, under any circumstances, sign a loan form or contract that is incomplete or has blank areas on them. Check each page for correct information and read over all documents, no matter how tedious they may seem. If you find any information that is not true, make sure it gets corrected immediately and entirely before proceeding.

7. During closing, make absolutely sure that you are signing exactly what was agreed upon and that additional information has not been added or changed without your consent.