DebtSmart® Email Newsletter

ISSN 1538-6740
September 21, 2005 Issue 107

Tools for financial success! A Free Email Newsletter from DebtSmart Online and Press One Publishing.

Publisher: Scott Bilker
Editor: Larissa S. Bilker
Assistant Editor: Denise Troy

Cool Quote

"If you talk about it, it's a dream. If you envision it, it's possible. But if you schedule it, it's real."
--Anthony Robbins

Quotes from all previous newsletters

Letter from the Publisher 
by Scott Bilker

Hi,

A few interesting items...

RSS for DebtSmart
DebtSmart® News is now available as RSS (Really Simple Syndication) in XML (Extensible Markup Language). This is a news-feed format in which your newsreader is updated when I update the XML for news. If you use MyYahoo, then you probably have used XML even if you haven't realized it. This is not a replacement for the email newsletter, but a fast method of finding out what's new here at DebtSmart.com

Interest free option
My Kohl's credit card has made an interesting offer. Zero percent on purchases as long as you pay at least 1/3 of your monthly balance. That's pretty cool. As you know, in order to get the grace period on purchases with most cards, you must pay your bill in full each month. This is the first pitch for a less-than-balance-payment approach. We'll see how it goes. Of course, the rate is insane if you don't abide by the details. I posted a PDF of the offer. It looks okay, but please take a look and let me know if you find any catches I missed.

Mission of saving
I'm going to start bringing you more products/services that can potentially save you money. If they won't, don't use them. One of them, for example, is Netflix for movie rentals. A good friend of mine has been using this successfully for years. This is something I might try, as it is cheaper than the Blockbuster Freedom Pass. Plus, I'll save even more by not having to drive back and forth to the store (especially while the gas prices are so high). So, for those of you who currently budget for movie rentals and are paying more elsewhere, you may want to consider their service. 

In other words, the idea here is not to incur new expenses, but rather to save on products and services that are already in your budget.

Regards,
Scott 
PS: If you are interested in advertising with DebtSmart.com, please complete the form here.

No Money when Bill Arrives
by Scott Bilker

Scott,

I find your web site fascinating. I can see that you have helped a lot of people and thought that you might be able to help me.

I get paid twice a month. My first paycheck pays the mortgage and the 2nd pays the rest of my bills. The problem is that I get paid on the 1st and 15th. A lot of my debt is due between the 1st and the 15th. I have no choice but to pay late. Will my creditors change my due date if I ask them to, if not, what else would you suggest?

My FICO score has suffered miserably as you can imagine--leaving me with an HFC loan with a 26% interest rate that I can't get out from under.

Please help.

Regards,
Kay

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"My nose has been stuck in your books!"

Hi Scott!

My nose has been stuck in your books! Not since I read Victor Hugo have I carried a book everywhere I went, and I'm just now returning to the rest of the world, armed and ready for battle. (Your books should be required reading for anyone opening a credit account, if not a prerequisite for high-school graduation.)

I'm about to call Discover to try to get a late fee canceled on my mother's account. Two months ago, she realized--just as the clerk rang up her transaction--that she'd gone over her limit by $6.00. She immediately drove to the nearby Sears and paid cash to bring her account below the limit, but--surprise!--Discover charged the overlimit fee anyway. Since she didn't realize this, her next minimum payment left the balance still over the limit, and she was charged another fee. I'm going to ask to have both fees waived (I'll be glad if they'll waive at least one), and, while I'm talking with Ms. Katy Didd, I'll also ask to have the interest rate reduced and the limit raised.

Thanks.

Kindest regards,
Anne

Read about special offer for all three of Scott Bilker's best-selling books

Household Math™: Painting a house
by Scott Bilker

Dave and Jennifer just got married. They each have a little debt from student loans and decide to earn extra money on the weekends by painting. If it takes Dave 15 hours to paint a house, and it takes Jennifer 10 hours to paint the same house, how long will it take if they both would have worked on it together?

Answer this problem

Featured credit cards can save you money now!
by Scott Bilker

Your best defense against any one bank is to have credit options--to be able to transfer your balance to a lower rate. That's your only real power against high fees. That's how to be DebtSmart®! Make the banks fight for your business! Be sure to add this web page to your favorites list so you can keep applying for new credit when you need it. Which credit card is right for you? Select from the list below and apply online right now!

Choose from the list of featured credit cards

How to save money on your phone service within minutes!
by Scott Bilker

You will save money using this service. I've been using it for a few months now and it has worked perfectly for me! 1.9 cents per minute plus free minutes for signing up! I signed up for $25 and got the free minutes. So the total time I received was 1,578 minutes! That's 1.58 cents per minute!

By the way, when you sign up you get my DebtSmart Loan Calculator FREE (a $9.95 value).

Read more about phone savings

Money Worries?
by Terry Rigg

If you are worrying about your money problems, it's time to STOP IT NOW! Easier said than done, huh.

In my 25 to 30 years working with personal money management problems, I have never seen worry help solve the problem. In fact, it has just the opposite effect.

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Good Credit is Sexy: How to make your credit as attractive as possible
An eBook by Kristy Welsh

Good Credit is Sexy has garnered rave reviews! Listen to what people are saying:

"I just love this book!" - Kathleen Sullivan, Head Librarian, Phoenix Public Libraries.

"Highly recommended." Erskine, radio host, "Erskine Overnight"

You will learn: What it takes to repair flabby credit in record time. How to get rid of junk mail which is not only annoying but makes it easy for thieves to steal your identity. Time-tested methods for getting and staying debt free. Who's most susceptible to credit-damaging identify theft. Why you're wrong if you think divorce papers put an end to joint debts. Why auto-leasing rip-offs are so common. How student loans work and how to handle student loan default.

Included with the book are all the sample letters you will need to get your credit squeaky clean, protect yourself from vulturous creditors, settle your debts with creditors for less than you owe, remove your name from mailing lists, and much, much more!

This eBook is updated on a regular basis so you always have the most current information in the credit world. Whether your credit is good or bad, you need to know about it. It affects your everyday life!

Read more about this eBook

DebtSmart® Help Center 
by Scott Bilker

Hi,

Helping you with your debt is very important to me personally! If you've been reading my articles, you know that I always encourage self-help as a first step. However, being buried in debt can be very overwhelming, which is why you may want to explore other options.

One of those options is professional, ongoing help with credit counselors. I've started to personally check out certain companies so I can recommend the ones that are worth considering!

If you would like to speak with a representative from a...

Read more at the DebtSmart Help Center

How to guarantee a great day every day!
by Chris Widener

I have a standing interview every Monday morning on a radio station in the southeast that I enjoy very much. You can imagine though that it can become routine. So to make it a little more fun, the host nowadays doesn't even tell me the topic before we go live on the air--that puts some excitement into it!

Finish Reading Article

Netflix delivers DVD rentals to your home! 

Try Netflix for FREE! 

Netflix is easy & convenient. Pick from over 40,000 titles. 

No late fees--Keep up to 3 DVDs as long as you want! Shipping is free both ways with prepaid envelopes. Only $9.99 a month.

Click here to try Netflix for FREE!

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DISCLAIMER

The author(s), Press One Publishing, and DebtSmart.com shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this email newsletter and/or at the DebtSmart.com web site. The information, methods and techniques described may not work for you and no recommendation is made to follow the same course of action. Every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of all content contained herein. However, there may be mistakes; typographical, mathematical, or in content. This email newsletter and the DebtSmart.com web site have been created for your entertainment only. You must always seek the proper professional advice before taking any financial or legal action. You have been warned.

Copyright ©2005 Press One Publishing. All rights reserved. Please do not reprint, or host on your web site, without explicit permission. However, if you found this newsletter helpful, we grant you permission, and strongly encourage you, to e-mail it to a business associate or a friend. Thank you.