Friday, April 30, 2010

Save Money Not Having Lunch with Co-Workers by ES Ewen

If you are clipping and using grocery coupons to save on your grocery bills to stay within a budget each month, you know the importance of cutting your spending in other areas, too.



You are most certainly familiar with the routine. The clock on the wall in the office says noon and the usual group of coworkers decide where to have lunch. In many modern offices in cities and towns, where the driving time to the nearest eatery takes up a good portion of the lunch hour, not to mention adding wear and tear to the car and using up gas for the car.



It’s difficult to find a decent lunch for fewer than ten bucks including tip. You swallow your food, share a few laughs with coworkers and run back to the office wishing you could take a nap somewhere.



As you make your way back to your desk, you notice this gal putting away his brown paper bag. She seems calm, happy and ready to get back to work, some of which he apparently did while enjoying his lunch and thinking how delicious it was, the hassle she avoided by eating at she desk, and how much money she saved.



But is the money you save really worth the time and effect needed to prepare and bring your lunch to work each day? Let’s take a few minutes to do the math to see how much money you can save.



For example, let’s say you can fix your own lunch at a cost of about $3.50 a day. It’s probably much cheaper if you are buying in bulk and using grocery coupons. That works out to $17.50 for a five day work week.



And let’s say you spend $10.00 per lunch eating out five day a week, which comes to $50.00 each week, not counting wear and tear on the car and gas money.



The difference comes to $32.50 each week that you are spending on lunch with the gang. That works out to $1,625 a year. Is that money that you could use for something else more essential?



A great way to get started with brown bagging your lunch is to talk people you know who are already doing it. But here are some tips to get you rolling:



Prepare the lunch the night before so you’re not hurried in the morning. You don’t want to be stressed early in the morning over what you will be eating for lunch. Keep the menu simple but be creative and prepare something different everyday, and always think healthy. Simple sandwiches with whole gain breads are fine, but try to include some nuts, at least a serving of fruit or yogurt. Also, brown bag a treat for yourself that you can look forward to, maybe a health bar or your favorite snake.



Keep your brown bag lunches in mind when you are shopping for your groceries, which means planning ahead and buying in bulk. Instead of buying small individual packaged bags something which usually cost more, buy it in large packages and divide up smaller portions and put them in smaller re-sealable plastic bags.



If you don’t like sandwiches or you prefer home cooked meals, plan to cook larger than normal dinners and save some “left over” for lunch either for the next day or the whole week. Put the lunches in individual containers the night before so you can brown bag it and go the next morning.



Even with all the planning, you’re bound to be running late on some mornings or just don’t have time to prepare lunch the night before. There’s nothing wrong with occasionally eating out a can once in awhile. Leave a can of soup or vegetable chili at the office. Most offices have at least a small kitchen with toaster ovens or microwaves that you can use for heating up your soups.



Don’t forget to bring your drink. Don’t rely on the soda venting machines that are also in the office kitchens. You can stock up on a 12-pack of soda for as little as 10 cents a can. Of course, you can always just drink water, which is usually free provided by the office, with your lunch.



Depending on your work load, you may or may not want to have working lunches. That’s up to you. The time is your time and you can use it to catch up on personal emails or just take a break from work. You just may find that you are more relaxed, less hurried and more productive. Don’t be surprised if your coworkers come to you for tips on brown bagging their lunch.



There are lots of good points to brown bagging your lunch: You eat healthier, save time and money, and you’re more productive. Now you have a new task of figuring out where in your budget to allocate the money you saved.


If you are interest in learning how to save money buying your grocery items for your brown bag lunch by using grocery coupons, visit http://www.couponsforgroceriessite.com/, where you will find ideas on where to find free grocery coupons to print from home.


Article Source: Save Money Not Having Lunch with Co-Workers

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Consumers Less Likely To Deal With High Overdraft Fees In Future by CreditReport.com

Even with major revisions having been implemented to the nation's credit card laws earlier this year, consumers haven't seen the last of changes to the ways they use plastic.



One area that has continued to attract attention from government regulators and consumer advocates is the amount that lenders tend to charge for late fees and overdrafts on debit cards. For example, an overdraft fee can often be as high as $39 even if the purchase that triggered it was as small as a few dollars.



In response, the Federal Reserve recently announced a new set of rules that include the requirement that such fees must be proportional to the amount a person actually overdrafts by. Other parts of the proposal would ban inactivity fees, as well as multiple penalty fees for the same violation of account terms.



The Federal Reserve proposals would also contain language directing card companies to evaluate whether a customer merits having their interest rates brought back to a lower level if those rates were increased since January 1, 2009. Lenders would also be required to inform consumers of the reason their rates had gone up.



In response to the changing climate for consumers and credit card companies, Bank of America made an announcement this week that could be a sign of things to come.



According to the financial services giant, as of this summer it will only approve debit card transactions that are covered by a sufficient amount of money in the account at the time of sale. This would essentially allow the company to sidestep the debate over the size of overdraft fees that consumers are charged in such cases.



The company also noted that people will still have the option of overdraft protection by linking to another account.



"We understand that the environment has changed, and we are changing with it," said Bank of America executive Susan Faulkner.



For consumers who have been working hard to build up their credit score and personal finances, the announcement could be a positive sign because it will give them more of a motivation to keep a close eye on their purchasing decisions. The news also comes at a time when a growing number of consumers have been using their debit cards in favor of credit cards with an eye on cutting back on interest charges and the other fees they may be charged.


I am the SEO Specialist at www.creditreport.com


Article Source: Consumers Less Likely To Deal With High Overdraft Fees In Future

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Don''t delay getting debt help by Gil Chasser

Debt has become almost trendy of late, with big business (especially the banks) and even government getting well and truly buried. If you are having problems making ends meet due to debt, this is no longer a cause for any embarrassment or shame ? everyone is at it! The only sin is to ignore the problem, and the only sensible course of action is to get some debt help.



There are a variety of sources of help available. Online, you will find advice websites that can be a good place to start to get some idea of which kind of organisation to approach for debt help, given your personal circumstances and the size of your debt.



Organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau can offer one-to-one help with debt if you are in fairly serious trouble, as well as providing information on debt management strategies that you can implement on your own.



Professional debt management and consolidation companies like Baines


Gil Chasser has recently been looking into debt help and found Baines and Ernst which helped them massively.


Article Source: Don''t delay getting debt help

Monday, April 26, 2010

Making Sure Your Organized Home Stays Organized by Jill B

Making sure that your home stays organized is often the most difficult part of home organization. Because there is constantly more stuff coming into your home, the battle is never ending. And perhaps the even more difficult part is getting everyone else in your home on board with keeping an organized home. So how do you do it? There are two important parts: creating a schedule and getting everyone on board with the schedule.



When you create your schedule, think about the rooms in your home that are problem areas. Is your kitchen constantly a mess? Bathrooms? Home office? Think about what creates the problems in those areas. Are your kids constantly coming home from school and dropping all of their school papers on the kitchen counter? Do you bring the mail home and throw it on the desk in your office and just leave it there to pile up day after day?



Figure out what the problem is for each area. Then you need to figure out a way to address each of these problems in order to have an organized home. Do you need to go through your mail on a daily basis? Do you need to have a time at night when all school papers need to be out of the kitchen? Think about what kind of schedule you need to set up and write it down using a calendar or some kind of reminder system. Either of these is best so you know exactly what needs to be done when.



Getting everyone on board with the schedule means having a family meeting to discuss it. Talk about why it is important. Get input from everyone on how best to implement the schedule. If they do not like the schedule you have come up with, talk about why and get ideas from them about what they think would work better.


If you want to keep an organized home, you will need to get everyone involved in it. And if things are not working, have another family meeting to discuss why. Get more free advice at http://www.YourHomeIsOrganized.com


Article Source: Making Sure Your Organized Home Stays Organized

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Financial Aid Pledges Make College Affordable for Some by Melissa Lee

Many potential students are intimidated by the thought of high tuition costs of private universities compared to their less expensive counterparts in the public educational system. Many Ivy League schools cost tens of thousands of dollars per year and many families are not in the position to afford such expenses.



Before deciding against a particular college, you should see if they have any programs for families who think they cannot afford the substantial tuition costs. Colleges such as Harvard and Princeton do have such programs that can significantly lower the cost to attend their universities. Although they do not offer discount loans themselves, they can let you know what programs you do qualify for. There are income guidelines and cut-offs established by the schools for families with low incomes. For instance, you will only pay $4,800 in tuition if your family makes $60,000 at Duke whereas families who make over $80,000 will have to pay more than $27,000 for the same education.



In order to see if the school of your choice has such a program it is advised to speak with a financial aid representative. He or she will be able to guide you in the right direction and help you decide if their school is affordable for you and your family. Overall, due to the high costs of education, overall attendance at colleges is down significantly, so many schools are flexible and will be willing to work with you in any way possible to fulfill your higher education needs.


http://www.nationalpayday.com/education/payday/payday_today.asp


Article Source: Financial Aid Pledges Make College Affordable for Some

Friday, April 23, 2010

Do You Owe the IRS? Pay Back IRS Taxes with an IRS Debt Settlement Plan by IRS-Tax-Settlement-and-IRS-Tax-Lien-Help

When you Owe the IRS, it̢۪s easy to Pay Back IRS Taxes if you are aware of all of your options. You can get your economic affairs back on track with an IRS Debt-Settlement plan. Though they may not be widespread knowledge, these tax debt relief plans are available to everyone and are provided by the IRS. Below are just a few IRS Debt Settlement programs that can help you Pay what you Owe the IRS when you have Back IRS Taxes.

Non-Disclosure Installment Agreement: This particular option to pay Back IRS Taxes applies only to debts under $25,000, and you must agree to pay the full amount that you Owe the IRS. Under this option, your time period to Pay Back IRS Taxes is set up over a maximum of 60 months but cannot extend further than the collections statute expiration. For example, if you Owe the IRS and there is only 1 month left under the statute of limitations, your term to Pay Back IRS Taxes can be no longer than 1 month.

Interest and penalties continue to accrue during your repayment period with this IRS Debt Settlement plan. You can, however, pay above your installment amount and have that extra payment amount applied directly to the principal you Owe the IRS rather than to the interest. Another benefit of this IRS Debt Settlement Plan is that all assets, income, and expenses (including spending habits) are protected and remain private. Without full financial disclosure, there is reduced paperwork, and your case to Pay Back IRS Taxes can be completed within as little as two weeks.

Partial Pay Installment Agreement: This IRS Debt Settlement agreement can apply to any size debt possible that you could Owe the IRS, unlike the Non-Disclosure Agreement. It does, however, require financial disclosure, and your monthly payment to Pay Back IRS Taxes is based on this disclosure. The three types of plans to this IRS Debt Settlement agreement are:



Affordable Payment Plan: This is aimed at those who Owe the IRS and want an "affordable" monthly payment. Keep in mind that there may be a large difference between what the IRS deems "affordable" and what you deem "affordable."

Affordable Settlement Plan: If you owe Back IRS Taxes but do not qualify for an Offer in Compromise (discussed in detail in the following section), but still want to settle for less than what you Owe the IRS, this IRS Debt Settlement plan may be for you.

Asset Protection Plan: This plan is for individuals that owe Back IRS Taxes and are mostly concerned about the IRS seizing certain assets, such as a house, automobile, retirement funds, etc.



Offer in Compromise: An Offer in Compromise is not an easy option to qualify for when you have Back IRS Taxes. However, if you do qualify when you need to pay Back IRS Taxes, it can potentially reduce your tax debt by tens or evenhundreds of thousands of dollars. If the IRS accepts your offer, you must pay the amount agreed upon within 30 to 90 days of that acceptance and remain 100% compliant for 5 years.

This particular IRS Debt Settlement plan requires full financial disclosure of your assets, income, and expenses. The IRS compares your settlement proposal to their calculations of what you are actually able to pay, based on the financial information you disclosed. This takes into account all assets and equity, even if you're not able to access it. For this reason, unless you are absolutely broke with no chance of being able to pay your Back IRS Taxes, you will not qualify for this IRS Debt Settlement Plan.

If you Owe the IRS, it's important that you are fully informed of your IRS Debt Settlement options to pay Back IRS Taxes. Keep in mind that these are just a few of the payment plans that are accessible to you. Know your rights, be aware of your options, and get out of IRS tax debt now.


Get additional information about IRS Tax Debt? Go to IRS-Tax-Settlement-hq.com


Article Source: Do You Owe the IRS? Pay Back IRS Taxes with an IRS Debt Settlement Plan

Thursday, April 22, 2010

How Would You Define Passive Income by Chris Steiner

Do you know what passive income is? If you aren't sure, or it is a term you haven't heard before, this article can help you understand just what it is and why it is important to your financial future.



Passive income is just what it sounds like. It is income you receive without having to work in an active way to get it. The flip side of this is active income, which is what most people have. The most common active income is the money you get in your paycheck every month, for which you have to trade 40 hours of your time each and every week.



It is important to understand the distinction. Active income stops when you stop working to get it. Your boss is not going to keep paying you if you stop showing up to work. If you sell things to make extra money, that money stops coming in when you stop selling. All active income streams are dependent on your action.



Passive income, on the other hand, does not require ongoing effort. Often, you can do work once and the income will continue to come in for months or even years without you having to do anything except maybe cash the checks.



You may be asking yourself why more people don't have passive income if this is such a great thing. The truth is that many methods of creating passive income require a lot of effort or discipline to create the passive income stream, and unfortunately, most people are not willing or able to get them started.



Many sources of income can be either passive or active, depending on how you set them up. Owning a business is a great example of this. There are several different ways of becoming a business owner, and they are as varied as buying stock in a public company and bootstrapping a start-up business.



If you have money and you are willing to do the research and learning involved in making an intelligent investment, buying stock may be the answer for you. Dividend payments are the company's way of disbursing profits to the owners, which becomes your passive income stream. Any increase in the value of the stock itself is also passive income, though you only receive it when you sell the stock.



Creating your own business is another way to create passive income, but for most business owners this never becomes their reality. It can take a lot of patience and effort to build up a business and hire the right employees and set up the right amount of automation to make it hands off for you as an owner. But if you do so, you can enjoy years of passive income from this source.



Interest payments of all sorts, including from bank deposits, bonds and other financial instruments would also be good examples of passive income. Additionally, royalties and licensing fees provide their owners with another stream of income that is passive.



Another great example of a form of income that is passive is rental income. Especially for property owners who employ management companies, rent payments get deposited into your bank each month without you lifting a finger.


You can even create a passive income stream by creating small businesses online. This can take some effort, but once it is set up and automated, you can continue to make money for quite some time. If you'd like some help in setting up an online business like this, check out http://www.the-make-money-blog.com/.



Article Source: How Would You Define Passive Income

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Three Debt Relief Options For Debt Free Lifestyle by Cornie_Herring

Debt can be snowballed very quickly until it reaches the amount beyond your financial affordability and causes a financial problem, especially when you have many payments to make every month. That's why, debt consolidation is a popular option for people to combine multiple debts into one in order to work their way out of debt. However, debt consolidation is not a solution for all financial problems. You may need a better option to achieve a debt free lifestyle. Following are a few debt relief options, which you may use one or the combination of them to get rid of debt.



Option 1: Get help from a consumer credit counselling service



Consumer credit counselling services help debtors to explore the debt relief options while educating them on how to manage their finance to avoid future debt issues. Once the credit counsellor gets to understand your financial situation, he/she will propose debt solutions according to your financial affordability. Each solution may come with pros and cons, so you have to decide a solution that fits your financial situation with the help from the credit counsellor. By consulting a credit counselling service, you will have a better picture on how your debt is and the potential solutions to get rid of it.



Option 2: Balance transfer credit cards to the card with lower interest rate



Although transfer the balance from one card to another does not help you to get rid of debt, but it can be a way to consolidate multiple high interest rate credit cards' balances to a credit card with lower interest rate, so that you pay less interest on monthly payment. But, beware that all balance transfer offers come with a low interest rate during introductory period. After the period, the interest may jump back to normal rate, or even higher. So, you have to be very careful and only perform the balance transfer if you are able to pay the balance off while you are in the low introductory interest rate. Watch out the balance transfer fees that may cause you pay more.



Option 3: Consider a home equity loan



If you have a home with sufficient equity, you may consider getting a home equity loan to pay off your debt. Since a home equity loan is a type of secured loan, you will be able to get a lower interest rate than an unsecured loan, save you thousands of dollars in term of interest. One negative impact to this option is you are putting your home at risk if you default the loan due to any reason. So, you have to make sure you make the repayment on time until the loan is paid off.



Option 4: Borrow from 401(k) or other retirement plan



You may borrow against your retirement plan/401(k) and use the money to pay off your debt. But, there will be tax penalties for accessing your retirement funds before you reach the retire age. If you don't pay back the loan, the loan amount plus the interest will be deducted from the benefits that will be paid to your beneficiaries. So, make sure you read the fine print about the terms and conditions involved before you apply for it.



Summary



There are many debt relief options that you can use to get a debt free lifestyle. Debt consolidation may not be the best option for you. You should evaluate various options before you come to a decision to select a debt relief solution that best fit your financial situation.


Visit Cornie Herring at http://www.studykiosk.com/CreditBasics/ to explore various debt relief options and learn the best debt relief solution that fits into your financial situation.


Article Source: Three Debt Relief Options For Debt Free Lifestyle

Monday, April 19, 2010

Can A Lifetime Mortgage Help You To Enjoy Your Retirement by equity

What do you have planned for your retirement years? Do you plan to travel? Would you prefer to stay at home and simply relax? Whatever your plans are, retirement takes money and if you have not saved enough, you could have difficulty in meeting even your basic needs. There is hope for you to be able to enjoy those retirement years without the fear of a lack of funding through a lifetime mortgage.



If you were asked to make a list of your most valuable assets, your home would top the list. Many people work a lifetime to own the home of their dreams.



A lifetime mortgage provides a way to have a monthly income that is based on your home's equity. You have grown that equity through payment or your mortgage throughout your working life with inflation having increased the property value over and above the original purchase price. Now you can tap into that equity in order to meet your needs while still living in your home for as long as you want. Lifetime mortgages do not force you to sell the home to meet expenses. Instead the home remains yours for as long as you want. When it is sold, the lifetime mortgage is paid off and the remainder is distributed to either you or your heirs.



As long as you are at least 55 years in age, you can qualify for an equity release mortgage (another term used to describe lifetime mortgages). Any moneythat you release as part of your equity release can be used in any way that you please, because it is your money. There are no ongoing monthly payments, but instead interest is rolled up against the original borrowing, and then repaid when the property is sold.



If you come to your retirement years and find that you need help in completing the payments on your mortgage, a lifetime mortgage will allow you to get the money needed to repay the mortgage balance outstanding so that any ongoing mortgage payments in retirement will cease. Please do bear in mind however that the amount of equity you can release from the property will be dependent on the property value, and the age of the youngest applicant.



As the funds from an equity release scheme can be used for any purpose, they often get used where grandparents want to help a grandchild with a deposit for their first home, or to assist their children with help toward tuition fees for their grandchildren.



Others find that the funds from a lifetime mortgage allow them to take out private health insurance when previously the premiums would have been unaffordable. While this insurance can be expensive, it can provide total peace of mind that cover is in place at a time of life when serious illness is more common.



Lifetime mortgages are not suitable for everyone though as it will reduce the amount of the estate that is left for your heirs. Those with high value properties on the other hand can often benefit from a lifetime mortgage that helps to reduce a capital gains tax liability.



The best solution is to talk to a suitably qualified equity release specialist who will take noteof all your requirements, present and future, and who can then provide you with independent advice so that you are able to reach an informed decison on whether a lifetime mortgage is right for you.


There are many pros and cons to a lifetime mortgage, and so independent advice about all equity release options is essential. Take advantage of free equity release advice, and book a consultation today!


Article Source: Can A Lifetime Mortgage Help You To Enjoy Your Retirement

Sunday, April 18, 2010

4 advantages and 3 disadvantages of debt management plans by Jwattson

You can take help of a debt management plan/program when you’re unable to pay off your debts on your own. At first, you can go for a credit counseling session and the agency will offer a debt management plan or a DMP if simple budgeting tips are not enough to clear your dues. Debt management plans are also offered by debt management companies.



How a debt management plan functions



Debt management plans function in the same way regardless of whether they are offered by a credit counseling agency or a debt management company. In such a program, the agency/company negotiates with your creditors to reduce the interest rates on your outstanding bills/debts. Then, it assesses your financial condition and decides upon a monthly payment plan with which you can repay your multiple dues. The company/agency also gets it approved by your creditors. When you make the agreed upon monthly payment to the agency/company, it distributes the amount amongst your creditors on your behalf.



DMP – Its advantages and disadvantages



Following are some advantages and disadvantages of paying off debts with the help of debt management plans.



Advantages:



1. Stops harassing calls – You can stop harassing creditor/collection calls when you go for a debt management plan.



2. Reduces loan interest rates – The counseling agency or the debt management company negotiates with the creditors to reduce the interest rates on loans so that it becomes easier for you to pay off debts.



3. Monthly payments get reduced – The monthly payments automatically get reduced when the creditors agree to lower down the interest rates on the loans. So, whenever your financial condition permits, you can make extra payments towards reducing the outstanding principal balance. This helps to pay off debts faster.



4. A single monthly payment – A single monthly payments helps to reduce multiple debts/loans. It is also easier to manage a single payment than remembering the due dates of multiple payments.



Disadvantages:



1. Fees for the program – Usually, you need to pay a professional fee to repay your debts with the help of debt management plans.



2. Cannot pay off secured debts – It is not possible to pay off your secured debts (such as, a mortgage loan) with the help of a DMP.



3. Creditors may not accept – The creditors may not agree to the repayment plan as proposed by the counseling agency or the debt management company.



In spite of the disadvantages, you can get relieved from stress when you pay off debts with the help of a DMP. Moreover, by enrolling in debt management plans, you can get tips on how to manage your personal finance in a better way so as to avoid debt problems in future.


Jennifer Wattson is associated with debtquotes.org from the first day. She has immense knowledge and experience in different finance related issues, specially debt management plans. She has enriched us with many quality debt related articles and also writing regularly for debtquotes.org.





Article Source: 4 advantages and 3 disadvantages of debt management plans

Saturday, April 17, 2010

6 Steps to Get rid Off Your Debts by Suzanne Williams

If you have incurred multiple debts and those are creating havoc in your life, you can look out for some options to become debt free.



How to become debt free



You can become debt free if you follow the 6 steps mentioned below:



1. Make a list of your debts: You should prepare a list to find out how much money you really owe. You should include all the debt amounts, even it is for only $100. Then, find a total amount of your debts.



2. Prioritize your creditors: You should make a list of your creditors on the basis of priority of debts owed to them. You should place the creditor with highest interest rate at the top. If two creditors have the same interest rate, then place the creditor with higher repayment amount at the top.



3. Prepare a budget: You need to prepare a financial budget based on your monthly income and expenses. You should save extra money to pay off your debts. You need to cut down expenses on unnecessary things and save extra money.



4. Start paying your creditors: After making the minimum payment to all the creditors, make an extra payment to the creditor at the top of your list. In this way, your first creditor on the list will get repaid faster. As soon as you have paid your first creditor, continue the process with the next one and very soon you will be able to pay off your debts. You can also pay extra amount to pay off the debts with lowest balance, to reduce the number of your unpaid bills.



5. Stop using credit cards: As long as you owe money to your creditors, you should stop using your credit cards. Do not carry credit cards while you are shopping, so that you won't feel tempted to use them.



6. Negotiate with your creditors: You can negotiate with your creditors to get you a lower interest rate, or you can refinance your car or mortgage loan and pay off your credit card bills with that loan first. You can do the negotiation by yourself or can take help of third party professionals.



If you can follow the steps mentioned above with self-discipline and consistency, you can be debt free in a very short time.


Suzanne Williams is a contributing writer of Debtincome. She has sound knowledge in finance and loves to share it by writing financial articles on debt, real estate, debt income etc, for http://www.debtincome.com/. Go through her writings to get information on finance related issues.


Article Source: 6 Steps to Get rid Off Your Debts

Friday, April 16, 2010

Get Results-Write a Dsipute Letter That Works by C R Machado

Are you wondering how exactly to write a dispute letter. What terminology do you use and what is worth disputing on your credit report. Do you file a collection dispute letter if the mark against your credit report is obviously correct? How many times can you dispute items on your credit report?



These are all good questions and I'll answer them so you can be on the road to better credit. And you don't need to hire a company to file a dispute letter. Write a dispute letter yourself and save.



How do I write a dispute letter?



Believe it or not there is no standard format when filing a dispute with the three major credit reporting agencies. The same is true with collection agencies. What you do need to do is construct a typed one page letter with the following information.



Your name, address, and social security number. Include the name of the account you are contesting and an explanation as to why you believe the account is being reported improperly. Sign the letter and include copies of proof of identification. Your social security card, drivers license and a utility bill in your name will be evidence enough. Send COPIES. Not originals.



What terminology do I use?



Simple is the key. Just note the account in question and write your reason for the dispute. An example would be, Sears account no. 123456 is being reported as late. I was never late with that account. Please correct this.



What is worth disputing on my credit report?



The law is very specific in that every dispute received from a consumer about his or her credit file must be verified within thirty days. If the account cannot be verified within that time period, the account must be deleted. If you believe there are errors on your credit report you should dispute them and make the credit reporting agency verify that they are correct according to law. This goes for everything reported in your file. Name, address, job status. Everything that has an error should be disputed. Make them do their job. If you're not sure an item is correct or not, if you do not remember, go on the side of caution and send a credit dispute letter.



How many times can I dispute an item on my credit report?



There is no limit to the number of disputes you are able to file. The credit reporting agency might answer your continued dispute with a letter telling you that you are filing needless claims which they deem to be frivolous. They are within the law to do so if they believe you are writing dispute letters just to make it difficult for them. This is one of the ways credit repair companies use to get items removed from your credit report.



If you have solid proof that an error exists, you should provide proof in the way of a canceled check or other evidence that account has been paid on time or as required. Send copies, not originals.



How long should I wait to see if the account is deleted?



The law gives the credit reporting agencies thirty days to verify the information in your credit file is accurate. If it isn't they have to correct it. If they cannot verify, which means the creditor does not respond to the dispute request, the account by law, must be deleted.



There are some loopholes in this time table you should know about. The main interruption in the thirty day requirement is if you piecemeal information to them. For instance, you write a dispute letter and two weeks later, you decide to dispute something else and maybe file some paperwork you might have just found to support your case.



This will pause the investigation, giving the credit reporting agency more time to complete their investigation. If you don't send to them proof of identity this will also atoll the verification process. Finally, they may not receive the letter you sent to them. Stranger things have happened so you need to protect your rights.



How do I protect my rights?



First, make sure you send everything at once. Don't send a dispute letter and a week later write another letter telling them you suddenly located more evidence of your claim. Send it all at once.



Second, send copies of who you are. Social security card, drivers license and a utility bill. If you don't send copies proving you are who you claim to be, they will pause the investigation and ask for these items. You don't want them to have any more time than what is necessary.



Third, send your dispute letter by certified mail-return receipt. Make them sign for it and when you get the green card back from the Post Office, note the date they received the dispute letter. Count forward thirty days and follow up with a letter telling them you want the account deleted.


Would you like a Credit Repair Program that automatically gets the job done? One that writes dispute letters for you? All you have to do is sign and mail. If so, check out the AVAIL Credit Coach, an online secure credit scoring software. It's affordable and it works.


Article Source: Get Results-Write a Dsipute Letter That Works