So Much to Say

There is so much to be said about Credit...

I am going to spend time explaining all about Debt, Credit and Money (or lack of it). I am hoping that it will help someone along the way, because there is so much confusing information out there and so many mean people that just don't care. I feel strongly that this is what has caused alot of the economic problems in this country. I really don't know much about blogs, but I'm going to learn so that I can finally voice my opinion to anyone who will listen.

First of All
Let me tell you a little bit about my life and what has happened to me in the past that has led me to this point. I have worked since I was 13 years old, and I'm almost 50 now. I have had several unfortunate mishaps that I will explain that has led me to the world of Credit and Debt. I bought my first house at the age of 17 then on to my second one at the age of 28. I bought that house on land contract, with 2 attorneys, and a clear title. Well, let me tell you what a nightmare that was: I made $1200 a month payments through a real estate company for 2 years and I had done several thousand dollars in repairs and updates on the home. After all of my efforts I received a letter from the county court system asking me to vacate the property. I made several calls, the first one to the bank that held the original mortgage, only to find out that the people that I bought the house from went through a divorce and stopped making the payments to the bank, keeping the money that I had paid them. The bank foreclosed on them, leaving me homeless with 3 children and alot less money. So I learned the housing do's and don'ts the hard way. Not to mention that they put this on my credit report as an foreclosure. I ended up researching all of this and found out that they were including me because I had an interest in this home. I quickly learned how to deal with Credit Reporting Agencies.
Then I was at work doing my job as a 21 year truck driver(18 wheeler) a few years later, when the next tragedy fell on me. I was permanatly injured in an accident involving another truck. This accident caused me to loose my 21 year career that I loved so much. You can only imagine the amount of debt that I was in at that time. Without going into alot of personal details, I'll tell you that my doctor bills were very high with no insurance of my own, I had to sue Workers' Comp for them. But I had debt like charge cards, payments, and the real American Dream. Man, was I screwed. I truly thought that all was lost for me until one day I got up and dusted myself off and starting working with my head and not my hands.
I want anyone reading this to understand that they can fix their credit and fix their debt. I plan on making this my mission; helping others to learn from my mistakes and my reasearch.
There are so many rules and so much information out there but I am going to try to put as much out on this blog as I can, or anyone can contact me and I'll try to help them or I'll find someone who can if I can't. I am not an attorney, therefore I cannot give legal advice, but I can give legal information.

Second of All

Dedication and Discipline are the key to surviving debt. Time and Persistance is the key to Credit. Once you find out the rules, you'll learn how to play the game. The Federal Trade Commission has all of the rules that govern and dictate standards. Once you have gotten familar with the rules then you can play their game against them. Before you set out to make changes you should know what is on your credit report. There are many ways to get one for free, but, anyone trying to repair their credit, should join a credit monitoring place. This allows you to have access 24/7/365 to your information. You can view Credit Monitoring at my website: BetterCreditNetwork.com. This is probably the most important aspect of Credit Repair. Once you enroll, you need to check for errors: Name, Address, SS#, Date of Birth, Employer, and Creditors. If you have a printer, print a copy that you can write on and make changes and notes. Then you'll have to call them to make changes to your name or personal information. Then you proceed to the Creditors: Remember the old saying "Deny Deny Deny" well the same applies here "Dispute, Dispute, Dispute" Whenever you dispute something on your report they have to send it to the creditor for verification, then the creditor has 45 days to verify it and return it to the reporting agency. If for any reason they miss the deadline or they can't find your file, they have to delete it from your report. Just imagine that you owe Sears about $7000 and they call you through a collection agency all the time. One day after years of this torment you decide to dispute it, and they don't respond within 45 days, the reporting agency will take it off instantly, Whala! You just saved $7000. Now don't get confused, legally you still owe this money, and they have 7 years to try to collect it. There are limitations to that law as well, depending on what state you live in. Any time that you get confused, such as when they file a judgement against you for the money plus fees, it is a good idea to seek legal counsel. The worst thing you can do is nothing! Depending on the amount of debt, sometimes it is a good idea to get debt counseling from an expert. Remember those creditors can be ruthless, they don't care about you or your present condition. Once you get your creditors and your credit report cleaned up, it is time to start rebuilding a new credit history. Which leads to :

Third

I have always said that companies target the unfortunate. And just to prove my point: If you are just starting out or starting over, you will pay more. If you go to the store in town that is the least expensive you'll see that the prices may be cheaper but the package sizes are smaller or they are a generic brand and usually doesn't taste as good. Once you figure this out you start shopping at a different store and spending a little more but getting better quality. Same rule apply here. It is a simple process to get your credit back, but it takes time sometimes. First, there are credit card companies that realize that there are people starting out or starting over. Anyone can get Credit, it may not be the perfect card or exactly what you want, but it will get you started. Sometimes you'll have to pay a fee or higher APR's. For example: You may get approved for a $300 limit and before you ever use the card you owe $180-200. If you make your payments on time every time, they will recognize this and raise your limit. If you continue to maintain your standings they may lower your APR.
Another way to start out is to get a secured credit card that reports your data to the credit reporting agencies. In time, other creditors see this and start offering you credit without being secured. If you only use your new credit for needed items instead of wanted items you'll notice a difference in the way you pay it back. So use self discipline and before you know it, you'll have a higher credit score and more credit.

Last but not Least

I sure hope that I helped someone! But like everyting else in life, there is more... I will update and put more information on this blog periodocally. In the meantime, I have 2 websites available for more information and products:
http://www.bettercreditnetwork.com/
http://www.thecreditcardmarket.com/