Advice for Consumers Archives - Page 4 of 5

What do you do with that credit report?

Once again, we are tackling the issue of the credit report. We have discussed this many times and yes, we’ll keep talking about it because it’s an important tool in your financial stability and if you’re not careful in watching this, you could be starring down the path of things you never imagined.

Working at various levels of a collection agency for over 20 plus years, I have seen many cases of individuals and businesses for that matter getting into unnecessary situations of adverse credit issues because of human error or criminal activity such as various levels of identity theft. As I have mentioned before on our blog, pulling […]

APR2021-04-03T15:22:10-04:00November 23rd, 2015|Categories: Advice for Businesses, Advice for Consumers|

Do you know what’s in your credit report and why?

I know we have gone over this before but it’s such an important topic that I feel it’s necessary to keep it in front of you. Pulling your credit report is an essential part of securing your financial future. Reviewing your credit in full to see who might have pulled your credit, looking for signs of identity theft and taking quick action to clean up any mistakes are vital to maintaining good credit and a good credit score. How to, Credit Report

You should be checking your credit report on a regular basis to ensure that there are no signs of identity theft and that nothing negative […]

APR2020-11-01T12:34:43-05:00October 27th, 2015|Categories: Advice for Consumers|Tags: Consumer advice, credit reports, How to|

Back to School and the Lessons of Finance

Our kids have now been back to school for several weeks and they are beginning to get in a groove and hopefully, (I say, hopefully…) learn some valuable lessons not only in the books but also in some good life habits.

One of those lessons that your kids and maybe us adults too should be acquainted with is financial literacy. Yeah, your kids may be getting their fair share of math lessons but what are they going to do with that math knowledge as they get older? Hopefully they will use some of it to manage their finances.

As a collection agency, we see many people who […]

APR2020-09-27T11:38:35-04:00September 23rd, 2015|Categories: Advice for Consumers|

Another reason to pick up the phone…

With the advent of caller ID, (which at this point is not so new anymore,) we have as a society trained ourselves to not pick up the phone when an unfamiliar number pops up. In fact, I believe we are all guilty of this.

It comes into play especially when collection agencies are calling. Our instinct is to not pick up the phone and what could be worse, not return the call if a voicemail is left. This could be a bad move for any number of reasons.

One, if you have outstanding debt, you should take care of it and work with the company that is […]

APR2020-09-17T12:28:26-04:00September 21st, 2015|Categories: Advice for Consumers|Tags: correct. Issues, how to. fix, Identity theft|

April Is Financial Literacy Month- Tips To Stay On Track

April has been designated as Financial Literacy Month. It’s designed to help educate anyone on the practical ways in which we all need to manage our finances. It’s also meant to educate those struggling with various issues of debt and how to navigate their responsibility to those they owe money to. In the video with this post, we have a number of tips that can assist a consumer when trying to resolve an issue with a debt collector. It comes straight from one of our veteran collectors and its worth sharing with anyone you know who may need assistance.

As […]

APR2020-09-18T10:17:46-04:00March 27th, 2015|Categories: Advice for Consumers|

Winter Debt Leading to Spring Collection Calls

Recently, I got the opportunity to be a guest on FOX 25 Boston to discuss how winter debt can lead to spring collection calls. Read about our conversation here and watch the video below to hear the full discussion from the Fox 25 segment.

As spring rolls in, so do the bills from winter.

This year due to the polar vortex and a long winter some people are finding that they didn’t budget enough for the extra oil or high heating bills and now they need to prioritize their bills.

If you have fallen behind this winter, your bills may have gone into collection. Here are answers to some of the common questions asked about collection agencies and […]

APR2021-04-03T15:53:00-04:00April 17th, 2014|Categories: Advice for Consumers|Tags: Collection Agencies, collections, Consumer advice, Fox News Boston, Video|

More valuable advice on how to handle a call from a collection agency

On Friday, April 4^th, The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals “ACA” was the sponsor of a two-minute consumer advice segment that aired on 210 Independent, CW and FOX stations from coast to coast. The segment, called The Daily Buzz, reached an estimated 77 million households in 156 media markets nationwide.

The segment goes over again, what consumers can do if they get a call from a collection agency.

To learn more about the segment click on the link below and watch the ACA sponsored segment of The Daily Buzz. There’s some great advice for consumers.

http://www.acainternational.org/images/14197/BuzzTalkSegment.mp4

APR2021-01-04T09:40:11-05:00April 10th, 2014|Categories: Advice for Consumers|Tags: calls, collection agency, Consumer advice, Debt, How to, Video|

Saving for a Vacation

Living in Massachusetts has a lot of perks, including a vacation destination on the east of the state. Cape Cod or ‘the Cape’ as it’s known to the locals, is less than an hour drive from my house. Great perk in the summer when you want to jet down to the beach for the weekend!

Winter on the Cape however is generally pretty desolate, but it’s great if you are looking to spend some time away on a budget. Sure, you wouldn’t want to swim in the ocean but you can take advantage of some great deals the hotels and inns are offering.

Friends of my husband and I called before Christmas asking if we wanted to […]

APR2021-01-31T13:56:04-05:00January 27th, 2014|Categories: Advice for Consumers|Tags: How to, Massachusetts, money saving tips, New year, Planning ahead, saving, vacation|

Make 2014 the Year To Save

Every household’s financial situation is unique, but we all want to see more money in our bank account. For many people saving for the future is second nature, but as simple as this concept may seem, not everyone knows how. Building a nest egg is not a luxury; it’s a necessity even for those who perceive themselves as living paycheck to paycheck.

A great way to start growing your savings is to routinely store a small percentage of your earnings in a separate account and leave it there. Even if you are saving a small amount each week it will grow over time while being excluded from your budget. As time passes you may be surprised […]

APR2021-01-04T08:55:15-05:00January 14th, 2014|Categories: Advice for Consumers|Tags: American Profit recovery, Consumer advice, How to save money, Planning ahead, Savings, year of saving|

Holiday Shopping Survival Tips

Holiday Shopping Survival Tips

With the holidays fast approaching and the Black Friday ads and pre-Black Friday deals coming out in full force, it is EASY to get caught up in the Holiday buying frenzy. A few tips to keep in mind while out about shopping will ensure that you survive through the Holiday Season without getting deep into debt.

Make a Budget and stick to it! How often can this be drilled into our heads? But the truth of the matter is that unless you have a limit in mind and stick to it, you will go over what you can afford and once the Holidays are done, be stuck with worrying on how […]

APR2020-11-01T16:03:38-05:00November 23rd, 2013|Categories: Advice for Consumers|

Connect with Us!

Sign up to Receive Updates

Michigan Office

Massachusetts Office