Advice for Consumers

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 […]
  

While reading this article on MSN Money today, I was thinking about how this applies to my life and decisions that I make when I make a purchase.  I know that there is always pressure from society to have the newest and best of everything and I almost fell victim to this idea a few weeks ago.  I had just shattered the screen on my phone and instead of paying the $100 fee to get a refurbished phone from insurance, I decided to go to my phone carrier and look into upgrading my phone. I did my research before going in and knew what phone I wanted.

Upon getting in the store and meeting with the […]

It’s possible that as the summer comes to an end, you’re getting some type of communication from a collection agency. Maybe you went on vacation without checking your bills, maybe you had a pricey summer, or maybe you just had the best summer ever and neglected to go through your mail. You are not alone, according to the CFPB, 30 million consumers are contacted by a collection agency. Whatever the reason, you may be late on a payment, and a bit confused as to why a collection agency is calling you.

Collection agencies are third party companies brought in by a business to collect on late accounts. If you haven’t paid a dentist’s bill, for example, […]

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. We just recently had an employee who was the victim of identity theft, so this stuff happens!  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.

You should be checking your credit report on a regular basis to ensure that there are no signs of identity theft […]