Each of us lives only now, in this brief instant. The rest has been lived already. So make the most thoughtful choices you can today that will lead to a better future.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Stop drifting and hoping a magic solution will appear. Instead, you can participate in rescuing yourself. Find peace by pursuing facts through trusted advisers and research rather than the blind trust of salespeople trying to sell you something by almost any means necessary.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Make decisions to deal with your debt with logic and facts, not assumptions, and worry about what other people will think. People who judge you will soon be forgotten. Nobody thinks about anyone that much.
Steve's Thought of the Day
The world is nothing but constant change. Your life is only a perception. Choose a way out of debt based on facts, not assumptions. Do what is best for your future because those that judge you will not feed you.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Do you have a greater responsibility to repair your financial past or your financial present and future? Make good choices that allow you to tackle your debt and immediately start building your emergency fund and saving for retirement. Tomorrow will be here before you know it. Lost time is a sin.
Steve's Thought of the Day
There is no sense in wasting a perfectly good financial mistake. Instead, learn from it and do better moving forward. The past is gone. Turn and face the future now.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Those who judge you for past financial mistakes are not your friends. So don't make choices about your future out of fear of what they may think. Instead, make choices based on truth, fact, and what is best for you moving forward from today.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Don't believe everything you think. Challenge your assumptions about getting out of debt. Do what is best for you, not others.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Is it less moral to file bankruptcy or to not take action that leaves you old, broke, hungry, and dependent on others?
Steve's Thought of the Day
If bankruptcy is so bad, why did our Founding Fathers specifically include it in the U.S. Constitution as protection for financial difficulties?
Steve's Thought of the Day
Maybe it is time to read what the Bible really says about bankruptcy instead of listening to the assumptions of others. Throw out your misperceptions and you'll be fine. (And who is stopping you from throwing them out?) - Marcus Aurelius
Stop listening to people that say bankruptcy is a last resort. It is neither first nor last. It is a tool like credit counseling, debt settlement, and others. For the best result, you need to use the right tool for the job.
Steve's Thought of the Day
People that tell you to avoid bankruptcy want to sell you something else are repeating something they heard or do not know what they are talking about. Get the facts and then make your own decision. Don't let an unskilled script-reading commissioned salesperson make life decisions for you.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Debt problems are like fingerprints. No two are alike. A one-size-fits-all solution will give you a one-size-fits-all result. You deserve better.
Steve's Thought of the Day
You are not your debt. Your value, self-esteem, and existence should not be defined by the money troubles you may be facing right now. Debt problems are solved with proper action, not guilt, self-hatred, and disgust.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Debt is nothing more than math wrapped in emotion. The math is easy, the emotional part leads us to do impulsive things. Not the right thing.
Steve's Thought of the Day
What type of money personality do you have? It is important to know. Take my online test now and discover how you unconsciously deal with money, credit, and debt.
Steve's Thought of the Day
How much retirement savings are you willing to throw away by dealing with your old debt instead of preparing for your financial future? Find how much you will lose by making the wrong choice. Use my online debt repayment calculator now.
Steve's Thought of the Day
Does it make more sense to ask for life-altering debt advice from an unskilled and untrained commissioned salesperson in a call center or an experienced debt coach like Damon Day that provides a customized solution for money troubles?
Steve's Thought of the Day
Throw out your misperceptions and you'll be fine. (And who is stopping you from throwing them out?) - Marcus Aurelius
The operators of a scheme that conned consumers into paying non-existent debts will be permanently banned from the debt collection business and from misleading consumers about debt in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC filed a complaint against Global Asset Financial Services Group, LLC in February, alleging that the operators of the company falsely claimed to be attorneys or affiliated with attorneys to pressure consumers into making payments on debts they did not owe, and threatened to take legal action against consumers if they did not pay.
In addition to being banned from debt collection, debt brokering activities, and misleading consumers, the defendants also will be banned from misrepresenting to consumers whether they are attorneys.
The settlements also include monetary judgments totaling approximately $25.5 million. Most of the judgments are suspended due to the defendants’ inability to pay, except for a $3.1 million judgment against one of the defendants’ companies, Regional Asset Maintenance, LLC. In addition, several of the defendants will have to surrender the contents of their bank accounts.
If the defendants whose monetary judgments have been suspended are found to have lied about their financial condition, the full amount of the judgments would immediately become due.
2 thoughts on “Phantom Debt Collectors Banned From Industry”
I wish I would have found you, Steve Rhode before nearly 3 years ago thinking I was doing the right thing to get out of debt and went with one firm only to be connected to a third party that has left us with the worst credit score by having them NOT PAY our financial credit obligations to our credit card companies, pay them (Gitmeid and Associates) & I’m not done yet! Now I’m looking for Tax Debt Relief Solutions and would love to see if you have any advice you could give me in regards to that mess. Your newsletters beneficial to everyone. Thank you! Heather
I think the lessons learned from your last experience might serve you well now. Rather than look for a shiny firm that does a lot of advertising, why not look for an experienced tax professional that deals with the IRS on a regular basis. One group of professionals that often gets overlooked is Enrolled Agents. “Enrolled Agents (EAs) are federally-licensed tax practitioners who may represent taxpayers before the IRS when it comes to collections, audits and appeals.” It might be worth finding a local EA and discuss your situation with them. Go to https://taxexperts.naea.org/
I wish I would have found you, Steve Rhode before nearly 3 years ago thinking I was doing the right thing to get out of debt and went with one firm only to be connected to a third party that has left us with the worst credit score by having them NOT PAY our financial credit obligations to our credit card companies, pay them (Gitmeid and Associates) & I’m not done yet! Now I’m looking for Tax Debt Relief Solutions and would love to see if you have any advice you could give me in
regards to that mess. Your newsletters beneficial to everyone. Thank you! Heather
Thank you for the kind words Heather.
I think the lessons learned from your last experience might serve you well now. Rather than look for a shiny firm that does a lot of advertising, why not look for an experienced tax professional that deals with the IRS on a regular basis. One group of professionals that often gets overlooked is Enrolled Agents. “Enrolled Agents (EAs) are federally-licensed tax practitioners who may represent taxpayers before the IRS when it comes to collections, audits and appeals.” It might be worth finding a local EA and discuss your situation with them. Go to https://taxexperts.naea.org/