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
Question: Dear Steve, My son’s student loans are now due through Sallie Mae (not federally funded). Seven loans totaling just under $40,000.00. The interest rate for each loan varies from 7.25% to 9.625%. We are looking to consolidate into one loan with one monthly payment. We have received a lot of mail offers and wonder … Read more
Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a proposed order to resolve its allegations that Performance SLC, a student loan debt relief business, and Performance Settlement, a general debt-settlement company, along with their owner and CEO, Daniel Crenshaw, engaged in wrongful fee-charging practices and deceptive telemarketing. Performance SLC unlawfully collected upfront payments from borrowers … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I graduated from college in 1998, and my loans have been in and out of forbearance (mostly forbearance), just accruing more and more interest. Thanks for sharing the information on the latest Dept. of Education announcement regarding forbearance steering relief. So, in theory, if someone has loans in both repayment and forbearance … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I have eight private student loans past the statute of limitations, which fell off my credit report, with interest combined to over $200,000 debt value. One loan, the largest loan in my account, has been forgiven by Navient, which I recently learned via email. I wanted to share this email with you, … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I am a 100% T&P disabled veteran and eligible to discharge my federal loans if they were under my name. My family’s federal student loans were consolidated under my wife’s name, partly because I was in a bad way, and I was unable to help with the process. My wife and I … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, My 42-year-old son has two student loans totaling approx $9000. He’s currently serving a 10-year minimum sentence in Carson City, NV, in a state facility, not federal. He has approx five years left in prison. He wants to get a college degree while he’s in prison. I’ve contacted the Dept of Education … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I have been making my student loan (IBR) payments during the forbearance period believing that I was still employed part-time and not in grave need. I know the principle has been reduced during this time, but, frankly, my student loan of over $125,000 will be there until I am 90 years old, … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I took student loans out just over 20 years ago-earned little money since- I was always encouraged to go into forbearance instead of a contingent or IBR – on social security and so now only 856 monthly- my loans are 35000 versus 14000 borrowed-I am in IBR now for last couple years. … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I have an education loan I took out in 2003, which was initially about 85,000 and is now about 120,000. But unfortunately, I cannot afford the monthly payments, and it is a private loan. I have tried to maintain it out of default for years with Income-based plans, deferments, etc. I recently … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I originally borrowed a lot of private loan money from Sallie Mae (7 different loans). Unfortunately, they all defaulted once I decided to stop paying (because my minimum/interest-only/salary-based payments did nothing). I paid a company to help me get collection companies to validate the debts, which they couldn’t, so I was never … Read more