Dear Steve, I’m a 30-year-old married man, 2 children. My wife lost her six-figure-a-year job in real estate. Since then, we have lost two homes to foreclosure, 1 vehicle repossessed, and 15 major credit cards maxed out and not paid for 2 yrs+. Everything is in the collection. We have about $1.2 million in unpaid … Read more
Dear Steve Hi! I am a piano teacher, and due to the bad economy have very few students, even though I am used to having plenty. We just moved because we could no longer afford where we lived. We gave up our house in a deed in lieu of foreclosure. My husband took a cut … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I have an unusual situation, I guess. I have relatively low income due to some health issues, but my brain works. Despite my low income, credit card companies and banks seem to be dying to loan me money. I was even able to get a mortgage and pay it off. Now I … Read more
Why do we use credit cards? It seems like such a basic question, but can you guess the answer? If you said, “Obviously for all the rewards, cash back, and airline miles you can rack up,” well…you’re wrong. “The single biggest reason Americans use credit cards is because they are easier and more convenient than paying … Read more
Credit cards can be good financial tools for the responsible consumer. In this day and age they can also feel absolutely essential since some stores, vendors and even airlines require plastic (though you can use a debit card too). But credit card spending can also lead to debt if not done responsibly. Switching to a cash-only … Read more
In Australia, United States and United Kingdom, credit card use appears much the same. The names are familiar – Amex, MasterCard and Visa are the dominant players in all three markets. But the card issuers responsibilities to consumers aren’t quite equal. While U.K .and U.S. consumer protection schemes have convened into a general code for … Read more
The Future of Credit Cards (via Credit.com)At a recent conference devoted to travel and credit card rewards, executives from Chase, Barclaycard, US Bank, Capital One and American Express were on hand to share their views on the future of credit cards — and there was a broad consensus on where the industry is going in the next few years. Here…
In early December, Carlton Lewis, a former Ph.D. student was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in an identity theft and credit card fraud conspiracy. Throughout the conspiracy, Lewis, who was enrolled as a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia, provided credit and debit card skimming devices to waitresses working in … Read more
An identity thief was sentenced earlier this month to 12 years in prison for managing and east coast credit card fraud ring. Jonathan Oliveras, used counterfeit credit cards encoded with stolen account information up and down the East Coast of the United States and has been sentenced for this crime. In addition to his 12 … Read more
“Would you like to save 10 percent on your purchase today by applying for a retail store credit card?” Does that sound familiar? Just about every major clothing and electronics store has promotion aimed at getting people to sign up for a store-specific credit card. But what you don’t know about retail store credit cards … Read more
Kara Singleton Adams, from Georgia, was found guilty last week on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy, and structuring financial transactions, relating to a $25 million nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme. Already convicted in this scheme are three co-defendants including Adams’ husband, Jason James Eyer, James Adolph Schoenholz, and Brittany Dunphy. All three pleaded guilty to related … Read more
“Dear Damon, Was building a new house.. Went to close on long term loan.. The bank would not give us what it was appraised for. I had to you all saving to not lose the house.. I put the rest on credit cards. I could not keep up with card and all other expenses. I … Read more
Scott wrote to me at GetOutOfDebt.org and asked me the following question. If you have a question you can visit GetOutOfDebt.org and ask for my free help also. “Dear Steve, We have too many bills and not enough money. We owe $30,000 in debt besides my mortgage. We are behind about 1-2 months are most … Read more
Teresa “Dear Steve, I have too many credit cards. Where do I start to get rid of them? Teresa” Dear Teresa, Credit cards don’t magically appear in our wallets or purses. They appear because we have done something or participated in some process to agree to these credit instruments. The first step to get rid … Read more
Opal “Dear Steve, I have two or three credit card that are debt free. Should I close these accounts since I don’t use them and don’t need but one active card? Would it go against my credit to close these? Opal” Dear Opal, As strange as this may sound, with only two or three credit … Read more