Credit Cards @ MindSay 
money
There are credit card specialists who are versed in all things credit, and won't rip you off. The first thing is to get educated about credit. Then, check through a few FAQ pages and articles about how to get good credit. Next thing you need to do is obtain your rating and make a decision as to your plan of action. There are so many ways you can do things. Consolidation, budget plans, or just plain calling someone who can work things out on your behalf with their fees taken from your monthly payment. I don't do money up front for things like this. Show me you work, then we can talk about payment.
I have linked you to good information about credit repair. I was reading through some of the articles and found out things I had not considered in my journey to good credit. Take a look and see if you learn something, too.
Another thing that interested me in the process is the advice on how to prevent credit fraud. Reading online, and dealing with a company that monitors your credit all the time puts my mind at ease. It's good to keep your knowledge up about credit issues, since everything seems to be run through or by your credit. Did you know that even your car insurance rates are in part dictated by your credit? I don't know how exactly they calculate it, but I know that it has a part in your rates. Crazy, no? Take a look at your credit report sometime and see just who is checking your credit. You may be surprised.
David Brooks, NYTimes - The Great Seduction
(I don't always agree with Brooks, but he certainly gets me thinking)
The people who created this country built a moral structure around money. The Puritan legacy inhibited luxury and self-indulgence. Benjamin Franklin spread a practical gospel that emphasized hard work, temperance and frugality. Millions of parents, preachers, newspaper editors and teachers expounded the message. ...
Over the past 30 years, much of that has been shredded. The social norms and institutions that encouraged frugality and spending what you earn have been undermined. The institutions that encourage debt and living for the moment have been strengthened. ...
The deterioration of financial mores has meant two things. First, it’s meant an explosion of debt that inhibits social mobility and ruins lives. ... Second, the transformation has led to a stark financial polarization. On the one hand, there is what the report calls the investor class. It has tax-deferred savings plans, as well as an army of financial advisers. On the other hand, there is the lottery class, people with little access to 401(k)’s or financial planning but plenty of access to payday lenders, credit cards and lottery agents.
The loosening of financial inhibition has meant more options for the well-educated but more temptation and chaos for the most vulnerable. Social norms, the invisible threads that guide behavior, have deteriorated. ...
The agents of destruction are many. State governments have played a role. They aggressively hawk their lottery products, which some people call a tax on stupidity. ... Payday lenders have also played a role. ... Credit card companies have played a role. ... Fifty-six percent of students in their final year of college carry four or more credit cards.
Congress and the White House have played a role. The nation’s leaders have always had an incentive to shove costs ... onto the backs of future generations. It’s only now become respectable to do so. ...
The list could go on. But the report ... also has some recommendations. First, raise public consciousness about debt the way the anti-smoking activists did with their campaign. Second, create institutions that encourage thrift.
Foundations and churches could issue short-term loans to cut into the payday lenders’ business. Public and private programs could give the poor and middle class access to financial planners. Usury laws could be enforced and strengthened. Colleges could reduce credit card advertising on campus. KidSave accounts would encourage savings from a young age. The tax code should ... do more to encourage savings up and down the income ladder.
There are dozens of things that could be done. But the most important is to shift values. Franklin made it prestigious to embrace certain bourgeois virtues. Now it’s socially acceptable to undermine those virtues. It’s considered normal to play the debt game and imagine that decisions made today will have no consequences for the future.
As those who have tried to shop online, rent a car or book a hotel room have found, there's just no getting away without a credit card these days. This can be a big worry for those cardless individuals who have no credit, low credit or just plain bad credit. The good news is CreditCardSearchEngine.com is not only a site to compare credit card rates and benefits, it has Credit Card Applications for every major credit card. This includes Visa, Mastercard, Disover and many others. There are also companies that help an individual build their credit score with low limit credit cards for those with no, low or bad credit. This allows those individuals needing their break to find exactly what they need.
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