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Posts Tagged ‘Philip Tirone’

Will My Wages Be Garnished?

Will My Wages Be GarnishedDuring this time of economic turmoil debtors in distress find themselves wondering: Will my wages be garnished? In deciding how to handle mounting debt, consumers should know that it is a very possible reality.

Garnishment occurs after a creditor or debt collector has obtained a judgment against you in court for the money you owe. To make sure that you pay that judgment, the court orders your employer to pay a certain portion of your wages (sometimes as much as 25 percent) directly to your creditor every payday until your debt is paid in full. For people facing financial hardship, this can turn a bad situation into an even worse nightmare.

If your employer does not already know about your embarrassing debt problems, he will once garnishment is ordered. And making matters worse, most people cannot afford to have 25 percent of their wages garnished.

To stop wage garnishment from happening to you, do not ignore phone calls or notices you receive in the mail. Instead be proactive about dealing with the problem before you are subject to court garnishment orders. To do this, you will need to call the creditor or collector and try to work out a payment plan. Take creditor threats to sue you seriously; failure do so can result in not wondering, “Will my Wages be Garnished,” but actually experiencing it!

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Do Gift Cards Expire?

Gift Card, Gift CertificateIf you are still carrying around gift cards you received this Christmas, you may be wondering, Do gift cards expire? It varies from state to state, but in many states, they can and will eventually expire. For that and other reasons, it is best to use quickly.

Unfortunately, as much as $5 billion in gift card balances will go unspent this year, potentially resulting in a windfall to the merchants who sell the cards. Although the rules vary, depending on where you live and what type of card you have, the safest course is to use the balance of the gift card or gift certificate within a year from its issuance.

Now is a particularly good time to take advantage. Many retailers have slashed prices in the wake of a Christmas season, and a struggling economy might mean even more motivation to move inventory. If you don’t enjoy shopping, check to see if you can use your gift card online.

If you really cannot see yourself using that your card, within a year, check out resale sites like plasticjungle.com, giftcardrescue.com, or swapagift.com. Plasticjungle.com, for example, allows you to sell your cards with a minimum value of $25 for up to 85 percent of the balance, exchange them for credits at other websites, like Amazon.com, or donate them to charity.

So do not forget about that gift card eating a hole in your wallet. Take advantage of sales, shop online, or exchange it for cash because yes, gift cards do expire in some states.

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Fidelity 529 Saving Plan Fees

Philip Tirone, Fidelity 529 Saving Plan, 529 Fees, Credit

If you look at the small print, 529 Saving Plan Fees are not cheap, however, Fidelity just announced that they are cutting their 529 Saving Plan Fees by 50% in certain states.  Yes, 50%!

These state include, New Hampshire, California, Massachusetts, Delaware, and Arizona. Vanguard and Upromise, which manage plans in New York and Colorado, have also cut fees, as has TIAA-CREF, which manages Vermont plan.

Keep in mind, over the long term, it’s not about investing at the right time, it’s about “investing consistently.”

If you have children, talk to your financial advisor about Fidelity’s 529 Saving Plan Fees, and see if this, or another 529 Saving Plan could be the fit for you and your family.  Let’s make 2010, our best year ever!

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Department Store Credit Cards That Are Easy to Get

Philip Tirone, Department Store Credit Cards That Are Easy to Get, Credit

Department store credit cards are typically easy to get as there is no income verification.  However, there is a federal proposal requiring department stores to get the income information before a credit card could be awarded.

Now, this could help people who abuse the credit system, however this is a nightmare for the rest of America who use department store credit cards strategically.    Practically, this law makes absolutely no sense – who carries around their paycheck stub or W-2 on a daily basis?

I’ve always maintained that department store credit cards are not good for a person’s finances or their credit score.   However, there are times when a responsible person buying  a big ticket item can save 10-20% by applying for a department store credit card - and that can add up to a lot of money.

Who knows if this new law will pass and there will no longer be department store credit cards that are easy to get, but once again, I sometimes wonder how we have elected the politicians that make absolutely no sense in their actions.

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Federal Government Salary Increase for 2010

Philip Tirone, Federal Government Salary Increase 2010, CreditThe Federal Government Salary Increase for 2010 is in, and I’m speechless…. What world does the government live in?  Surely not ours!!!

Let me start with this statistic…. The average federal employee has a salary of $71,206. The average private sector employee makes nearly $31K less at $40,331.  Does this sound fair to you?

According to USA Today, the number of federal workers whose salaries equaled or exceeded $100,000 jumped by 5 percent during the recession.  A five percent jump!  So, while the rest of the world is cutting back, the government is giving themselves salary increases.

“When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000,” USA Today reported.

The hypocrisy of this Federal Government Salary Increase for 2010, comes after 7.3 million people have lost their jobs!  How about showing a little restraint?   Does this make anyone else frustrated?  If so, tell me about it below.

www.NoToSacramento.org

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Raising Your Credit Score Quickly

Philip Tirone, Raising Your Credit Score Quickly, Macy’s Credit Cards

I always get asked, what is the key to Raising My Credit Score Quickly?    I understand why the “quickly” is such an important part of the question.  See – getting denied credit is embarrassing!  Read my story….

Two weeks ago I was in Macy’s buying my wife a Christmas Gift, I was in line, and there were six people behind me.  The total bill was over $700, and if I applied for a Macy’s Credit Card, I could save $140.  I thought to myself…. “I have perfect credit, and I can save $140 for applying for a Macy’s Credit Card, let’s do it!”

I filled out the application, and I could practically feel the breath of the people behind me, in fact, I could hear the voices in their mind saying… “What is he applying for a Macy’s credit card for?  We are too busy!”  Actually, that is probably what I would have been saying as well.

After waiting for the instant approval, the lady told me, “You have not been instantly approved for our Macy’s Credit Card; you need to wait a few minutes, please have a seat.”

“What!”  I thought to myself.  “How can this be?”  I felt like telling them, “I’ve written a book on credit, I have perfect credit.”  In other words, “Accept me!”  As I was sitting next to the cash register hoping and praying that everything was going to turn out for the best, I could barely face the people that were behind me.  Under their breath I could picture them saying things like, “You deserve to be denied this credit card for holding us up!”

Let me tell you, it was the most stressful and embarrassing five minutes of my 2009!  Now I know why people ask me, what is the key to Raising Your Credit Score Quickly?”  That is what I’ll help you do this year, along with a few other things… let’s make 2010 our best year ever.  If you have a story like this, almost getting denied credit, or getting denied credit?  Share it with me below, we can bond together over our frustrations.

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Would you trust Britney Spears or the California Legislature?

Check out the results from the first question of the poll!  Who do you think Californian’s trust more? 

Numerous sites have already picked it up, including FlashReport (a popular weblog on California politics). Read  their post on our poll results:  http://www.flashreport.org/blog0a.php?postID=2009121412393604&post_offsetP=0&authID=2006111814370225\

Please share this with your friends and encourage them to sign the petition at www.NoToSacramento.org!

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Are you a Father with a Daughter? Then, you will appreciate this….

As many of you know, I have three kids, all less than four years apart. My wife Lily is a true super star.

So I went to my daughter’s preschool to read to read to her class. As all the kids gathered around, instead of my daughter sitting with her classmates, she wanted  to crawl up next to my leg and sit there.

While I was reading, I didn’t even realize what was happening until I saw this picture my wife took:

Philip with the daughter

Isn’t  this the most precious picture you have ever seen?  It melts my heart…  I’m the luckiest man alive.

She didn’t want to watch “Dad” read…. she wanted to just be close to “Dad.”

Tell me what this picture says to you….

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A New Face for Credit Card Privacy Notices

Blog_ContractsTruth be told, we all throw those fine-print privacy notices in the trash, right? After all, who has time to read them? And who can understand them anyway?

Good news! Those hard-to-read, legalese, fine-print notices from credit card companies, banks, and other financial institutions might be a thing of the past. Federal agencies are pushing a user-friendly form that uses large print, common language, and a ton of tables and graphs that illustrate cause and effect. Though the forms are not mandatory, banks and other financial institutions might opt to embrace them as a means of polishing their tarnished reputations. One step forward for consumer-activist groups!

Tell me your credit card horror story below. What didn’t you know that you think they “should have” told you or should have been more “clear” about?

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This Season’s Hot Toy – A Sign of the Recession

In years past, retailers couldn’t stock their shelves fast enough with Guitar Hero, the music video game that retailed for $150 to $200. Ebay sellers made a fortune at Christmas time selling the sought-after video game for twice, even three times its retail price.

The recession might be taking a toll on $200 games. The hottest toy this year for youngsters is a $7.99 fake hamster called a “Zhu Zhu Pet.”

And once again, retailers cannot stock their shelves with enough of this year’s hottest toy to meet demand. So eBay sellers are again having a field day, selling the item online for $35, nearly four times the retail value. 

If you are lucky enough to see a Zhu Zhu Pet at Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart, Target, or another retail outlet, grab it immediately! In fact, grab a few. If you don’t have any relatives or friends on the lookout for these hot toys, you can finance your own holiday shopping list by joining the world of online auctions, selling them for a fat profit on eBay!

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