People in financial difficulty here in New Jersey often get sued by their creditors to collect their debts. These suits usually lead to judgments because people don’t think they can fight them or try to fight them based on an inability to pay defense and lose.
But sometimes there is a basis to fight a lawsuit, but people don’t know they have it. More and more in this country it has become the practice of creditors to sell their claims to debt buyers in order to get “half a loaf” in terms of money and avoid the hassles of collection efforts. Companies like Midland Funding, LVNV Funding, Cavalry Portfolio, and New Century Financial will pay a fraction of the balance on a huge number of claims and then bring suit to collect for large profits.
If this is happening to you, then you need to consider whether you want to fight any claim they bring. In this episode, I talk about what defenses you may have to a debt buyer lawsuit, and how they can help you.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, so in this episode I talk about this topic and how public awareness has increased, along with the penalties of doing so, as states toughen up their laws. Penalties in New Jersey are now more serious, as third or subsequent offenses can result in a license suspension, and any resulting injury or death of another person can lead to criminal charges!
The organization People Against Distracted Driving (PADD) was formed by Mike Kellenyi after the 2012 death of his daughter, Nikki, to raise public awareness and work towards reducing/eliminating distracted driving in this country. Also as a part of my office’s observation of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, I interviewed Mike Kellenyi to find our what PADD is up to. Find out with me!
People facing foreclosure on their homes and trying to salvage what they can of their credit, or those who are upside down on their homes and looking to get out from under, often turn to a “short sale” as the solution. But a short sale isn’t what most people think it is, and isn’t the “silver bullet” they hope it will be.
In an effort to bring the truth to people, I talked to a local expert on the subject, Lynn Stambaugh, the broker/owner of Cardinal Real Estate Services here in Woodbury. If you are considering a short sale of your home, she is worth a listen, and if you need solutions for an “upside down” home, she is worth talking to.
People in financial difficulty often have low credit scores that prevent them from achieving their financial goals and dreams. So in this episode, I talk about what has to be done to clean up your credit reports and start increasing your FICO score.
Getting a traffic ticket in New Jersey can have consequences beyond just the fines, court costs, surcharges, and even points that may be assessed. As a New Jersey resident and licensed driver, you might also face additional financial problems in the form of increased auto insurance premiums.
These problems could be minor or significant, depending on the violation, but they do play a factor in your decision on whether to plead guilty. If your budget does not have any disposable income after the monthly bills are paid, or you don’t have savings, they can wreak havoc on your plans for a better financial future.
Not surprisingly, the question of “How will this affect my insurance?” is one that I get a lot. So in this episode I interview Dave Strout of Cettei & Connell in Woodbury, New Jersey, to give you a great answer to that question!
Financial freedom often comes from a job or career obtained as a result of a good education. But graduating with enormous student loan debt can stand in the way of that freedom. In this episode, I talk about how to create a smart and affordable financial aid strategy so as to minimize the likelihood of graduating with unmanageable loan debt!
In this episode, I interview Domenic Postorivo of GreenTree Mortgage here in New Jersey on (re)building credit and when you can get a mortgage after filing bankruptcy.
Have you made a new year's resolution to be more financially secure? Then check out these tips to making that resolution a reality!