Many consumers are unwilling to take the negative repercussions that come with declaring bankruptcy, instead, choosing to find an alternative option to reconcile the unmanageable debt that has been accumulated.

There are many options available; each is different suited to the different personal finance situations of the individual. Use this guide to determine which option is best for you – when you are just not willing to risk the credit rating that you have spent years developing.

As long as you have income, there are many ways that you can get out debt without declaring bankruptcy. Use these alternatives to preserve your valuable credit rating:

Debt Consolidation Loans

Debt consolidation loans can be used to clear all monthly payments and combine these payments into one smaller, lower interest amount that is spread over a longer period of time. Equity, such as that has developed in a home is a guaranteed way to gain a debt consolidation loan.

Finding a low interest rate can save you hundreds of dollars over the term of loan, and making double payments could mean being debt free sooner. Debt consolidation loans are perfect for those seeking funds for immediate payments to impatient creditors.

Debt Settlements

A simple phone call to the creditor can yield valuable information. Debt settlement occurs when the consumer is unable to repay the loan or the outstanding balance in full and requests a settlement from the company. The creditor often works with the consumer to create a repayment term that works for everyone involved as they would rather receive a portion of the funds due, rather than receiving nothing through the bankruptcy process. Debt settlements are a great way to reduce debt from various creditors.

Debt Counseling

Debt counseling is a free service offered by many government and business organizations that work with the consumer to create a repayment plan and a budget so that the debt becomes manageable. These services are free and effective and can be taken advantage of by consumers willing to make sacrifices within their budget to find all means possible to repay the debt that has been accumulated and avoid filing personal bankruptcy.

Debt Management Services

Debt management services are often the last resort for clients that are seeking an alternative to bankruptcy. For a small monthly fee, a set amount is given to the debt management company and this money is distributed to the various creditors, ensuring that all payments are made on time.

There are many benefits to a debt management company including one smaller monthly payment and the ability for the debt management company to negotiate smaller principals, lower monthly payments and even lower interest rates from the various creditors.

These viable solutions are alternatives to bankruptcy that can preserve the credit rating and allow you to live with a secure financial future that is debt free and clear from bankruptcy.

Image by Mykl Roventine.

Related posts:

1. How to Avoid Bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a last resort for those facing financial difficulties…
2. Four Ways that Bankruptcy can be Avoided Bankruptcy should be seen as a last resort for those…
3. Should I File For Bankruptcy? Bankruptcy has negative effects on the credit rating and can…

Many small business owners think their business can’tbe  boosted without using the broadcast medium for marketing their products. But the fact is, a small business is able to compete with other big companies by adopting an efficient and cost effective printing service to market their products and services. Posters, banners, flyers and some other large format ads are still powerful marketing tools for any sorts of goods if you have selected the right method.

Most of the recent small business printing agencies are applying digital technique which allows them to meet all the requirements of their clients. This technique has a color accuracy of above 95% that is able to give your printing stuffs a long lasting and high quality look that is required by you. With the printing medium, advertising has really become more affordable for small business and even for start up ones to introducing their products and services among mass people.

In this situation, when you are trudging a pile of papers across town ignoring the rain, wind, sleet and snow, in order to acquire a quality printing service at relatively higher price, reconsider using an online printing agency. Whether you need copying and printing services or an entire commercial printing services company, you can get your desired services at affordable price. Moreover, all other personal services that you desire from a local company can be achieved easily from an online printing agency.

An online small business printing company will offer you better and cheaper services than the local guys who may handle lesser volume sales, with higher operating expenses and more tax liabilities. Generally, when you will pick an online printer, you can easily save up to 50% of your printing cost even if you have to consider the shipping cost. In fact, choosing online printers will let you distribute your printed materials to several locations if you want since the shipping cost is unbelievably low.

Resources

Poster Printing at http://www.psprint.com/

The Obama administration has pledged to provide $900 million in aid for rebuilding Gaza.

The money will be given to nongovernmental organizations and will not be given to Hamas, which controls Gaza.

The pledge will be formally announced next week when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to a Gaza donors conference in Egypt. It will include new aid as well as money already earmarked for the Palestinian Authority.

Source here

This week marked Barack Obama’s first month as president — and his first major action as commander-in-chief. He approved seventeen thousand more troops for Afghanistan. The security situation is getting worse. The Taliban has regrouped with support from al-Qaida, which operates from safe refuge along the border with Pakistan.

I, ah… thought we were leaving Iraq/Afghanistan? Guess we’ll go out with a ‘bang’. Among those 17,000, I have quite a few friends going overseas.  Presindent Obama goes on to say:

“I think Afghanistan is still winnable, in the sense of our ability to ensure that it is not a launching pad for attacks against North America. I think it’s still possible for us to stamp out al-Qaida, to make sure that extremism is not expanding but rather is contracting. I think all those goals are still possible, but I think that as a consequence to the war on Iraq, we took our eye off the ball. We have not been as focused as we need to be on all the various steps that are needed in order to deal with Afghanistan.”

About time we go after, excuse me, the real bastards. I just hope we go in there and give our 100%. Get in and get OUT!

It came the same day as the United Nations reported that more than two thousand civilians were killed in Afghanistan last year. That was the most since the American-led invasion in two thousand one that ousted the Taliban government. The number was up forty percent from two thousand seven.

Source here

Bankruptcy has negative effects on the credit rating and can affect the chances of being approved for credit for up to ten years. There are many situations that could contribute to an individual being at risk of filing personal bankruptcy such as an Illness within the family or the loss of a job. Regardless of the reasons for declaring bankruptcy, it is important to realize when you are at risk to increase the alternative options that can be presented.

If you are unsure about filing for bankruptcy, it is important to know that this is the largest choice that will be made through the personal bankruptcy process. It is true that the bankruptcy process can affect the credit rating for up to ten years, but there are methods that can be used to rebuild the credit rating throughout and even after this time period. After ten years, the record will be removed from the credit file.

There are certain debts which are not covered by declaring personal bankruptcy. Educational loans and personal taxes are two of the areas that are not covered by declaring bankruptcy. If the chief debt lies within these areas than bankruptcy may not be the best option to solve these problems. Be sure to speak with a bankruptcy consultant or attorney to determine if the debts lie in the area that is covered by declaring bankruptcy.

When the consumer makes the decision to file for bankruptcy, it is important to realize that any assets that you have accumulated may be at risk due to the bankruptcy process. Are you willing to put your assets at risk through the process of filing for personal bankruptcy? Assets such as homes and vehicles may be sold in the process to finance and fund the outstanding balances that may arise on each of the assets.

Are you facing overwhelming debt that seems to grow on a monthly basis? If you are unable to repay the debt with the income that you have available than often bankruptcy is suggested as an option. Sometimes, situations occur such as a job loss or change in financial situation that cause people to lose the ability to repay the debt that has been accumulated. If you are in this case, than perhaps declaring personal bankruptcy may be the best option.

Bankruptcy is often seen as a last resort, as it should be, the negative effect on the credit rating can last up to a decade and assets that have been worked hard to attain are often lost. It is important to determine the alternatives to declaring bankruptcy. These alternatives include credit counseling or debt management services, or even a debt consolidation loan. These services allow for one monthly payment to one creditor to cover the amounts that are outstanding to various creditors. As an added bonus, these methods are also often able to preserve the credit rating of the individual that is considering filing for bankruptcy.

Image by krossbow.

Related posts:

1. What Does it Really Means to File for Bankruptcy? Most consumers are aware that filing for bankruptcy can affect…
2. How Will Bankruptcy Affect My Credit Rating? Bankruptcy has been hailed the last stop on the road…

This blog is all about overcoming bankruptcy; This blog is all about you taking charge of your life and your situation, deciding on what’s more important for you, your family and your business – filing for bankruptcy or hold on as long as you could.

This blog is about choices – filing for bankruptcy is not the end of the world. It’s a “Hello World!” moment – to let you leave past mistakes behind and start fresh.

So, gather yourself up, and start a journey from bankruptcy decision to life after bankruptcy with this blog as your resources to help you walk the walk smoothly.

Thanks for visiting, and keep visiting, as I will update bankruptcyhelp blog regularly.

“Karma is a b****” doesn’t that hold true for this article?

The billionaire banker accused of scamming $8 billion, R. Allen Stanford, was located by FBI officials today and served with civil papers by the SEC, putting an end to a nationwide search

Shocking… ah, I get it! The rich get richer — so that’s how they do it! Joking aside, more details below.

Earlier this week, the SEC accused Stanford of defrauding 50,000 customers around the world by lying about the return rate on certificates of deposits offered by his firm, Stanford Financial.

Ah, drug money too! Nice.

Federal authorities tell ABC News that in addition to the SEC complaint, Stanford is under investigation in connection with an alleged drug money laundering scheme for Mexico’s Gulf Cartel.

Now everything is being taken away from him. One day he is rich, the next… not so much.

In the meantime, the SEC has begun to seize an array of private property owned by Stanford and his firm.

All gone.

Source here.

There are generally four primary types of bankruptcy filings, but you may not be qualified to file each type. Generally, Chapter 7 Bankruptcies are liquidations where the one’s assets could be sold off to pay the creditors; Chapter 13 Bankruptcies are filed to help you reorganize your debts, and make payments for a certain period of time, usually five years, to a trustee who will then pay your creditors. Chapter 11 and 12 Bankruptcies are not generally for individuals, but for businesses.  Chapter 11 is like a Chapter 13 but with more than a million dollars of secured debt.  Business like Delta file a Chapter 11.  Thought sometimes individual should file Chapter 11 like for example Mike Vick.  Chapter 12 for family farms and fishery.  There are very few Chapter 12 filed in the Atlanta area.   One should consult with an attorney to find out which bankruptcy is right for you. 

Ernst & Park LLC is a firm set up to help people who are having trouble with their debts.  We specialize in Chapter 7 bankruptcies in which the client’s debts will be wiped out, except for certain things like taxes and student loans.  It is best to consulate with an attorney once you start missing payments or you know that there is a strong likelihood in a decrease in income.  Many clients feel relieved after our first meeting because they see the light at the tunnel.  If you would like to set up a consultation at your office in Duluth, GA or Jasper, GA please call at 770-291-2009 or for our Jasper office 706-253-2946 or visit us at www.ernstpark.com.  We are a debt relief agency.

So what do you guys think about the Facebook crisis? What am I talking about? Have you not heard? Well, basically Facebook is changing their privacy policy in a way so that they can sell or give away your personal information for studies or market research.

Has this caused you to stop using Facebook or any service related to it?

Below is a copy of the new “Terms of Service” set forth:

“You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings….

You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.

If you disagree with these changes, you might want to help protest it by clicking here.

The peanut processing company at the heart of a national salmonella outbreak is going out of business.

This was almost inevitable under the circumstances that this company found itself in.  The greed of the corporation executives have led to hundreds of employee without work and with the Georgia peanut industry having to fight off a decrease in peanut usage which could lead to more upheaval in the South Georgia area.  The company was not based in Georgia but in Virginia.   The companies employee will be turned out in one of the worst job markets in the last 20 years.  Many of them will have to file bankruptcy themselves.

Exxon Mobil Corp., the world’s largest oil company, said today its proved reserves rose 0.4 percent last year to the equivalent of 22.8 billion barrels of oil.

What I find amazing about this article is…

Exxon Mobil added 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent to its proved reserves in 2008, enough to sustain current production levels for 15.3 years.

Lower class Americans should be (in my opinion) given a gas credit every month; granting them a full tank.

Gas is not getting cheaper and while on the rise — this economic crises will get worse. But the flip side is that we will get through these difficult times, it’s just enevitable.

As for the job market…

Chief Executive Rex Tillerson plans to boost capital spending by as much as $5 billion this year to expand operations, including the world’s largest collection of refineries, while rivals retrench.

Source here

Disney Online, which is part of Walt Disney Co.’s Disney Interactive Media Group, said Friday that it launched a new Web site featuring videos, action-based games and community features that is geared toward kids and Tween boys.

I admit… I played a few games. Not so fun for an adult but for your child, yes (well — duh, Kevin). All content was created by Disney, so there is no need to fear.

The site, DisneyXD.com, launches on the same day as Disney’s new Disney XD channel, which is focusing on the same audience. The channel and Web site concentrate on themes like adventure, sports and accomplishment.

On a side note, Disney shares fell 20 cents.

Source here

NEW YORK —  The man who was struck by a car, trapped under a van and dragged for nearly 20 miles through New York City streets was identified Thursday as an Ecuadorean immigrant who had turned 26 the day before he was killed.

This story was making me cringe while I was reading it. It doesn’t make any sense… There had to be massive bleeding — including some yelling from the man under the car. I could understand this happening in another city but New York City? Where 75% of the population doesn’t own a car and must walk to work. It’s all unreal…

Guido Salvador Carabajo-Jara was crossing a busy street near his home in Queens when he was hit by an SUV, then impaled by a steel plate on the undercarriage of a van. The body wasn’t discovered until the second driver arrived in Brooklyn about an hour later.

Police identified the victim after investigators spent nearly a day trying to identify the body, which was found largely intact but horribly battered. The man’s heels were shorn off, and his clothes and several layers of skin on his legs and buttocks were worn off.

No identification was found, only a business card, Western Union receipt and broken iPhone. The body was identified by a cousin, said Paul Browne, NYPD deputy commissioner for public information. An autopsy was being performed Thursday to try and determine when the man died.

Police said the gruesome episode was accidental and they have no plans to charge the drivers at this time. Both men have clean driving records.

The story continues here (with further details)