Complex Financing

The nation as a whole has been exposed to a slew of financial lessons after struggling through the recent recession. Credit card debt in particular is a topic that hits home with a lot of families who tend to spend more on credit than they can afford to pay back in cash. Since the recession, there has been a lot of belt-tightening by both consumers and lenders. A priority for staying out of credit card debt is now the top spot on most family financial plans. Lenders are no longer such free spirits when it comes to doling out lines of credit. With credit cards, it is essential to know what is important when handling your plastic.

Here are 5 of the most important tips you need to remember when it comes to credit cards:

You Must Pay Your Credit Card On Time All the Time

One of the major reasons people succumbed to debt with credit cards is due to the fact so many failed to pay on time each month.

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The article “Slow Economy Drives More Patients to Clinics” by Emily Monacelli on etruth.com says that more patients are avoiding their doctor and visiting community health centers instead. This is a direct result of the slowing economy and more uninsured Indiana residents.
Heart City Health Center in Elkart saw over 10,000 patients in 2009 which was up 45% from 2008 according to CEO Vernita Todd. Unfortunately, more patients does not translate to more revenue. Approximately 65% of the clinic’s adult uninsured visitors receive a 90% discount based on their income level.
Many of these patients are unaware of the affordable options available to them and their families such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Healthy Indiana Plan. Many of these people are the working poor and they want to be covered, especially to protect their children but the money just isn’t there. Read more…

I spent most of the weekend inside. I had a few home projects I was working on but found myself in front of the computer quiet a bit. I caught myself on ebay more than a few times for no reason. Do I really need prenatal vitamins? Obviously not. No more than I need anything else I was looking at. I was just shopping because I was bored and had nothing better to do.

If you feel the urge to shop when you don’t need anything. Fight it and save your money. There are lots of other things you can do to fight the feeling. You can go for a walk, put on a movie, call a friend on the phone or do anything else. I know too many people that just take off shopping because they have nothing better to do and spend money they don’t have to spend. You can save money by simply not spending it.

Stop Acting Rich

While at a wedding a few weeks ago I noticed a family member park beside us in his new Porsche Cayenne, on our way my sister said “I hope one day I’ll be as rich as John is, he is loaded!” I started to laugh and asked her how she knows that, “Did you see his car, that car costs at least $65,000.” I just smiled and tried to explain to her that driving an expensive car is not a sign of one’s financial success. For most people cars are a sign of financial well-being, the more expensive the car the wealthier the driver, however there is no data that would support this conclusion. On the Contrary Dr. Thomas J. Stanley has shown us that the real Millionaires do not drive expensive cars. In his new book: Stop Acting Rich: And Start Living Like a Real Millionaire Dr. Stanley dis

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If you’re debating the pros and cons of declaring a personal bankruptcy, you can at least take some solace in knowing that you’re far from alone. The number of U.S. residents who filed for personal bankruptcy rose by nearly a third in 2009, according to statistics released by the National Bankruptcy Research Center. The reason for this increase? It’s no surprise: Housing foreclosures have been at record levels for nearly two years now. The national unemployment rate had climbed past 10 percent, where it hovered as 2010 began. These two negatives have combined to send people into debt. For some, bankruptcy is the only way to get out of this bad financial situation. But b

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