Financial Counselors

A wonderful article on how to avoid credit card late fees.

Late payments can turn an otherwise normal credit card balance into an unbearable burden.

Some credit cards charge incredibly high amounts as punitive fees when you fail to pay on time. Thus, you should avoid such situations as the road to bankruptcy is a one way path and late payments are the first steps.

You may think it somewhat overstated but the truth is that most people who end up defaulting and ruining their credit score for many years start by missing payments and paying late. Fees pill up, interest rates grow and before you know you can’t even pay the minimum. Believe me when I say, if action is not taken, that’s the beginning of the end.

The advice would be then: Avoid paying late and NEVER miss a payment.

If your financial situation is complicated you may find the following guidelines useful to avoid penalties and bad notes on your credit report that may compromise your ability to get finance in the future:

Don’t just pay, pay in time.

Lawyers have a saying “he who pays wrong, pays twice”. Pay before payment is due, if possible a week before or more. Otherwise, if something comes up you won’t have enough time to solve it and you’ll get penalized.

What you may think justifies your late payment surely doesn’t make it for the credit card issuer. Within your credit card bill you’ll find all the instructions regarding payment. Follow them accurately; pay where you are supposed to pay, how you are supposed to pay and when you are supposed to pay.

Can’t pay full? Always pay the minimum!

If you don’t have money to pay the whole balance, don’t worry. But you should always pay the minimum.

In fact even if you’ll be able to pay more in a week or two, pay the minimum amount required first. You can always add up to it by sending additional payments. As soon as your credit card bill arrives you should have the minimum set aside and you should pay it immediately.

Once you are sure you won’t be charged a late fee, you can always consider paying a higher amount. But you’ll rest assured that no additional fees will be added to your next bill.

Skip-a-payment services

Make sure your credit card issuer offers this service. A Skip a payment service let’s you request a waiver on your payment that month when something unexpected happens and you can’t pay on time or in full.

Use this service wisely as it usually can be used only once a year. So make sure the current situation is really an emergency and you have no other means to solve your problem. Obviously this service has a cost and you’ll have to pay it the following month so ensure that the fee for such a service is not larger than the amount you’ll be saving for not paying late fees.

Change your due date

Finally, if your credit card bill arrives at a time on the month you don’t have enough money to cover it and the due date is just too close to your payment date, just contact your credit card issuer and ask them to move the due date to a more comfortable day on the month so you can be sure you’ll have time to arrange payment if there is any problem.

Bryan Quinn is a financial advisor with more than thirty years of experience in the field of finance who aids people undergoing financial problems and helps them obtain personal loans, home loans, student loans and grants, consolidation loans, car loans and many other financial products regardless of their credit situation. For more smart tips on Credit Cards and Bankruptcy you can visit www.badcreditloanservices.com.

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Financial advising has traditionally been limited to financial matters. But, as one of the premier financial services firms, Ameriprise Financial, has recently announced, “vision and planning are as important as money in achieving retirement fulfillment.” It turns out that many people spend more time planning their vacation than they do planning how they will spend their leisure time in retirement.

Financial planning professionals now offer a more balanced and complete counseling service to their clients and prospects by helping them think through the many possible leisure activities available for their enjoyment. Savvy financial counselors can help people make the difficult retirement decision while aiding in their discovery of fulfilling and rewarding ways to spend their retirement years.

Prior to the 20th century debt was looked upon as evil and only used by people with poor character. Following world war II the use of consumer credit became more common. Today there is a whole generation of people who have grown up using credit cards and our present consumer debt is approaching 900 Billion dollars most of which has accrued through use or misuse of credit cards. Proverbs states correctly that the when it comes to debt the “borrower is the slave of the lender”.

Financial counselors can be really expensive so choose one wisely if youre going this route. Look for a non-profit counselor in your area. Creditors know it can be hard to collect money whether you declare bankruptcy or not. Know that collection agencies take large commissions for collecting and litigation can also be expensive, time consuming and forcing debtors to file for the big ‘B’ doesn’t guarantee recovery of debt anyway.

The counselors are trained to take a proactive approach, to both the clients’ and the creditors’ needs, and try to find a path that will provide solace to both. The certified financial counselors working under these programs have special expertise in debt policies and rules. Hence they work as a link between both the consumer and the creditor. They aim at working for an outcome that would be a debt with lower interest rates.

For the price of a soft drink each day, get 200 online video seminars of the World’s Greatest Experts. Get the success you want… Faster than you ever dreamed!

Informative article on christian financial counselors.

Christian financial counselors help people in investment and financial planning disciplines centered upon biblical principles. As Christians, God has given us seasons for work and rest, planting and harvesting. There is, however, a divine order to this process. Before reaping a harvest, you must plant; before planting, you must plow. In other words, you must prepare both yourself and your soil before you can expect a bountiful harvest.

The NACFC (National Association of Christian Financial Consultants) is one such group of investment professionals committed to investment and financial planning disciplines centered upon Biblical principles. Their mission is to provide educational resources, fellowship support, and Biblical standards for professional investment counselors seeking to integrate Bible-based investing principles within financial counseling practices.

Members of the National Association of Christian Financial Consultants (NACFC) are Christian financial professionals associated through a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, and are committed to both investment and financial planning disciplines centered upon Biblical principles.

If you’re looking for Christian financial counseling and Christian financial counceling and other related terms on the Web, you’ll find great links to Christian financial counselors and counseling businesses. Find out all you can about a particular Christian financial advice company or professional before you commit to becoming a customer. Remember that “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20 ).

Crown Financial Ministries , website www.crown.org. They provide financial counseling for individual, family, church, and business. They are an excellent, established Christian financial organization, with representatives across the country. Their ambitious goal is to share their financial agenda, based on Bible principles, with 300 million people by 2015. This Christian financial organization is non-denominational and resulted from the merging of Christian Financial Concepts and Crown Ministries, two ministries that have been around for more than 20 years.

Praize Christian Finance, website www.praize.com/finance. They offer a large assortment of financial counseling options and strive to teach people Christian principles of frugality and industry. They emphasize the fact that thousands of Bible verses refer to the subject of money - what you do with your money is an important subject to learn about. Christian Financial Ministries (CFM) trains and counsels people using Biblical principles in a non-profit, non-denominational way. CFM formally incorporated in 1991 and is registered with the Better Business Bureau.

Christian Financial Ministries , website www.good-steward.org. They provide a whole bevy of financial counseling for the Christian advice-seeker. Check their website out!

Christian Financial Consultants are debt consolidation specialists, website www.christianfinancialconsultants.com. Their aim is to provide “debt consolidation guided by Christian principles.” This website has many great resources and services, such as debt programs, answers to financial/debt questions, FAQs, etc.

ElderAdo Financial is a professional Christian financial planning firm located in Colorado. ElderAdo offers excellent financial advice to help you achieve your personal financial goals and can work with you on an individual basis.

We wish you God’s blessings as you search for the best possible Christian financial counsel for you.

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Article on certified financial counselors.

A financial counselors mission is to empower you to regain control of your finances through education and counseling in order to become financially stable for the future. Through counseling process professionally trained and certified financial counselors will help you evaluate your current financial situation and provide you with a detailed review of your income, assets and expenses.

Upon this in-depth look at your financial situation, they will develop and present to you a number of options, and the appropriate solutions based on your individual goals and financial situation. In some cases, a Debt Management Program may be your best option but they will explain all options to you thoroughly. If they are unable to provide a workable solution and additional assistance is needed, they will provide you with the referrals and the tools necessary to get the help you need.

How to become a Certified Financial Counselors?

In life, there are two types of learning. We either learn about something – or we learn to do something.

The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is one of the places where you can get the necessary training to become a certified financial counselor (CFC). CUNA self-study learning is a simple, affordable way to strengthen current abilities and enhance opportunities for advancement. Courses are provided in print and/or online formats. For proven results, exams are offered for every course.

For the price of a soft drink each day, get 200 online video seminars of the World’s Greatest Experts. Get the success you want… Faster than you ever dreamed!

Great information on the financial counselors of America.

Almost everybody around us and including us happens to be in debt and some are in real big mess. What these people need are good financial counselors to help them come out of the rut. The Financial Counselors of America is one such organisation which helps people to reduce debt and prevent future financial debt and credit problems through financial education and ongoing individual counseling. They will show you all your options to help you to make the best and most informed decision about your financial situation.

Their mission is to assist individuals in breaking their dependency on debt, reducing bankruptcy filings, and to help them enrich their lives and achieve financial independence. They have a team of counselors, with advanced financial degrees, that are dedicated to teaching consumers how to learn to help themselves financially.

Services

1. Debt Consolidation & Counseling
2. Student Loan Counseling
3. Auto Counseling
4. Rental/Mortgage Counseling
5. Taxes

Home Buyer Education Program

Owning a home of your own can be a wonderful experience (if you properly plan). You have probably heard horror stories of someone’s unfortunate happenings with a purchase because they did not plan or did not know any better. Buying a home is a huge step and you should prepare for buying a home even before you begin shopping. Completing the Home Buyer Education Program and getting your finances in order are important first steps. Once you have a clear understanding of credit, finances, budgeting, and a spending plan, you are well on your way to purchasing your new home.

The Home Buyer Education Program will help you to determine if you are ready to purchase a home, how much you can afford, what type of house you are looking for, help in understanding the mortgage and closing process as well as many other housing related matters that will help you to make informed decisions, while successfully becoming a proud homeowner.

They are a non-profit corporation approved by HUD and Fannie Mae as a housing counseling agency. Through their counseling programs, they assist many individuals and families to become home owners. For their on-going counseling, budget and positive credit assistance, they have a one-time set up fee (that may be tax-deductible - please check with a tax specialist).

So what are you waiting for, visit the Financial Counselors of America website now and start the process towards a better tomorrow. All the best!

For the price of a soft drink each day, get 200 online video seminars of the World’s Greatest Experts. Get the success you want… Faster than you ever dreamed!