What Is Your “Plan B”?

What Is Your "Plan B"?

 

Many families today, as we all know, are struggling financially.  Many are just one (1) paycheck away from disaster!  Are you one of them?  Do you live paycheck to paycheck?

Have you considered what you would do if you lost your primary income source today?

Unfortunately, most families do NOT consider this scenario and are devastated with the loss of the primary income.

I recently read about four (4) different families who suddenly lost their primary income sources.  Here are a few facts regarding their journeys through their financial devastation.

Family #1

·         Family of six (6)

·         Had a six figure income

·         Husband/father was laid off

·         Family minivan was repossessed

·         Their home is dangerously close to foreclosure

·         The family is living on half of their original income

·         Receiving less than $300 per month in food stamps.

·          The husband/father has applied for more than 60 jobs to no avail.

·         The wife/mother is looking for a part time position to no avail.

Family #2

·         Family of eight (8)

·         Was renting an apartment

·         Family was evicted because the husband/father was laid off

·         Forced to move into a motel due to lack of credit and finances due to eviction.

·         Children began suffering from allergies while living in the motel.

·         Children forced to visit the family Doctor's office a couple times a week due to allergies

·         The parents decided to find somewhere better for their children to live so decided to move to a nicer hotel, which put a strain on their already dwindling savings.

·         Their truck was impounded.

·         Forced to reach out for help at a local mission.

·         The mission assisted the family with the security deposit for another apartment.

·         One year after losing their first apartment the family moved into the new one.

Family #3

·         Family of three (3)

·         Health problems hit the husband/father and he was then only able to work part time.

·         Less than one (1) year later, husband/father was laid off

·         Lost family's health insurance

·         Forced to take a look at COBRA insurance coverage

·         Decided to use COBRA insurance for the husband/father ONLY, due to health problems

·         Wife/mother and child left without any insurance

·         Wife/mother has less income due to the downturn of the real estate market

·         Wife/mother laid off

·         Wife discovers she has a serious, life-threatening, infection and that her life is at stake

·         Wife/mother needs medication and surgery

·         No health insurance means the surgery cannot happen.

·         Family leaves their home and moves to another  state to live with a family member

Family #4

·         Family of three (3)

·         Lost five (5) jobs within one year, between the husband and wife

·         More than 400 job applications placed and hardly a phone call for an interview

·         Husband joins military for job security

·         Family is now confronting a future that will require them to live thousands of miles apart

·          The family now has some financial relief, however the wife now is suffering from an anxiety disorder due to the fact that her husband if going to be deployed overseas soon.

 

Could any one of these four (4) families be you if you lost your primary income today?

What would you be forced to deal with?  Loss of home and/or possessions?  Loss of health insurance?  Loss of your health?

What "Plan B" do you have in place?

Why not begin NOW with a "Plan B"?

Visit Miller Housing Consultants for more information on how to start your "Plan B".

This article is being brought to you by the PJ'S Team at the Miller Housing Group.

For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.

"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

 

Kids and Credit

Do you have kids getting ready to head off to college? Or an 18 year old still in high school?

If you answered yes to either of these questions than there is something that you might need to be on the lookout for; have you had the talk with them yet? Do you know if they are being safe? Yes, I am talking about credit and credit cards. Do you know that the day your child turns 18 they are eligible to get a credit card? Without ever having been told about finance charges, or late payments, or how bad credit can affect them for the rest of their lives.

Here's a situation for you: Your daughter goes out shopping with her friends. She walks up to the counter and the cashier asks "Would you like to sign up today for our charge card and earn 10% percent off your purchase today?" Well why would she possibly say no to an offer like that? Now they have her. She has been hooked into the world of credit. You may not even know that she has a credit card.

Have you talked to your children about this issue? As parents we know that we should have the talk about drugs and of course the talk about "intimate relationships", but now more than ever we must consider the talk about
CREDIT.
I know it can be scary but consider this, if your child has bad credit,
They Might Never Move Out.


Join us as we discuss this over the next few weeks. We will tell you about how to educate your children about the pros and cons of credit, what it means to be a responsible borrower and a good steward of their money, and yours.

This series of articles are brought to you by the Miller Housing Group

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How to Realize YOUR American Dream ...... Home Ownership

How To Realize YOUR "American Dream" ...... Home Ownership

The "American Dream" is to own a home, right? Whether you build a home or you buy an existing home it is considered to be one of the best investments that you can make for your family's future.

When owning a home, you want it to be a place where you can relax and be yourself. There are no "landlord" limitations put on you when it comes to any remodeling or renovating that you would like to do. (Of course, state and local regulations do still apply.)

For some people, owning a home seems like a dream that may never be realized due to things such as a lack of down payment and/or closing costs, credit challenges, or a lack of enough income to be able to afford the monthly payment on the home that is desired.

The Miller Housing Group is here to help!

We focus on individuals who desire a home and we assist them in resolving the three issues that have been preventing them from being able to buy or build their "dream home".

The three issues are, as mentioned above:

 Lack of down payment and/or closing costs
 Credit challenges
 Lack of enough income to afford the monthly payment

Home ownership does not come overnight, however, the Miller Housing Group is here to assist you in gaining access to home ownership.

Is it the lack of down payment and/or closing costs or the lack of enough income to afford the monthly payment that is holding you back from your "dream home"? If so, the Miller Housing Group can assist you by showing you how to create more income as a Club Member.

Do you have credit challenges that are holding you back from your "dream home"? We offer access to Debt Counselors who employ experienced attorneys and staff to assist you with Debt Negotiation Services and/or Credit Restoration Services.

Are you willing to begin and follow your journey to a successful outcome?

OR

Would you rather continue what you have been doing for years and never realize YOUR "American Dream"?

We offer an enjoyable and fun experience with a team of experienced professionals who are specialists in their field and are there to assist you in accomplishing your goal.

If you are willing to begin and follow your journey to a successful outcome, the Miller Housing Group is here to assist you.

Please visit us here to begin your journey to Home Ownership.


This article is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at Miller Housing Group.

For more information on this topic and many more, please view more of our blogs.

"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

The Benefits of a Secured Credit Card

The Benefits of a Secured Credit Card

In our previous article, we gave you Tips to Establishing Credit.  Here are some thoughts regarding the benefits of the secured credit card that we discussed.

We live in a world where many things are purchased online.  There are some places that do not accept checks.  Also, you may not prefer to carry around a lot of cash for security reasons.  Using "plastic" is almost a necessity at times.  Most major credit card companies have realized this dilemma and have come up with a solution called the secured credit card.

The concept of a secured credit card has been almost a saving grace to many.  With a secured credit card you are only spending the money that you can afford to spend and you don't have to worry about extremely high interest rates. The secured credit card enables you to easily order off of the Internet, television, from catalogs, etc.  In addition to these things, you do not have to worry about having your card stolen and thousands of dollars of damage being done to your credit! Since you can only spend the amount of money you placed into your credit card account, there are no fears of overspending. These secured credit cards are accepted where the major credits cards are accepted.

There is no longer a reason you cannot have access to a credit card.  Obtain your secured credit card, apply money to your account and you are ready to use it for whatever purchases may arise.

This article is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at Miller Housing Group.

For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.

"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

HELP! My Creditors Keep Calling Me!

HELP! My Creditors Keep Calling Me!

Many of us have bad debts and receive phone calls from credit card companies, creditors, debt collection agencies/services, bad debt collectors and recovery companies/agencies. We owe these companies money and they would like to collect it, however there are laws, rules and regulations that all of these companies must follow. These laws are spelled out in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which can be viewed here.


Please allow me to give you two (2) of, what I have found to be, the least known facts about these Fair Debt Collection Practices Act laws, rules and regulations.


#1 – Credit card companies, creditors, debt collection agencies/services, bad debt collectors, bad debt recovery companies/agencies, may NOT call you before 8:00am or after 9:00pm, local time, at your location.


#2 – These collectors/companies/agencies/services may not contact you at your place of employment if they know or have reason to know that your employer prohibits you from such communications.


Don't let these companies harass you. Be informed! Know your rights and hold these companies to the laws that have been put into place to protect you.


The Miller Housing Group is here to assist you in your journey to credit restoration, more income, as well as your housing needs.




This article is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at the Miller Housing Group.


For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.


"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

What Are the Benefits of a Good Credit Score/Rating?

What Are the Benefits of a Good Credit Score/Rating?

There are lots of benefits to having a good credit score today. Here are just some of those benefits:


 A good credit score/rating makes it easier to purchase a home.


 A good credit score/rating makes it easier to rent a home.


 Saves you money on insurance premiums. (IE: Auto, Home)


 You can get a lower interest rate on things such as credit cards and home loans


 You have more ability to obtain a student loan.


 You can purchase items for your home (IE: Large appliances, furniture, etc.)


The above benefits are just some of the many benefits of having and maintaining a good credit score.


What is a "good" credit score? That will depend on the standards of the company with which you are trying to obtain credit, however, a score of "700" is considered "good" in most companies. The housing industry standard, however, is generally "720" or higher.


The highest credit score that can be obtained is "850" and the lowest is "0". If you have a "0" then this means you have no credit at all and will need to obtain credit in order to start establishing a good "credit name" for yourself.


This article is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at Miller Housing Group.


To read more about establishing credit and much more, please visit us here.


"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"

Tips to Establishing Credit

Tips to Establishing Credit

Some people may say "I don't have any credit. What do I need to do to begin to get my credit established?"


Here are some ways to do just that.


When I started 20 years ago, trying to establish myself in the credit world, I applied for a $500.00 secured personal loan with a major company who is still doing business today. My own personal belongings (televisions, furniture, etc.) secured the loan. I made monthly payments for 12 months, which began my journey of establishing a good "credit name" for myself. Every month, after I made the payment, this company was reporting to the 3 credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian) that I made my payment and that was then showing up on my credit report when it was looked at by other creditors/lenders.


IMPORTANT NOTE: You MUST make payments on time. That is CRITICAL when you are trying to establish yourself in the credit world. You do NOT want to make any late payments because that will be reflected on your credit report and will have a NEGATIVE effect on your credit score.


There are many other ways to establish yourself in the credit world. Here are just a few suggestions/tips.


- Obtain a "Secured Credit Card". A secured credit card is a card in which YOU choose your credit limit by depositing an amount of money into an account. That amount then becomes your credit limit. (IE: You obtain a secured credit card and place $200.00 into your account. Your credit limit on this card is now $200.00.)


- Obtain a Cellular Phone. You will be required to place a deposit on the account since you have no credit score or credit history, however, most cellular phone companies will refund that deposit to you after one (1) year, providing you make your monthly payments on time. NOTE: You will need to check with the company to determine what their policy is with regard to the deposit.


- Rent To Own Furniture or Appliances. NOTE: Make sure that the company you are dealing with reports to ALL THREE (3) credit bureaus. This is extremely important when you are trying to establish credit.


If you are just beginning to establish credit you need to be prepared to pay a high interest rate on any loan that you obtain. The reason for this is because you have not proven yourself to be credit-worthy. The creditor/lender will charge a higher interest rate because they are taking a risk to loan you money when you have no track record of being responsible and paying back what you have borrowed. Once you have established a good credit rating and credit score, you will be able to obtain loans at a lesser interest rate.




This article is brought to you by the PJ'S Team at Miller Housing Group.


For more information on this topic and many more, please visit us here.


"Maximizing Your Housing Experience"