Paying down your credit cards and letting your credit mature are guaranteed to raise your credit score. But the boosting benefits can feel painfully slow. Five years ago, my credit score hung at 550 and my apartment lease renewal loomed around the corner. I would stay up late plugging scenario after scenario into a FICO […]
Debt Bytes Blog
Debt Collectors Calling? Don’t Make This Mistake
One morning I switched my phone into Do Not Disturb mode, and kept it that way for two years. At that point I had many unheard voicemails. I’d stopped listening to them because they all said the same thing: I owed money. Six months earlier, I lost my job and emptied my savings to make […]
Is Anxious Attachment Hurting Your Relationship with Money?
I was $33,000 in debt by the time I turned 22. This wasn’t the sympathetic, socially-justifiable student loan kind of debt. This was $33,000 of credit card debt, accrued over a 9-month, blackout-style spending spree on clothing, farm-to-table dinners, bougie gym memberships, and Instagrammable getaways. The momentary thrill I enjoyed from all these purchases would […]
Role Reversal: Ways to Care for Financially Unstable Parents (part 2)
In the previous article in this series, I talk about some preliminary questions to ask yourself before you decide to help your parents financially. Stepping into a caretaking role for your once-caretakers can be daunting, demoralizing, and trigger a lot of resentment. I know because I’ve been there, and I’d encourage anyone in the same […]
Role Reversal: How to Cope with Financially Unstable Parents (part 1)
How old were you when you realized your parents struggled with money? I was five: crouched on the top stair, listening once again to my parents fighting downstairs. My mom wanted to know where all my dad’s money went each month. The math just wasn’t adding up. My dad, knowing his daughter was an eavesdropper, […]
Debt Settlement Success Often Depends On This One Priority
I often say that there are only 2 main ingredients to debt settlement success. Those are resources and timing. Resources means money you have to pay a settlement. Timing means your account is past due enough to get a good deal. But it is how these two ingredients combine that allows you to prioritize each […]
Struggling To Repay Your OnDeck Capital Business Loan?
OnDeck Capital has traditionally provided small business loans to companies that major banks would not lend to. The loans through OnDeck range in size, but can reach up to $250,000. If you are having a tough time with your business and have reached the point where you must think through which bills and vendors are […]
Comenity Credit Cards Can Be Settled For Less
Comenity Bank is mostly known for servicing credit cards for stores and other outlets, not for their own branded cards, or retail bank locations. As you will see from the list below, they are the bank behind more than 100 other companies. Your options for dealing with credit cards serviced by Comenity will often mirror […]
Funding Circle Small Business Loan Problems and Solutions
Funding Circle is an online loan platform marketing and servicing loans to small businesses. They provide a more unique loan experience to help you with your financing needs than a regular brick and mortar bank. You may have taken out a business line of credit through Funding Circle, or a term loan. You can also […]
How To Deal With Resurgent Capital and LVNV Funding
Both Resurgent Capital Services and LVNV Funding are part of the Sherman Financial Group based in South Carolina. I have been helping people resolve debt with this debt buyer and collection agency for many years. If you are dealing with this company, as far as debt buyers go, it could be worse! LVNV Funding and […]