Just Say No To Pre-Approved Credit Cards

Why a Pre-Approved Credit Card is not Credit Card Relief

You’re pre-approved for a new credit card with a limit of thousands of dollars.

This is dangerous in two ways.

Not only can the temptation of easy credit spell disaster to anyone’s budget and financial security, but also the risk of identity theft rises with every credit card offering drifting through your mailbox. 

And, like Spam Emails, all that clutter of “junk mail” credit card offers is simply annoying.

What should you do?

Opt Out to Stop Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers for Credit Card Relief

This means you stop the offers of pre-approved credit cards at the source, which is the credit bureau.

You have the choice of getting your name removed from the mailing list for two years or permanently.

If you’re reading your free credit report closely, you already know this and have done it right?

When you opt out, you will be asked for personal information including your name, telephone number, and social security number, for verification purposes.

All we can do is pray that these details remain confidential and are only used to process our request (in this age of outsourcing, list selling, identity theft…) for credit card relief.

Tired of the debt lifestyle?

Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

How To Save Money On Home Improvements After A Disaster

“I was just in the neighborhood…”

These words are often the beginning of a very common scam.

That’s a tip off that this isn’t a save money opportunity.

If your house has been damaged in a fire, flood, or other natural disaster, you could be a prime target, to lose money.

Phony contractors make big claims and charge big bucks to repair your home.

They may demand a large deposit up front, then start the job and never finish it.

They may use poor quality material, perform shoddy work, or fail to meet building codes.

People are often so consumed with the devastation that has occurred in their lives that they are more vulnerable to disaster fraud.

Learn the Signs of Fraud to Save Money

If you educate yourself against dishonest contractors now, you can avoid becoming a victim of disaster fraud.

To save money, beware of contractors who:

• Go door-to-door looking for customers (and without business cards), drive an unmarked van or truck, or have out-of-state license plates.

• Ask you to pay the entire cost of the job up front.

• Encourage you to spend a lot of money on temporary repairs.

• Ask you to obtain the permit for any work. It could mean the contractor does not have a license.

• You can only reach them through an answering service.

• Quote you a price that’s vastly different from estimates from other contractors.

• Make outrageous promises and pressure you for a quick-decision.

Know Who to Trust to Save Money

Follow these tips for protecting yourself and hiring an honest, reliable contractor:

• Ask your insurance agent, friends, and neighbors who they recommend.

• Write down the salesperson’s license plate and driver’s license numbers.

• Ask the contractor for proof of his insurance coverage and any licenses he need to perform the repairs.

• Ask for a list of recent customers, then call them and find out if they were satisfied with the work.

• Call your local Better Business Bureau or Home Builders Association to find out if a contractor has complaints against them.

• Get estimates in writing from at least three contractors. These should include all the labor, materials, and verbal promises the contractor made.

When you are ready to sign a contract, make sure it includes all work details, warranties, time schedule, the quality of building materials, and cost.

Fill in all the blanks in the contract. Never leave empty spaces for someone to fill out later.

Pay by credit card or check, never cash. Checks offer the most protection, because you can stop payment if you have a dispute with the contractor.

Pay in installments. Put as little money down as you can, and only make the last payment when you are completely happy with the work.

Tell your insurance agent if an unlicensed or fraudulent contractor approaches you.

Disaster fraud doesn’t have to ruin your life; there are ways you can still save money, by not being defrauded.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

  

Inspiration -- Madam C. J. Walker: "I Promoted Myself Into Business..."

Madam C. J. Walker

You cannot get debt relief if you do not have a money strategy.

This post was presented to inspire you to promote yourself into a make money online from home business.

Therefore, Madam C. J. Walker is a woman that all single moms should study.

In 1993, I attended broadcasting school in Indiana, where I saw a documentary about her, and visited her factory that has become a renown museum and mixed-use center that spans a city block.

To me, she is the pure essence of a single mother who chose to blaze her own trail to business success and debt freedom.

She started out doing menial jobs, but she decided to "promote herself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations... I have built my own factory on my own ground."

Talk about breaking through economic barriers.

Can you imagine the difficulty she faced and endured pulling herself up out of poverty?

I cannot pretend to think that she did not need debt relief as well.

When I start to feel that things are not going right or, not happening fast enough, I think about Madam C. J. Walker for a reality check.

Then, my courage is renewed to walk through fire and on water to reach my goals.

If you have never heard of Madam C. J. Walker, I would like to introduce her to you through a New York Times Obituary, which briefly tells her life story:

May 26, 1919

Wealthiest Negress Dead

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

In 1917 Madame Walker completed at Irvington, on the banks of the Hudson, a mansion which cost $250,000, and since then had made her home there. The house, which is one of the show places in the vicinity, is three stories high and consists of thirty or more rooms. She had installed in this home an $8,000 organ with furnishings, including bronze and marble statuary, cut glass candelabra, tapestries, and paintings, said to be of intrinsic beauty and value.

OBITUARY

Mrs. C. J. Walker, known as New York's wealthiest negress, having accumulated a fortune from the sale of so-called anti-kink hair tonic and from real estate investments in the last fourteen years, died yesterday morning at her country estate at Irvington-on-Hudson. She was proprietor of the Madame Walker hair dressing parlors at 108 West 136th Street and other places in the city. Her death recalled the unusual story of how she rose in twelve years from a washerwoman making only $1.50 a day to a position of wealth and influence among members of her race.

Estimates of Mrs. Walker's fortune had run up to $1,000,000. She said herself two years ago that she was not yet a millionaire, but hoped to be some time, not that she wanted the money for herself, but for the good she could do with it. She spent $10,000 every year for the education of young negro men and women in Southern colleges and sent six  youths to Tuskegee Institute every year. She recently gave $5,000 to the National Conference on Lynching.

Born fifty-one years ago, she was married at 14, and was left a widow at 20 with a little girl to support. She worked as a cook, washerwoman, and the like until she had reached the age of about 37. One morning while bending over her wash she suddenly realized that there was no prospect on her meager wage of laying away anything for old age.

She had often said that one night shortly afterward she had a dream and something told her to start a hair tonic business, which she did, in Denver, Col., on a capital of $1.25.

In a few years she had accumulated a large sum, and invested in real estate in the West and South and in New York State, nearly all the property greatly increasing in value. She then owned a $50,000 home in the northern part of this city, which some years ago she gave to her daughter, Mrs. Lelia Walker Robinson, associated with her in business.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

Single Mom 101 by +Anita Sands Hernandez

SingleMomDebtTalk.com Contributing Author +Anita Sands Hernandez

You were abandoned by a pitiless,  oligarch-run White House.

You are  jobless, chained with unpaid student loans, compound interest that triples which they tell you cannot be escaped.

You are unable to graduate with a degree,  unable to find a job, unable to pay rent, marry or have children.
We're going to fix all that.

GUERRILLA CAPITALISM and entrepreneurial moxie is taught here by an OLD-Timer, skilled in cottage industries, frugal living, QUALIFIED TO TEACH THE RUTHLESS RULES OF REALITY so that YOU WILL achieve wealth and success, family and love without slaving for massah or hoeing anybody else's row.

Is Student Loan Debt Consolidation Right For You

A lot of single mom students need to get student loans to complete their education that may result in student loan debt consolidation.

However, student loans can be a huge financial burden to you, with high interest rates.

Here’s where a student loan debt consolidation can help.

Essentially, a student loan debt consolidation gives you a longer period of time (as long as 30 years) to repay your student loan.

Usually, the interest rates are much lower since a student loan debt consolidation takes into account all the student loans you are currently paying.

The interest rate for a student loan debt consolidation is usually fixed and according to federal law, cannot be higher than 8.25 percent.

Although there are many benefits to having a student loan debt consolidation, many single mom students are confused since there are such a wide variety of consolidation loans available from the government or private sector.

Before applying for any student loan debt consolidation, you must do some research to determine which student consolidation loan is suitable for you.

Here are some pointers that I researched that you can take into consideration before taking out a student loan debt consolidation:

• Credit Rating for Student Loan Debt Consolidation

It is important to know your credit score since it is a major factor in determining whether you get the student consolidation loan.

If your credit score is over 660, then you should not have any problems getting a loan.

However, if your credit score is less than 600, you might want to evaluate ways to improve your credit score first.

Your credit score will also determine the interest rate you have to pay for your student loan debt consolidation.

The higher the credit score, the lower the interest rate, thus the more money you will save in the long run.

• Interest Rate for Student Loan Debt Consolidation

Even though you can get a lower interest rate with a student consolidation loan, the repayment period is usually longer.

In the long run, you actually pay more for your loans.

It ’s a good thing to research for lenders who can allow you to upgrade your payment when you can afford it.

For example, you may not be able to repay much when you are still a student, but once you have a job and have a regular income, it’s best to repay the loan as soon as possible.

• Income Minus Expenses for Student Loan Debt Consolidation

You need to evaluate your current income minus your expenses to determine your net income surplus each month.

Calculate your expenses to see if you can reduce or eliminate any.

Make sure to do your research before taking out a student loan debt consolidation since you get only one chance at it.

It’s not easy to cancel it once you have signed the loan papers.

For student loan help go to http://www.debt.org/student-loan-help/

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

  

Commercial Brands Need Single Mom Blogs Worldwide

Commercial Brands Need Single Mom Blogs Worldwide

Commercial brands realize that single moms are not necessarily broke, but are influential social media savvy women who still have buying power, and can rally a personal network of other moms into a buying frenzy.

That power alone is why commercial brands are reaching out to single mom bloggers to help them spread the word about their products and services.

If you are a single mom blogger, it's not a matter of do you want to get paid, you do!

From my experience, it doesn't take a high-traffic blog to get monetized through commercial brands such as Kohls, iKea, Wal-Mart, Lowes... Why?

The following statistics are the leading reasons why they want to establish a relationship within the single mom / mommy blogger market:

• Women account for 85% of all consumer purchases including homes to healthcare
• Women represent the majority of the online market

• 22% shop online at least once a day and by mobile phone

• 60% of moms used coupons in the last 24 months

• 92% pass along information about product deals to their friends and family through social media platforms

• 76% want to be part of a special or select panel

• Nearly 50% of women say they want “greener” choices

• Single moms want help to get out of debt

• Single moms are very passionate about causes or events to foster awareness

• Single moms love to blog and create their own little communities.

Monetize your blog by offering promotional blog posts and sidebar space for them to market to single moms, in the U.S., Germany, Sweden, Australia...

So why not create a blog relations page to partner with commercial brands on the launch or creation of new products?

As we all know, most products from soup to nuts and everything in between target moms and women in general.

Let your blog relations or blog sponsorship page create a marketing relationship with them to help ”get the word out” for their new or existing product or service.

For those corporations that want to produce their own carefully written content instead of a spontaneous blog post by the blogger, either way, interesting posts will appeal to blog readers.

+SingleMomDebtTalk.com would also love to create partnerships with commercial brands that I use faithfully.

Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

Start Your Own Blog To Make Money Online

Many of you already have a blog with lots of steady, targeted traffic because it’s a blog about a specific niche or topic, but is it making money?

You have thought about monetizing your blog, but you don’t know how to do it, right?

There are several ways to monetize a blog and pay-per-click (PPC) ad programs are just one solution.

Whether you are a single mom, single parent, married or otherwise, you want to be compensated for your blog, traffic and hard work, right?

Well, here's what put me on the right path to making money online from home, in my pajamas!

Warning:  Patience is required.

According to statistics, out of 180 million bloggers, only a tiny percentage make money.

In my opinion, bloggers who are not making cash flow are unnecessarily worried about making their blog look commercial with advertising, instead of making their blog make money.

I have proven that a small blog can make money, and you don’t have to look for advertisers, they will come calling.

After you establish your blog on Blogger.com, which is owned by Google (sweet!), it will take you about six months before you start making money by offering affordable blog sponsorship.

Advertisers choose your blog because they can relate to your blog’s purpose (reason for blogging), good price, and a professional and friendly relationship, which is why it’s called blog relations.

I blog because I enjoy helping people find solutions to every day problems; so my niche topics are primarily targeted to women, single moms-dads, and stay-at-home mothers who are entrepreneurs or want to work from home.

You can be sure that I follow the advice that I give to others and I’m willing to do it for free!

Here’s how I do it:

• Since Blogger.com is already monetized with Adsense, providing you already have an account, pay-per-click (PPC) is a no-brainer.

• Amazon.com affiliate program advertising is another method I use to monetize my blogs.

• Affiliate offers still drive sales for large and small businesses across the Internet, so don’t leave this money on the table. Pat Flynn doesn’t, which is how his blogs earn most of its income every month.

• My own finance books (see example below), eBooks, and Kindle information products accounts for some income as well.

Those are the ways I’m making money online with my blogs because multiple sources of income, no matter how large or small, is cash flowing. My blogging sites help to offset expenses for our non-profit organization for self empowerment of severely disabled women—DEOM, Inc.

Think of multiple streams of income like a river that feeds multiple small lakes and streams.

Is your blog one of them?

Final thoughts, other blog monetization methods I plan to pursue are invitation only ad networks and freelancing.

If you have an existing blog, there is no need to create ‘new’ content.

Create your own “viral blog with built-in monetization” and drive traffic to it!

If you don’t have an existing blog, then you will need to select a problem-solving niche topic that has a mass market interested in it, as well as you.

Google Adsense and Adwords have mastered the technical details of making money online so don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

Just go with their cash flow and start your own blog to make money online.

Many so-called Internet marketing gurus would advise you to start a blog from scratch and buy their software products that will deliver instant results, but I won’t.

I’m advising you to spend $0 to start a blog that will instantly become your online business for you to produce relevant content for a vast, hungry audience, and make money online, using Blogger.com.

I don’t make any money for endorsing Blogger.com; I just love it because it works!

The benefit of having an existing blog to start your own blog business is:

• The content is already available.

• All you need to do is transfer it to your Blogger.com blog that promotes problem-solving products, and start earning money.

Tired of the debt lifestyle?

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share the post.

Tonza Borden