5 TIPS on Making Money Management Moves

Money management is something I introduce to my credit clients while they are working with us because we often see that money habits are never truly understood by most adults. Money problems can stem from a lot of things in some one's life and they can be hard to control when an income source has changed, gone away or is interrupted by some form of collection action. Making moves to get a clearer head means working on the thought process and framework in which we base our decisions. When I meet with clients, they are often spending a ton of money on things they can do without; things that can crush goals and dreams, and leave a mark of disaster. In today's article I want to highlight some money management moves that can you can activate this year in 2015. We need to often re-visit the basics so we can succeed.



1. Writing checks from your checking account is a management function. It is important to monitor when those checks are written, the money in the account the check is written against at that time.
This includes the use of debit cards as they are linked to a bank account often with check writing privileges and debit cards are essentially very much like an electronic check. NSF fees cost a fortune and can wreck a future money move.

2. Before you buy that Latte or coffee; ask yourself, could I use this very same money to pay down a debt I own? I see clients whom often cry broke and spend good money on goodies that can and would make a huge difference in their goals. $60 as month is a lot to throw away on coffee when you wan to get out of debt. Opportunities begin with small pots of cash like this and grow into a nice chunk of change that can be used for a money move. HINT, HINT...debt-free living.


3. It's hard to resist the itch to buy sometimes, between the ads on television and the shopping networks asking for money for something that you think you need, it takes a burning desire to achieve something to stay on point and not waiver. I believe that rewarding yourself is a great incentive to have the right reasons to spend on that major item you truly want and desire. Set goals, time lines and follow up for each achievement. Instead of spending all the money at once, set a goal, meet it and then using the money moves you made and saved from; reward yourself.

4. Get in the habit of saving! I know it's boring but when you see your accounts growing because you pay yourself by investing in yourself too; it's exhilarating. Doing this is easy as taking that same latte or coffee money and placing it in a interest bearing savings account; or if you can't cut cold turkey, at least deposit half of that spending money. Seeing money in that account, will motivate you to look for ways to get to your goals faster!

5. Maintain all commitments! One decision leads to another. That is in paying bills on time, maintaining your car, and keeping the proper insurance. Life is rough sometimes and the best way to stay on point to have the ability to do things on your terms, taking care of business is essential. Whatever you choose to do, stay on top of it. Making moves is all about management of your life and situations. Money is another factor in all of it, but it's how you do things that will tell the story ultimately.




Be wise, engaged and active in your circumstances. Time waits for nobody and you are in control always. It is the goal of this company to help people be proactive and seeking aggressively to be better in all areas of their lives. Money management is a tool for successful people who invest in themselves. Making moves is the reward of those that take money management seriously.

Read more »

The Critical Impact of Late Payments

Late payments are extremely damaging to an effort to build and establish a solid credit history with positive reported payments. In my line of work, I see often that late payments by potential clients are ignored and under-estimated. The critical impact is so intrusive and damaging, often potential clients simply are unable to grasp the concept that their habits and sometimes life situations can create a stigma while boxing them into payday loans and high interest rate borrowing of all kinds.

 To stop the behavior of overlooking due dates on obligations, some kind of reminder tool is needed. I often suggest to my clients and potential clients during consultations that identifying the triggers that create the problem they are wanting correct is incredibly important. Late payments tell a story a lot of time because they signal that a larger underlying problem exists. My clients come from all types of backgrounds and our conversations lead us from small business development challenges to identity theft. Many things can happen with a creditor relationship. I find that a lot of the time, loans and credit cards are abused because the money is there. The notion that late payments due in fact affect future borrowing is quite true and lenders are often unforgiving.

 Building credit history is directly dependent on how you make payments and how much you borrow in relation to your balance history. Every account has records of balance history. If you are notorious for spending up to the limit, that will have a negative impact with the lender. Lenders have a funny way of closing high balance accounts that appear to be failing.
Here are some very important points to remember:

• Banks and Lenders charge late fees! They often are high and interest accruing in some cases.
• If your credit was strong in the beginning and your interest rate was low, that can change and a higher interest rate can be applied.
• The Rule of 30-day lates is pretty true with almost every lender. Recently Discover has introduced new programs that forgive, however, most banks don't.
• Late payments cost in scores too - often anywhere from 45 - 90 points. 

If you discover that you have a late payment on a loan that has had otherwise, strong payment history, we have a service that has been extremely successful removing late payments. It's a game-changed because in many cases the account is destroyed and no longer helps your credit scores without this option.  Be careful, be mindful and take responsibility for your credit opportunities.

We hope you find this article helpful. Let us know.

Alexis - The Credit DIVA!

Read more »

Expert Help - How A Home Purchase Can Be The Change For Your Family in 2015

Helping clients achieve home ownership is one of the most rewarding experiences. For some time now, I have felt that the most successful decision for anyone or even a family, is buying a home.  In this field, clients have an arsenal to their advantage if used properly and products are positioned for timing, efficiency and results. So much goes on the lending world and although we have seen some tremendous economic havoc over the last few years, it simply doesn't change the power and wealth-building potential of real estate.

 So often it would appear buying a home is harder than ever; and we recognize the challenges anyone can face when getting through the lending process. Interest rates are very low right now and with the right team, you can achieve your goal! In today's post, I would like to introduce to you, our performance magazine for success in home ownership with our team of experts, Home Buyer's Assistance e-magazine. It is designed to help anyone gather knowledge, clarity, faith, and perseverance to move forward. I have created this e-magazine to provide a tool for future home owners for the first time or investing over time to understand and identify good leadership within the complexities of real estate ownership and lending.
I profile some the smartest, caring and aggressive advocates to help you secure your dream. You will learn about what is new and timely in the difference loan programs and how professionals fit into the decisions you may need to make.

 You deserve the smartest insights to this complex process and getting to know advocates, professionals and industry information that will have a extremely positive impact on where you see home ownership taking you investment opportunities.
One area that keeps so much confusion for many people is recognizing what the Purchase Process looks like. So often, the disconnect about that alone keeps the overwhelm activated and stops progress. You do not have figure this out by yourself and we hope you find this edition helpful in your financial goal setting.

 Buying a home is a big commitment and requires setting some goals. It helps to grab some understanding in what it takes, who is helping those get there, and what kind of challenges are met along the way. This is one a labor of love for people we love to help. We are committed to do all we can to help our clients. Let us know what you think about this publication, we are excited to continue bring better systems to you.


http://www.getgr8tcreditvip.com/hba/issue2/index.html

Enjoy!

Alexis - The Credit DIVA!

Read more »

Winning in Credit Repair - Mastering Your Unique Situation is the Key

Winning in Credit Repair is in fact possible. You may now have a  better sense of how credit repair works if you read my last article on Credit Scores - Recognizing Their Impact and Leverage. Our industry has been abused over the years and very misrepresented by even other professionals in our field. Today more than ever, you need to get a handle on what you need to do and how to achieve the desired affect for your goals. Many things will have some credence on your overall credit picture. In today'article, I will highlight an area that has many people pretty fouled up. Tax Liens are a critical component of distress for alot of people. Tax Liens do in fact affect your credit scores and payment history. 

I have seen how ugly they get and how crazy the balances grow.  Credit repair does have a positive affect on Tax Liens. I will share that there are many ways we can help a client with credit report issues with old liens and we have even been successful removing current ones. In recent years, the IRS has been very proactive in their position of not removing current tax liens from credit files, but it is not necessarily written in stone that they will not come off your credit reports. What I want to convey here is that you have to address your own unique needs and master those areas. Credit repair is not a one-sized fit all solution in itself. Our capacities are proprietary as your learning from the articles I post here. I want to highlight a Client Success Focus on Maurice. Check out what his unique situation is looking like, click Here.  Maurice came to me with 25 accounts not at all helping his credit score. His greatest aggravation was Tax liens and no open lines of credit. He enrolled with us to get his credit together last August 2014. By January 2015, his credit profile had changed tremendously. He now has 17 deleted accounts. 

That is some pretty awesome improvements! His situation was quite different and he is proof that your situation can have a success story. What we are accomplishing for our clients is incredible because we help with the total process. Credit repair is just the beginning. It's simply a tool and with it, you can master your own unique situation with the help of the right people. Fear is not your friend!

Denial is crippling and will not serve any purpose. Action is necessary to get from where you are to where you see yourself going. How you spend you resources impacts progress. How you view your own beliefs and outlook impacts those who can help you. Your WHY has to be so big - you need help to get there!! 

I hope you find this article helpful. Perhaps it will draw fire to your core so you can not let this year pass you by.

Cheers to your future!

Alexis - The Credit DIVA!

Read more »

Credit Scores - Recognizing Their Impact and Leverage Part 2

I hope you have enjoyed the great content as you shape your goals for 2015. If you have been following our Facebook Fan page, you can often find some great primer's on the direction things are going in the marketplace and insight to personal development. In today's article I want to share why credit repair can be the strongest tool when carefully designed and structured with a credit building system. All credit repair is not created equal. Results, timing and clear understanding of all things driving the infrastructure of our financial back-drop makes a huge difference for any client.

For many years when I started this company, I saw that education was lacking for many families and even professionals seeking to broaden their advancement. Life is only as opportunistic as your prepared to move in any direction that requires money. Cash will always be king because its liquid for the most part. However, credit instruments will allow for a greater advantage when investing and even for simpler things like emergencies. 

My ideas about family help, knowledge, generational preparedness, education for children and all of that shaping our economic advances for home ownership. I believe every family should become homeowners, its how wealth can even begin to show up and progress in some one's life. The information I share on this site is always more cutting edge than anyplace else on the web because of it's roots in caring about the successes for our clients. We not only service clients who seek help, but we also service other advisers in the credit, banking and financial industries. I learned early that helping them made for better service, understanding and smarter tools for our clients and theirs.

One thing that continues to plague credit challenged individuals and families is how to make credit repair work, how to restore leverage and what is the true impact of credit scores. So how can you make credit repair work? The answer is multifaceted and complex but I share some ways my team and I have found what makes the difference. First, credit repair in most cases is the strongest agent to restore problems with credit history. 

As a full-service company; our clients are brought through allot of situations that often begin personally and play out financially. We coach them, encourage them and identify their triggers. Money is a magnet and triggers help us see what keeps them in their situation. Credit repair in the scientific sense is the mastery of the academics of what the credit bureaus capture, the lending climate expects and recognizes; the economic activities and long range leverage planning. Every person needs to understand that our world is driven by these factors. Credit repair is a simple way we explain the initial system at work. It can rectify changes needed by someone in trouble. Credit repair is not a scam nor a one-sized solution for anyone. It's real and works; but not everyone can make it work and help people achieve their goals. No one starts credit repair without some kind of goal. 

Attracting the credit leverage you seek takes some clear core competencies on the behalf of the professional you may be working with. Credit repair now is harder because many of the clients I work with have been in some serious trouble and have owned real estate previously. Credit repair alone for them is not the answer. They are often coming back from some hard hits! So what makes what I do and that of my team different? We build custom products and services for our clients. We have mastered some things that this market simply doesn't have figured out. We love to see our clients get that dream house, finance that business and go on to build successful lives. It's because of that kind of commitment, we see great things happen. 

I hope you find this article helpful. I encourage you to commit to your goals and not let credit problems of the past stop you. It's a new year and time waits for no one!

We are here to help!

Cheers to your 2015 Life!

Alexis - The Credit DIVA!

Read more »

How to Get Focused and Coordinated to Handle Your Credit Goals

Stop letting "crazy" run your life, your goals are at stake! In this feature post we will discuss and explore how to get from crazy to focused, coordinated and less overwhelmed. It's crucial you identify your triggers now because this year will fly by so lightening fast; you will wonder what went wrong. Triggers? Yes, triggers, those things that stop your progress when you swore you would "do better this year". Triggers often take shape when you are overwhelmed, aggravated and been pushed to limit. Sometimes being focused is more about recognizing what helps get there and stay there and do so without added stress. 

 Triggers can be such a drain on your brain! What do they affect? Your thoughts capture a trigger. A whole lot of thinking, more thinking and hormones induced because of the thinking of what is wrong, why it's wrong, how it's wrong...etc, etc,.  This kind of rampant agony can stop the kind of focus that produces results. When a credit problem has worked your last nerve, you have to prioritize your emotions because it will take a toll on you.  

Becoming a clear headed individual on a mission means, creating a "Priority List" of "To-Do's" based on categorized tasks. Then those tasks can be accomplished by a window of time and based on your exit strategy to achieve the "end-goal". Some people task way too many things to do and then worry about the list. Credit repair and coordination of those goals to meet each task whether its about a loan, a business plan, an investment of just to get financially in order; does take "planning".  While you feel like you can handle it by yourself, we have found it takes a team to coordinate problems to resolution. I meet people who often want the world and have no true desire to meet themselves on any size commitment. It's honestly baffling! People come to me with every kind of angle. Then sometimes there are the people with no angle and just function in their "biziness" going no where. After years of experiencing this, I have discovered its rooted in how we function as people.  We are generally uncoordinated as specially when we are stressed out. 
 How can you get focused when things are "crazy"?
4 steps in Getting Focused:

1. Change how you thin about your problems; Our minds start running like water and it sometimes it doesn't stop. If you identify those "stress" triggers. You can improve your goal management quickly.

2. Multi-tasking is draining and must be limited: Some people are born to task their tails off. I am one of them; but even I have limits. Identify the priority in each given day and multi-task based on totality if you can handle that. Priorities are meant to remind you and not overwhelm you.

3. Coordinating your timeline of problem requires focusing in the now: What is within your control today is what will propel tomorrow. Thinking to far into a situation that requires interment steps creates alot insecurity and tons of overwhelm.

4. Get HELP! We are in a do it yourself world and much as I can truly understand that; frustration and stress often can be beat with the help someone able, willing and capable to work with you on your goal all the way to the solution.



Make 2015 your best year yet! Get clear, focused and have a commitment to yourself first and foremost. Wanting and even desiring a better life, more money, amazing credit and just a feeling of security in your direction takes a pure and honest personal assessment of you. 

Cheers to your success!

Alexis - The Credit DIVA!

Read more »

How Pre-Approved Credit Offers Are Sent To You

In today's post, I intend to shed some light on what goes on with someone's personal identifying information and the relationship to "Pre-Approved or Pre-Screened Credit Offers". While many times a credit offer coming in the mail seems like a cool thing; it is often the result of soft inquiries or screenings from various banks, marketing and/or lending institutions whom have an interest in promoting to the general public.  A lot of data, research and sometimes even your spending habits attract certain types of mail you may receive that has been prompted by a recent purchase, a survey, an online movie, a visit to the mall and even those easy breezy credit applications for a weekend jewelry store counter visit. So many things are captured in the way you may use your current personal information to go about your daily life.


   Now this post is not intended to create fear in what you have experienced for a long time, but awareness is important because of the new ways of manipulation that do in fact affect your understanding of how and why you may notice a company that has gathered some data on you. The action of pre-screening you generates those mailed offers and in some instances, the knowledge of your credit potential is revealed. If you have good credit and want some low-interest rate credit or loans; this action could be appealing.  If your credit is going through a patch and you are sensitive to what and whom can see your reports than that is something you can control.

 Junk mail is the leading annoying factor in those special sale opportunities for potential credit promotions designed to get your attention and consider the offer.  Bad credit promotions are even more aggressive as the interest rates on those offers are generally so high and outrageous, many people get in a bad situation with funky fees and auto-billings.  In an earlier post, you can check out how and why ordering your Annual Credit Report is the beginning of tracking these types of activities. If you haven't done so, take the time to order your reports. You should know what and who is checking up on you. You can do so for free at www.annualcreditreport.com. This website does not provide credit scores for free.

 There was a time when having a bad or challenged credit history could save you from pirates and thieves, but all that has gone away with Cyber activity and the use of stolen data. Even in situation where your credit score is not directly impacted by some kind of breach, your "liking or personal details" are in fact on the hook. A new persona can be created without your social security number. Be your champion this year and get your mind on your credit business. Your future does depend on it. I hope you enjoyed this post. Let us know how we can help you with your goals.

Read more »