Jill Russo Foster

Tips for Successful Personal Finances

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The legend of the no-limit credit card

Question: Which financial institution created a credit card based on an urban legend?

(The answer to our trivia question is at the bottom.  But first, let’s talk about your credit cards.)

Are your credit cards right for you? If you’re not sure, here are some key points you can compare to determine which product is right for you.

Is the interest rate fixed or variable?
If you carry a credit card balance, you will want a fixed rate. If you pay in full each month, the rates won’t matter.

Will you use the card for purchases, balance transfers, or cash advances?
Your credit card company will apply a different rate for each transaction, so pick the right card with the right rates for your financial plans.

Is there an annual fee just to have the account?
You may not want an annual fee. However, if the annual fee covers your membership to a discount service or store (like a big box store), you may find that it’s worth it.

Ask about any other costs or fees.
Look for late fees, membership fees, over limit fees, returned payment fees,  etc).

How is the billing cycle calculated?
Does the due date suit your monthly budget? If the card is due on the same date as your mortgage, that could cause trouble.

Your credit cards should work with the way you spend money and pay bills. Don’t let your cards cause you more trouble than convenience.

Trivia Question Answer:
The (virtually) no-limit credit card, the Centurion, was created by American Express for no other reason than the persistent rumors that it actually existed. This card is obviously meant for the rich and famous. For those of us with bigger dreams than budgets, a no-limit card would be a disaster. Fortunately, the Centurion is issued by invitation only.

In case of emergency…

I did a talk last week about financial organization. We all know that we need to keep our financial paperwork in order but sometimes we forget the basics.

The first step is to know what is in your wallet or purse. If I were to take your wallet away from you right now, could you tell me what’s in it? All of it? Most people can tell me most, but not each and every item.

Why is this so important? If you lost your wallet or purse, could you quickly call to cancel your credit cards and replace each and every item? Probably not! Did you know that the sooner you cancel your credit cards, the less liable you are for purchases made in your name?

Take an inventory of everything in your wallet or purse. Start with your credit cards. I suggest that you make a copy of the front of each card. Make sure to write the toll free customer number for each card on the copies you made (that number is found on the back of the card). You should also make copies or keep records of other items in your wallet that you will need to cancel or replace. That could include your driver’s license or any club cards you might have. Make copies of those as well, or create a list. Then keep these copies in a safe place where you can easily find it. I’ve spoken before of having two copies in case of a home disaster like a fire or flood. You might want to keep one copy in a locked home safe and one copy in a safe deposit box at your bank.

Keeping a record of what is in your wallet or purse is one step towards financial organization. Do it this week to be prepared in case of an emergency.

The Winning Prize Scam

Right now, people are struggling with their finances.  Some are looking for easy solutions and that is where the scammers come in.

The  “winning prize” scam typically starts with a notice that you have won a sum of money.  This should be your first clue, since you probably haven’t entered any contests.  If you follow the instructions, you will eventually receive a check in the mail for a few thousand dollars.  You are instructed to deposit that check into your bank account and wire a “prize fee”  to the sender.  For example, if you get a $3,000 check, you may be asked to wire $2,500.  Do you think you’ve won a $500 prize?  Think again!

After you send your money, you will discover that the check they sent you is no good.  Not only are you out the money you paid them, but you are liable for all the bank fees associated with depositing a bad check.

I can’t tell you this strongly enough – when you win something, you will NEVER have to pay fees.  You should never be asked to give up any money in advance or ever.  A legitimate win will be subject to taxes – but those would be paid with your tax returns.  If you are contacted, be cautious and never give any money in advance to receive a prize.

Do-It-Yourself Identity Theft Protection

Have you received a letter from your bank or credit card company lately telling you that your personal information may be compromised?  We’ve been getting these letters on a regular basis at my house. If you read further, you’ll see that these companies are trying to sell you identity theft protection for a monthly fee.  It’s a good idea to guard against identity theft, but buying protection is not the most cost effective plan for your personal finances.

You can monitor your own credit and stop identity theft for minimal money. Simply put a credit freeze on the credit reports offered by the three major credit reporting agencies.  A credit freeze prevents anyone from accessing your credit report (including you). If someone is trying to open a new credit account in your name, potential creditors will not be able to access your credit report. Creditors don’t give out new credit without it, so the thief will be stopped in his tracks.

How do you freeze your credit report? Contact all three credit reporting companies and pay a small fee to  freeze your credit report.  No one, including you, will be able to access your credit.  That means if you want to finance a car, you will be denied since the potential creditor cannot access your credit.  Don’t worry – you can unfreeze your credit for a fee when you need to.

Bottom line: The cost to freeze and release the freeze is substantially cheaper to you than the $10 plus dollars a month for credit monitoring.  Credit freezes can stop new accounts from being opened by thieves even when they have your personal information. The only effort required on your part will be planning for your  upcoming credit needs so you can freeze and unfreeze your credit accordingly. How often do you need to open a new credit account? Most of us do it very rarely, so it’s easy to plan ahead.

The high price of instant tax refunds

It’s that time of year: holiday bills are arriving and you’re not sure you have the money to pay them. If you live on the east coast, you can add in unexpected snow removal costs. Where will you get the extra money? You might think that your tax refund is where you’ll get the money you need. That’s a good thought, but don’t sign up for an instant refund.

Some tax preparers or quick cash companies will tempt you with faster returns. They give you part of your tax refund ahead of time as a loan. Don’t do it! This is one of those money drains that isn’t worth the cost. All loans have fees and interest. With quick income tax return loans, the fees and rates can be outrageous. Let’s face it: companies who lend money are in the business of making money. It wouldn’t be worth their time and effort to give you a cheap loan. I strongly urge you to skip the quick cash and speed up the refund process with these three suggestions.

  • If you are expecting a refund, then by all means get your taxes done and filed as soon as possible. The quicker you file, the quicker you get your money back.
  • You can speed up the process by having your tax preparer file your tax returns electronically, which can save you the mail time.
  • Have the refund direct deposited to your bank account and again save the mail time.

If you do these three things, you can have your refund back in your hands in weeks. Then you will have the money you need and keep more of it in your pocket.

Paying the Holiday Bills

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time for the bills to start to come in This time of year is when you need to be extra careful about your finances I know that this is a resolution that many of you made on January 1 You need to be carefully checking your statements (both your bank and credit card accounts) for accuracy In my experience, this is when the most errors occur So check those statements to your receipts, balance your checkbook and immediately call to dispute any discrepancies Look for unfamiliar transactions that you are unsure of Sometimes a charge will appear with a different company name than the store you made the purchase from Call to get more information to determine if it’s your transaction The longer you wait, the less protection you have.

In addition, now is the time of year to read the inserts in your statements You know those pieces of paper that you automatically toss Banks and creditors will inform you about changes to your accounts increased fees, new requirements etc You need to know about these before they take affect and it’s too late to do anything about them.

Be proactive with your finances by staying on top on what is happening with your money, will benefit you in the long run You will be able to make choices that are right for you and possibly save you money on fees Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year.

Delaying Your Foreclosure

Recently, several banks have stopped foreclosure proceedings in states that require judicial foreclosures A judicial foreclosure means that the final proceedings require court action Ideally, a judicial foreclosure offers additional protection to the homeowner, because the bank has to prove that payments have not been made Connecticut is one of those states that has a judicial foreclosure process.

Now, banks are saying that they have potential paperwork problems and are taking more time to review their internal processes and documentation before presenting them to the court system.

Any foreclosure is, traditionally, a long process with a tremendous amount of paperwork involved With the current mortgage crisis coupled with the economic downturn, banks have been overwhelmed with the foreclosures When you add the multiple bank mergers of the past few years (with files being transferred from one corporation to another), you can see the potential for incorrect and/or missing paperwork According to the latest news, it does seem that a few of the major banks need internal paperwork review before proceeding.

What does this mean to you? If you are somewhere in the foreclosure process, this is going to delay the process for you I don’t believe that banks are going to stop the foreclosure process and give you back your home Wouldn’t that be nice? Only time will tell if the bank has all the proper paperwork in order to proceed.

Lending to a Friend

A friend of mine recently asked about lending money to a friend. I have always said that if you can afford to lend money to a friend, then give the money as a gift. If the gift is repaid, that’s an unexpected bonus.

But, you should never lend money to friend, especially money that you need to pay your own expenses. I say this because when people lend money to a friend, they often never get the money back, That’s not because your friend isn’t trustworthy, or sincere. It’s a matter of need. Think about it: If your friend can’t afford to pay a bank loan or rent, then how will he be able to pay you? Especially before you need the money yourself? Unfortunately, lending to a friend often means the friendship is lost along with the money.

It’s difficult to watch a friend drowning in debt or suffering without a car or apartment, but two drowning people are not better than one. There may be better ways to help out than putting yourself at risk.

Back to my friend.  Unfortunately, she had already lent a substantial amount of money. She had also done everything possible to set up the loan legally with a contract, lien against the borrower’s home, and a formal payment plan. It sounded OK, so, I asked what the problem was. She said that her friend had filed for bankruptcy. That’s a problem.

My friend did everything right and took all the steps to protect herself, and now she will be out a large amount of money that she needs to cover her own expenses. She could never have afforded to give this amount as a gift, but that’s what it became. Will she get her money back? Probably not. In this economy, her friend’s home may not sell and when it does, it probably won’t sell for enough money to cover the loan.

My friend learned a very hard lesson in life. Their friendship will probably never be the same because of the damage that was done. Before you lend money to someone, think about all the possible outcomes and then make your choice.

Having Trouble Selling Your Home? Try a Lease to Purchase Agreement

Are you trying to sell your home? Are you finding the process challenging to say the least? There might be another option for you and your potential buyers.

That option is a lease to purchase agreement This is when a potential buyer rents or leases your home for fair market value AND pays additional money towards the future purchase of the home.

Let’s say someone is interesting in buying your home He isn’t financially prepared to buy a home in your price range today, but he will be ready in a few years Instead of letting the potential buy get away, you can sign a lease to purchase contract That means that he agrees to rent the home from you for a specified time period, and during that time period, you agree not to sell the house to anyone else.

In a lease to purchase contract, the potential buyer pays rent plus an additional amount towards the purchase down payment Let’s say your agreement covers a period of 2 years and your potential buyer pays you monthly rent of $1,000 plus $300 towards the option to purchase your home Over a 2 year period, the buyer would have have paid $7,200 towards his down payment.

If the potential buyer doesn’t go forward with the purchase by the time the contract is up, the down payment money is typically yours (the seller’s) to keep.

Although they’re not widely used today, lease to purchase agreements have been around for years They offer security and income for a seller who needs to move right away, and an opportunity for a buyer to turn his rent into an investment.

If this option is of interest to you (buyer or seller), discuss the specifics with your realtor and attorney, so that you can understand all the details and make informed choices as to what is best for you.