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JANUARY 2010

Get the Right Help to Confront Debt and Beware Phone Solicitations

December 31, 2009 - By Randy Hutchinson, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South

Are you having trouble paying your mortgage, car loan or credit cards? There are organizations that can help. Some will help make your situation better. Some will help make it worse.

Banks and other lenders don’t want to take back your house or car. They make money when you use your credit cards, not when the accounts are closed and the cards are cut up.

So if you’re having trouble making your payments, talk to them first—as soon as you know there’s a problem. If there’s a reasonable opportunity to work out a payment arrangement or loan modification, they’ll take it.

Your second source for help should be a local, nonprofit credit or housing counseling agency. They may be able to help you revise your monthly budget and reduce other expenditures so you are able to make the payments on your loans.

If that isn’t possible, they may be able to work with your lenders to reduce your payments and interest rates.

Expect to spend an hour or more in the initial consultation with the counselor—you didn’t get into financial trouble quickly and you won’t get out quickly. They may also charge you modest fees for their services. There are out-of-state, 800-number credit counselors that may be able to help you, but be cautious. Their fees may be higher, and they may be working with so many clients all over the country that you won’t get the individual attention you need. It’s also harder to tell the good ones from the bad ones.

Now let’s talk about the “help” that will make things worse. Avoid companies that solicit you by phone, e-mail or over the Internet with a promise that they can get your payments reduced or your loan modified.

They may claim to be operating as part of a government program and to have special arrangements with all major lenders. Those claims are somewhere between half-truths and baldfaced lies.

We hear from too many consumers who have paid these companies thousands of dollars and have received little or nothing in return, driving them into a deeper financial hole and costing some their houses.

Taurian Worldwide Inc. is a local example that has now taken its show on the road. We’ve been tracking Taurian for several years through multiple names. It purports to be located in Cordova, but the address is a box in a UPS store on Germantown Parkway.

We’ve gotten complaints from people who paid Taurian thousands of dollars on the promise that the company would renegotiate their debts with their lenders. They didn’t do it, and some people are out what little money they had left.

Taurian is now advertising its services in other parts of the country via its Web site, and is even signing up franchisees to sell its services.

Check out with the Better Business Bureau any organization that offers to help reduce your debts. More than 2,500 people have pulled our reliability report on Taurian and, we presume, gone elsewhere for assistance.

Hutchinson is president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South. He can be reached at rhutchinson@bbbmidsouth.org.

Originally published by Randy Hutchinson Special to The Commercial Appeal.

(c) 2009 Commercial Appeal, The. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Source: Commercial Appeal, The

Publication date: 2009-12-29

At last - a livable diet program worth keeping
 

At last - a livable diet program worth keeping

(ARA) - Right about now, the guilt may be setting in. The holidays are one long season of over-indulgence for many of us. More than one holiday binge has led to an extra five or 10 pounds - and a pledge to get healthier in the New Year. Sadly for most Americans, such resolutions are often broken and forgotten by the time Valentine's Day rolls around.

It's never too late, however, to get back on track with a healthier lifestyle. You can lose the holiday weight - and guilt - and you just might improve your health and quality of life for the long haul.

Mayo Clinic, a leading authority on health and nutrition, offers some sensible, livable advice for managing your health and weight in 2010 and beyond.

For the first time in its history, Mayo Clinic has developed and published a diet. Recommending simple lifestyle changes and requiring no special foods, calculators, or food scales, "The Mayo Clinic Diet" is based on a common-sense approach to losing weight and keeping it off.

"Many patients I see have tried several diets in an attempt to lose weight, yet the weight keeps coming back," says Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo Clinic specialist in preventive and internal medicine, and medical editor-in-chief of the book. "The key to weight loss is to eat well and exercise regularly. Our goal with this book is to give people real tools for doing that."

Dietary advice in the book includes five habits to add to your lifestyle, such as eating unlimited servings of fruits and vegetables each day; five habits to break, like revising the kinds of snacks you eat; and for those who are especially motivated, five "bonus" habits to adopt such as keeping a journal of everything you eat.

As one of the foundations of the diet, Mayo Clinic also advocates using The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid that differs from the official USDA pyramid. The Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid focuses on vegetables and fruits as the basis of a healthy diet, followed by progressively lesser amounts of whole grains, small portions of lean protein (the size of a deck of cards) and dairy foods, healthy fats and, finally, sweets.

Exercise also plays an important role in weight loss. While working out is beneficial, so is virtually any elevated level of physical activity, like walking more often, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn or gardening. Whatever moderately intense physical activity you choose, aim to do it 30 to 60 minutes per day most days of the week. To learn more about "The Mayo Clinic Diet", log on to www.mayoclinic.com/diet.

Courtesy of ARAcontent
 

Get organized, save money, be happy

(ARA) - A disorganized home wastes time, and time is money. It can be frustrating if you're constantly misplacing items, throwing out spoiled food that went missing in the kitchen and paying surcharges for unpaid bills that got lost in the shuffle. But it's easy to put a little happiness back into your life if you just get organized. Here are some tips for getting your home - and your life - back in order.

Get organized
Tackle one room at a time to get a sense of accomplishment right away. The kitchen is a logical place to start since it's typically the landing place for all things that get dropped while passing through, from cell phones to car keys to school notes. Get rid of visible countertop clutter. Throw out what you don't need and corral small items in great-looking woven baskets or pottery bowls.

Next, de-clutter behind the scenes in the drawers and cupboards. A few well-chosen cabinet accessories can help you here. A wood cutlery divider added to a crowded utensil drawer will keep your flatware in place, and give you a fighting chance at locating the pie server or pizza cutter. One option is Diamond Cabinet's easy-access, Wood Tiered Cutlery Divider, which has a top tier that slides back so you can organize more items. And, if you can't open a lower cabinet without a pile of pots and pans clattering to the floor, find your headache prevention in the Utility Storage Cabinet With Pot & Pan Pull-Out, featuring both a pot and pan rack and pantry pull-out within one cabinet.

Save money
Designate a "home office central" so you can keep track of money matters and never miss a bill again. Carve out desk space in the kitchen or family room to sort mail and pay bills as they arrive, or to keep it all in one place until payday arrives. Everyday items can pull double duty to help you organize. Turn an attractive rectangular serving dish into an "inbox" for bills, and let a colorful coffee mug serve as a pen and pencil holder. While you're at it, why not use a wine rack to organize bills? A wine cabinet with an open, X-shaped interior can provide fashionable storage for your reds, whites and zinfandels, but it will also work perfectly fine for sorting and organizing bank statements, tax information and charitable contribution receipts. It can serve to sort a variety of other items, from mittens to small toys - just let your imagination be your guide.

Be happy
As long as you're making a few changes around the house, kick up your mood with color. Be on the lookout as you organize drawers, cabinets and closets for items that can be used as accessories to brighten up your home - dig out that collection of baseball caps in team colors and display it on pegs in the mudroom; turn a red metal toy truck into a conversation piece for the mantel; re-cover old pillows in fun new colors and throw them on the couch. Cheer up cabinets with fashionable finishes in inspiring colors that make you feel good, such as buttery Honeysuckle, warm Cider, spicy Sangria or the soothing blue-grey tones of Tidal Mist, all from Diamond Cabinets. Visualize the possibilities at www.diamondcabinets.com. With these simple changes, you'll not only get organized, but you'll save money and feel happier about it, too.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Talk for a change to help end domestic violence

(ARA) - In an age of social media and reality shows, it seems that people are more open than ever to discuss personal issues. Yet one important issue - domestic violence, which touches more than 70 percent of Americans, is often talked about behind closed doors or never discussed at all.

To break the silence, Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino is joining forces with The Allstate Foundation to encourage Americans to Tell a Gal P.A.L. to talk for a change about domestic violence.

The Tell a Gal P.A.L. campaign was designed to help Americans Pass it On, Act and Learn (P.A.L.) to start the conversation:

tPass It On - Talk freely about domestic violence to break the taboo. Tell others that economic abuse is a part of domestic violence.

Act - Never underestimate how small acts, like listening, can make a big difference.

Learn - Empower yourself with knowledge and resources available to help yourself, or someone you know, out of an abusive relationship.

"From my volunteer work helping women who have been victimized to my selection of movie roles, I'm committed to raising awareness about this issue," says Sorvino, who portrays a battered woman in an upcoming movie drama scheduled for release in 2010. "I joined The Allstate Foundation's Tell a Gal P.A.L. campaign because I believe it's imperative that we work together to empower women to speak up and find the help they need to free themselves from abuse."

In this issue

 - Get the right help to confront debt and beware phone solicitations

 - Tech shopping? Beauty meets the best tech in new crop of gadgets

  - Get organized, save money, be happy

  - Talk for a change to help end domestic violence

  - Wood is looking good this winter

  - Recipe of the month - Baked Costa Rican-Style Tilapia with Pineapples, Black Beans and Rice

  - Stop Foreclosure

  - Tax Credits Provide Outstanding Opportunities for Home Buyers

RESOURCE CENTER

LENDERS

Tax Credits Provide Outstanding Opportunities for Home Buyers

http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/

The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 has extended the tax credit of up to $8,000 for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence. It also authorized a tax credit of up to $6,500 for qualified repeat home buyers.

• Frequently asked questions about the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit.

• Frequently asked questions about the $6,500 tax credit for repeat home buyers.

• Some key points for prospective home buyers.

• Special rules that apply to members of the military, the foreign service and the intelligence community.

Visitors to The Allstate Foundation Web site, ClickToEmpower.org, can share personal stories about how they or someone they know overcame abuse, or even how they served as a gal pal to a friend in need. The stories aim to serve as inspiration to learn about domestic violence, continue the conversation with others, or provide encouragement to take the first step out the door. Other ways to Tell a Gal P.A.L. about domestic violence are available on the Web site through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

As part of the Tell a Gal P.A.L. campaign, The Allstate Foundation continues its efforts to shed light on a hidden aspect of domestic violence economic abuse, which occurs when abusers control victims' finances in an effort to prevent them from leaving. A recent national poll released by The Allstate Foundation found that nearly eight out of 10 Americans link the term economic abuse to Wall Street woes or irresponsible spending instead of control tactics such as ruining a partner's credit score on purpose.

"We are helping survivors who often find themselves with limited means for daily survival, let alone the means to get back into the workforce and attain financial security," says Jennifer Kuhn, Economics Against Abuse program manager, The Allstate Foundation. "As a Fortune 100 company, we see an opportunity to leverage our financial services expertise to impact survivors of economic abuse."

The Allstate Foundation, in partnership with the National Network to End Domestic Violence, recently developed a Financial Empowerment Curriculum to help victims achieve financial independence. It includes financial tools and information designed to enable survivors of domestic abuse to fully understand their financial circumstances, as well as engage in short-term and long-term planning (e.g., budgeting tools, step-by-step planners, tips, etc.) to accomplish their personal goals.

More information on Tell a Gal P.A.L. and the Financial Empowerment Curriculum is available at www.ClickToEmpower.org. Domestic violence survivors in need of immediate assistance are encouraged to call The National Domestic Violence Hotline, (800) 799-SAFE (800-799-7233).

Courtesy of ARAconten

Wood is looking good this winter

(ARA) - With winter rapidly on its way, the government is asking you to think about cost-effective and environmentally responsible ways to heat your home. In fact, it is encouraging eco- and cost-conscious families to consider efficient wood stoves or inserts by offering a 30 percent tax credit, up to $1,500, for the purchase of a 75 percent efficient biomass-burning stove in 2009 and 2010.

With the government behind this national movement from foreign oil to renewable and domestically produced fuel, it's time to consider the advantages both to the environment and to your wallet of owning a new, efficient wood-burning stove or insert.

"This tax credit comes at the perfect time - when people are trying to make their homes more energy efficient and less reliant on foreign oil, but are having difficulty making the transition due to the economy," says Bret Watson, president of leading cast iron wood-stove and insert maker, Jotul North America. "This credit essentially gives 30 percent off the purchase price of the stove or insert - up to $1,500 - making them much more approachable to everyone. Not only will taxpayers save money now through the tax credit, but they will save money on their heating bills in the years to come by buying an energy efficient wood stove or insert."

This tax credit makes it very easy for people to purchase new, efficient woods stoves or inserts. In fact, www.smartmoney.com recently calculated that by using a wood stove to heat a home, a homeowner could recoup the cost of the stove within two to three years with the tax credit.

Once a new wood stove is installed, homeowners will reap the cost-benefits of heating with wood for years to come. To help compare the cost of various home heating fuels, free fuel cost calculators are available online for consumers. Visitors can see how much they would save by using wood instead of oil, gas, coal or electric.

Homeowners save money with new clean burning wood stoves or inserts because of the efficacy of the stoves to heat homes with the least amount of fuel. New wood stoves or inserts have been built to optimize the heat of the wood. Older stoves let gases go up the chimney unburned and leave large amounts of ash. Gases and unburned particles can represent 60 percent of the potential heat of the wood. To avoid this, new, efficient stoves have designs that bring secondary air to the combustion chamber to burn gases and particles that would normally go up the chimney unburned. This is normally called clean burning technology and will increase the efficiency by almost 40 percent.

Cast iron has long been the preferred wood stove material. All the cast iron used by Jotul is recycled. Cast iron is extremely durable and long lasting. Also it is excellent at heat radiating; heat is stored and distributed more evenly and for a considerably longer period than any other material.

Another way wood stoves help lower costs is by directing the heat where it is used most. According to the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association, people regularly use less than 40 percent of their home. If a family uses a wood stove to warm the rooms used most, they can heat more efficiently by turning down their central thermostat, and save money -- potentially 20 to 40 percent of their fuel bill.

In addition to the cost savings of wood stoves or inserts, the new efficient models are also much better for the environment. The fuel is renewable and supports American businesses, and the stoves release far fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than ever before.

Many wood stove and insert dealers, such as the more than 300 authorized Jotul dealers across the U.S., will make it easy for taxpayers to receive the 30 percent credit on their new efficient wood stoves. They will provide a certification statement at the time of sale. This statement is all that is needed to receive the tax credit at tax time.

With the government encouraging everyone to make the move, now is the time to consider warming your home and office with energy efficient wood stoves or inserts.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Baked Costa Rican-Style Tilapia with Pineapples, Black Beans and Rice

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

• 1 lime, juiced

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 (5 to 7-ounce) tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry

• 2 cups jarred or homemade tomato salsa

• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 cups diced fresh pineapple

• 2 limes, thinly sliced

Directions

Combine the rice and chicken broth in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, oil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, the garlic, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add the tilapia fillets to the marinade, turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Stir together the cooked rice, salsa, beans, pineapple, and remaining 2 tablespoons of the cilantro in a 2 or 3-quart baking dish. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, reserve the marinade, and lay the fish fillets over the rice mixture, overlapping if necessary. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish. Shingle the lime slices over the fish. Bake until the fish flakes easily, is opaque, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffmann, 2008... www.foodnetwork.com

If you or someone you know needs help with a property, I am a distressed property expert and I’d be happy to help your friends and family.  I'm never too busy for your referrals!