Showing posts with label payday loans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label payday loans. Show all posts

8.04.2008

journalism 101...check your facts

A few others on the Blogosphere have caught this story and I thought I'd spread the word too.

I know one of the first things they teach you in Journalism schools is how important it is to check your facts. Fact checking is like...THE fundamental element to quality journalism and one would think that this is just common sense? Right? Journalists should strive to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.....right?

Well I know that's a load of baloney and unfortunately, The Sacramento Bee has made a great example of themselves. I say that's unfortunate because I have had, in the past, great sentiments for The Bee.

I'm disappointed that their reporter, Claudia Buck, didn't do her homework with her piece, "The Downturn: For many in military, finances are a battlefield"

Buck used everybody's favorite buzz word "predatory lending" to call out and blame payday loans for many of the financial problems that many members of the US military have been experiencing.

Well, Ms. Buck, you totally ignored the fact that, as of October 1, 2007, payday lenders do not lend to military personnel. I'd hate to assume that you deliberately ignored that fact when writing your piece so get your facts straight!

Read the story after the jump, above.

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7.30.2008

wanna save $500 a month?

Yahoo-Finance posted some quick tips from ConsumerReports.org...

Here's one of my favorites...

Stop Paying Bank Fees
Average savings: $25

The American Bankers Association says 52 percent of consumers spend nothing on bank fees each month. But somebody's paying fees, and lots of them, because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says banks collected $39 billion in account fees and penalties last year. That works out to an average of $28 per month per household. But with some planning, you can pay zero.

How to Do It

Bank at a large institution with lots of ATMs in convenient locations to avoid the cost of using other banks' machines—as much as $4 per withdrawal. And use the no-fee cash-back option at supermarkets.
Shop for free checking and strictly adhere to provisions for a minimum balance, direct deposit, or other conditions to avoid monthly fees. Keep track of checks, withdrawals, and debits to avoid overdraft fees averaging $27.

See how much an average overdraft fee costs?
$27. I know I've paid more than that before.

You know...the loans from Web sites like paycheckatm.com only cost about 15% of your loan. So if it comes to paying $27 in overdraft fees or paying $15 to get a $100 cash advance, it seems smarter to go with the lower number.

That reminds me!!

I just read this morning. Payday loans from sites like paycheckatm.com and usapaydaylenders.com can now lend up to $1200. It might not say so on the Web site, but I'm pretty sure the offer will be available when you apply.

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7.29.2008

financial abuse

Alright so... I'm feeling philosophical. bare with me.

If you think about it for a minute, there's one sin that almost the entire human race commits...every day.

Abuse....of everything.
resources. power. food. drugs and alcohol. other people...

In a way, its a natural thing, especially if you think of humans as animals. We share many characteristics of all other animals and we have the same essential needs: eat. survive. reproduce.

Animals do it too. A pack of wolves will fight and kill in fierce bloody territory disputes. A pod of dolphins will attack and rape wandering rouges. Baby birds will kill the smallest hatchling to compete for food. Wasps will destroy an entire colony of honeybees and eat the larvae. Humans pretty much do the same thing. We invade countries, steal their resources, lie, cheat and do whatever is necessary to "win the race," so to speak.

I don't really like to think of myself as part of this wild-animal picture I just painted and what gives me hope is the one thing that sets up apart from the wild and crazy animal kingdom: Our big huge noggin!

We're supposed to be smarter than dogs, dolphins, baby birds and wasps, right? We can think things out and weigh the consequences between right and wrong. We're supposed to have this great thing called CONSCIENCE, and if you watched Pinnochio as a kid, like you're supposed to, you'd know about this wondrous thing.

I try to listen to my conscience as often as possible...usually it's spot on. It's a nice way to guide myself to the right choices in life and when I do something wrong, I usually know what kind of trouble I'm getting into. Looking back on all my mistakes, I always knew I'd be setting myself up for a consequence of some sort.

So you see...your conscience is kind of like your own little personal psychic. If you listen well enough, it can kind of tell you about the future outcomes of your actions.

I applied this method of thinking to many aspects of my life. Three years ago, it led to my veganism. I absolutely couldn't continue supporting the meat and dairy industry after listening to the list of moral and physical consequences that come along with the consumption of animals.

It's why I try to ride my bike and take public transportation as much as possible.

And it's also what totally saved my behind when I was in serious financial trouble, not too long ago. I simplified everything and thought about all my spending habits as right or wrong choices. Thinking critically about my decisions, I was able to seriously cut my spending and get myself back on track. It's really important to think about your financial choices like this and constantly weigh the consequences of your monetary actions.

Should I buy that huge TV? How much money will I have left over to pay my bills and buy food?

Do I need to take out another loan? Is it the right time to take on another huge debt or can I figure out other ways to achieve my financial goals? Thinking things through will always help you find the right answer. Write a list and actually weigh the consequences on paper so you can see which path will produce the best results.

Even if you don't think you're making the wrong decisions, we might always find ourselves in a bind. Life gets random all the time but we do have resources to help counter those little wrenches that get tossed in the mix.

Sites like PaycheckATM.com and TitleandPayDayLoan.com are perfect examples of this kind of help.

Like any other loan, its important you think about what you're getting into before going through with it. Get your research done (by using sites like www.cfsa.net) and find out the right course of action for yourself.

Payday loans have a bad rep because so many people abuse them. Think about what you're going to do and how you're going to pay the loan back, make sure you have a plan and follow through with it. You'll be fine.

Apply that style of thinking to other areas of your life and it'll work wonders for you.

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