Your credit report isn’t just a number—it’s a snapshot of your financial journey, showing lenders and others how you’ve managed your debts over time. For those looking to rebuild their credit or improve a low score, there are proactive steps you can take to correct errors, protect your report from identity theft, and slowly rebuild your credit health. Here’s a simple guide to get you started. Understand What A Credit Report And Score Really Are A credit report details your borrowing history: the accounts you’ve opened, payments you’ve made, and any overdue balances. The three main credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—compile this information. Each bureau calculates a score based on your payment history, outstanding debt, account types, and credit age. This score tells lenders at a glance how reliable you are when it comes to repaying debt. Check Your Credit… Read More
When faced with debt collection calls, it’s easy to feel pressured to make quick decisions that may not be in your best interest. However, by using the right tools and understanding your rights, you can stay in control of your finances. Below, we’ll walk you through essential templates to handle creditor communications—whether you’re requesting information, disputing a debt, or asking for communications to stop. Downloadable versions of each form are provided for convenience, and you can customize them to fit your specific needs. Stay Firm in Your Choices—Don’t Let Collectors Decide for You Collectors may push you to prioritize their debt, but your financial choices should be yours alone. Unforeseen life events like job loss, health issues, or family changes are often at the heart of financial challenges. Collectors know these situations are common, yet they’ll use urgency to try… Read More
What Is The Difference Between A Creditor And A Debtor? A creditor is an individual or entity to whom money is owed, such as a bank, credit card company, or other lender. Creditors provide loans or extend credit, expecting repayment from the debtor. A debtor is a person or entity that owes money to a creditor. In legal terms, the debtor is typically the party seeking representation in debt-related cases. The debtor's responsibility is to repay the debt according to the terms agreed with the creditor. What Is A Debt Collection Notice? What Should I Do If I Receive One? A Debt Collection Notice is a formal notification from a creditor or collection agency informing a debtor about an outstanding debt. It typically includes the amount owed, the creditor's name, and instructions for repayment. When you receive a debt collection… Read More
Dealing with debt can be challenging, but with the right strategies in place, you can take control of your financial situation and protect your long-term stability. In this guide, we outline six essential principles designed to help you effectively prioritize your obligations, navigate creditor interactions, and avoid costly mistakes. These rules offer a roadmap for managing debt while focusing on what truly matters—your financial security and peace of mind. Rule 1: Prioritize Debts That Immediately Affect Your Family When facing multiple debts, it is essential to focus on obligations that carry the most immediate risk. High-priority debts, such as mortgage payments, rent, utilities, car loans, and child support, should take precedence. Failure to address these debts can result in serious consequences, including eviction, loss of essential services, or repossession. Lower-priority debts, such as credit card balances, private student loans, or… Read More
Are You Anxious About Giving A Deposition? If the thought of being confronted by an attorney while a court reporter hammers away at your every word scares you, you are not alone. If you are like most people, watching an episode of “Law and Order” is the closest you have come to being involved in a trial. Now you have been asked to give a deposition and it is understandable that you have apprehensions. We will look at deposition modus operandi, your do’s and do not’s, what to look out for, and tips for success. At the end of this blog, you should be able to perform well at your deposition. Show Up You can probably think of a dozen better things to do than to spend a day being grilled by an attorney. But if you are thinking this… Read More
What Is A Quiet Title Action? A quiet title action represents an equitable proceeding whose purpose is “to establish superiority of title in property.” Ownership of a parcel of real estate is not an absolute concept. A lawyer will typically associate “ownership” of land with having the legal rights to the “highest quality estate which a person can have in [a parcel of] real estate.” This is commonly known as “fee simple title” to the parcel in question or a “fee simple estate.” American Land Title Association describes “fee simple” as follows: Generally speaking, it means unqualified ownership of land with unqualified power of disposition. Unqualified ownership does not mean that such ownership cannot be subject to outstanding encumbrances and interests of a lower quality than fee simple. A person may hold a fee simple title to real estate, but… Read More
What Is Foreclosure? In simple terms, “foreclosure is the legal process by which a lender attempts to recover the amount owed on a defaulted loan by taking ownership of and selling the mortgaged property.” - Investopedia In foreclosure situations, your home gets auctioned off to the highest bidder. Sometimes, the house gets sold for more money than the liens against it. This extra money is called foreclosure surplus funds. What Are Surplus Funds? If you haven’t been able to keep up with your mortgage payments or taxes and your house is foreclosed upon and sold at auction for more than the debt amount against it, you are entitled to those surplus funds. Let’s say, for example, that you own real estate with a mortgage owing of $80,000 that is foreclosed upon. The bank, at auction, gets a purchase price of… Read More
Don’t lie about your injuries Insurance adjusters are savvy investigators. He or she can, and will, find every claim and every medical record in your name. They will use Google and your social media accounts to spy on you. They will hire private investigators. If you are caught in a lie the consequences can kill your claim or lawsuit. Many insurance companies have provisions in their policies that will void claims for providing false information. If your case goes to court, you will lose favor with the jury if it is shown you attempted to mislead. It can be tempting to lie when confronted with seemingly contradictory information. But the truth is, recovery is a process. Some days will be better than others or perhaps you took more pain medication on a certain day. It is always better to provide… Read More
#1 Do Not Give A Statement If you receive a call from an insurance adjuster, keep in mind that anything you say can and will be used against you. Even simple answers to simple questions can be misconstrued or taken out of context. It is best to simply and politely inform them that you have nothing to say at this time. Let them know that you are taking all medical advice and following all doctor’s orders and will contact them through your attorney at the appropriate time. They likely will not be happy with this reply and will press for cooperation, but stick to your guns. You are under no obligation to give a statement to an insurance company. #2 Seek And Follow Through With All Recommended Medical Care An insurance company’s defense strategy will be to cast doubt on… Read More
You may be tempted to assume that having received a traffic ticket in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in your injury necessarily precludes your filing a claim against another party. Such is not the case. Traffic citations, along with police reports, are common documents in personal injury cases. These documents are often much less decisive than you might think. It may surprise you to know that traffic tickets and police reports are of not much evidentiary value to your personal injury claim. A traffic citation may give some guidance to adjusters as to how the accident occurred, but in a court of law it really is just a hearsay document. The fact of the matter is that tickets and police reports really don’t prove anything. They are, essentially, someone’s (a police officer’s) guess as to who did what at… Read More
