THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF VICTIMS OF THE ECONOMY

A study recently conducted indicates that as our economy is slumping, the rate of economically based or motivated crimes is increasing at astonishing rates. Research shows that burglary and robbery rates always increase during times of economic woe; as people who are struggling with paying their debts and aren’t equipped with the tools for proper debt management or debt cosolidation, sometimes become desperate and resort to crime.

According to Professor Richard Rosenfeld of the University of Missouri-St. Louis; some studies show a one year lag between changes in the economy and debt related crime rate increases.

Would that mean we have yet to see the worst of the rise in crime; New York City and Tucson have already seen increases in theft and homicide, as well are crimes against property in Providence and Chicago.

The recession also contributes to a loss of police enforcement resources; as city and state agencies struggle with debt management and decreasing revenue from taxes, they are forced to make budget cuts to reduce debt and their ability to reduce crime is hindered.

During the Great Depression FDR’s New Deal work relief programs helped to deter crime. “ A 10% increase in government spending on work programs in the 1930’s,” says Price Fitzpatrick a University of Arizona economist, was associated with a 1% reduction in crime.”

With the Obama administration spending close to 1.2 trillion dollars on a government stimulus plan, I guess America should be crime free once the stimulus plan takes effect, even though we will owe a debt that our children’s children will be paying for years to come.

There are two types of victims of the economy; people who are struggling with debt management in an economy plundered by Wall Street greed and those who have been robbed at gun point or worse, either way the perpetrators all belong in the same jail cell.

Debt Consolidation Loan - Just like debt consolidation or debt management itself, this term or industry has so many people interested in knowing more it’s important to find a good source on the matter. Lets face it we’ve all got debt, even if we really don’t. The country has so much debt, related to keeping its citizens safe and not in total chaos that we’ve taken on a mountain of debt. There are so many companies (and industries in trouble) looking for a debt consolidation loan of their own it’s laughable.

While debt is no laughing matter it’s nice to be able to turn to a site (or debt consolidation information source) with some answers peppered with financial news and a slight bit of humor. That site or blog is DebtConsolidationLoan.net

Right now they’ve got some great stories about all kinds of debt and financial related topics. Everything from finance tips, saving to buy a  home to debt consolidation loan questions. It’s all there. So be sure to check it out now, it’s worth your time.

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FIVE TIPS ON HOW TO REDUCE YOUR DEBT IN A WEAK ECONOMY

Many Americans struggling with credit card debt don’t have a clue how to put themselves back on financially sound ground, especially during a recession. While businesses are cutting back work weeks and giving employees unpaid days off, in effect reducing their pay checks, employees are left with their unchanged monthly expenses, not knowing how or where they’re going to find the money to pay their bills.

If you are among the 77% of America with an average of $6,000.00 dollars or more in credit card debt on various accounts, struggling to just make your minimum payment due, simply going on a budget may not be a solution for you. You may need the assistance of a credit counseling service in order to resolve your financial problems.

Reputable credit counseling services are available and offer a variety of services that can assist you in determining precisely where you stand financially and exactly what steps you will need to take to resolve your debt management; whether it be as simple as debt management or as complex as debt consolidation or debt negotiation all the way to debt settlement. A professional debt counselor will assist you in determining exactly what resolution is appropriate for your particular credit situation.

Another way to manage your debt problems is pre-emptive debt management, which is, to take a long hard look at your budget and determine to make the necessary adjustments in your lifestyle to accommodate your shrinking income and expanding expenditures; simply said reducing your monthly bills.

Here are five ways you can try to reduce you debts, earnestly try to incorporate these steps into your spending habits. If you find that this isn’t enough to remedy your debt situation you should consider seeking a reputable professionals help.

1. Gather all your (2 months) most recent credit card statements (including gas and department stores) and line by line analyze each statement looking for recurring charges, that is charges that appear there each month i.e.; gas, dry-cleaning, gym membership, etc. and make a list of each category.
2. Prioritize that list into two categories; the necessary (must have) and the unnecessary (like to have). Establish what is necessary even though it may be discretionary type spending, such as tutoring vs. ballet lessons; determine what is not up for budget cuts.
3. Honestly look at your list and determine which expenses are essential to your existence and which are wasteful or could be reduced i.e. $110.00/month cell phone bill with internet and e-mail service; consider reducing the type services or doing away with an expense all together where it’s not essential.
4. Be a bargain spender; shop around for better prices on things like gas, dry-cleaning, buy generic brands where possible including food and clothing, try to reduce the amount you pay for the things you must buy.
5. Determine which of your credit cards you use the most (largest expense) and what stores and make them off limits for 10 straight days; the idea is to gradually wean yourself from destructive spending habits.

Everyone is trying to find new ways to reduce their debt, increase the income all while bringing world peace to us all. Well at least you can find some comfort in knowing that because of the incredible financial crisis there are companies and individuals who can help you save a great deal of money on a variety of things. Reducing debt is a general term, or debt reduction as it’s also known. Essentially the main thing is to create a budget and stick to it. Use that budget to keep your expenses as low as possible and then pay off the most important debt you have first. If you can’t do it on your own then you should consider using a debt consolidation or credit counseling company to help you. The money you’ll save is something that’s tangible, but your peace of mind is priceless.

BUYERS BEWARE RETAILERS ARE OUT TO GET YOU … TO SPEND AGAIN

Retailers are making major changes from the way they have gone about business in the past, when customers were aplenty and the spending seemed to never end … ahh the good old days … but the times they are a changing as the song goes.

Retailers reeling from the pain of a holiday season of shoppers who cut spending by the most dramatic amount in at least 39 years, have been scrambling ever since trying new strategies and concepts to bring customers back to the register.

They are cutting out marginal suppliers creating a leaner inventory and hiring outside experts to analyze where they can increase sales, examining methods specific to their particular markets, as well as targeting the clientele that is still buying and making new roads to insure customer satisfaction shoppers have never seen before.

Primarily this is actually good news for consumers who will see an array of products at lower price points, from the ordinary supermarket groceries to designer brand names you could only put on your wish list in the past. Pricing consumer goods for debt ridden and an anxious customer base is the primary goal in hopes of bringing the customers back in.

Luxury retailers such as Neiman Marcus are getting creative too, by eliminating some vendors and focusing on serving its best customers. They are trying to retrain it’s customers to buy regular-price goods by hosting more frequent smaller private events for groups of 20 to 30 clients. Weaning customers off discounts is a big challenge for the industry because consumers have gotten so used to them.

As shoppers simply stopped buying, stores were forced to discount as much as 75% in some instances even before the holiday season began; resulting in the weakest season since at least 1969, when the ICSC index began keeping retail statistics.

Alas my words of caution for you the consumers struggling with debt, up to your ears in debt, just plain tired of debt, beware of the friendly vendors who are out there inviting you to come back, because if you’re on a debt diet and trying to stick to it, you just remember … the retailer is out to get you … to spend again! Don’t get yourself stuck in debt, or worse yet find yourself having to consider debt cosolidation unless absolutely necessary.

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WHERE DID ALL THE SMART SHOPPERS GO

Where did all the smart shoppers go this holiday season? You might be inclined to answer on line to that question, but you would be wrong. Due to unfavorable forecasts for this past holiday season your local retailers were offering deep discounts on in store purchases that may not have been passed on to the on-line consumer, so the smart shoppers were the ones braving the mall and other local retailers and saving money. Since the economic slump in sales is hitting hard on local retailers, the economy will take another hit as some local stores will have to close their doors. The holiday season couldn’t possibly make or break a retailer you say, it certainly can! Many local retailers make up to 67% of their annual sales during the holidays. While the figures are hard to track because of the varying types of retailers, the proof is in the closings at your local malls, boutiques, and specialty shops, many are going out of business.

That means higher unemployment, more downsizing and less revenue circulating in your local economy. That means you might begin to worry about “your job” if you aren’t already. Why are you telling me this now you’re probably wondering, because there are lessons to be learned from this and it’s not too late to save money and save jobs. We need to take action before it’s too late. We’ve got to make sure we’re on the right path, not one that will lead us to an end result where our only option is debt settlement.

I am not telling you don’t shop on-line, there are instances when it is even necessary, but many consumers today shop on- line as a convenience. We should try to spread the money around in these trying times, into your local economy. You may think buying locally won’t keep a local “chain” retailer open if the chain itself is failing, but you would be wrong it actually does. When making corporate decisions on which stores to close the number crunchers are looking at retailers with the lowest sales, making decisions on which stores will be closing based on the numbers. Analysts will tell you there are many factors that make those determinations, but most will admit that gross sales at that particular location is a major deciding factor. In this economy the trickle down effect of sagging retail sales directly effects your pocketbook in many ways. With less money flowing through your local economy bad can go to worse quickly and none of us can afford that. Save money while you save your own local economy!

Keep in mind that every business is like a large oak tree with many roots spread out in your community and we are the roots. Like any tree we have to feed and water it on a regular basis or it will die, our local economy is much the same. We can learn from this past holiday season and apply that knowledge to our everyday shopping habits. Buy what you must on line but, keep feeding the trees in your own back yard by shopping at your local retailer and save our trees.

CEO’S CAN SAVE MONEY TOO

The slowing economy has the travel industry and associated businesses scrambling to entice travelers to the sea and air once again. The myriad of offers out there are far too numerous to list, so I’ll just give you a few examples so you can see how these money saving promotions being offered as vacation deals can be applied to the business world, and save your company money, and if you’re a CEO maybe even your job.

Round trip airfares between the U.S. and London are down to $399.00 between Jan. 10 and Mar. 31, Virgin Atlantic Airlines will fly you between many U.S. East Coast cities and London for $399.00 without imposing a fuel surcharge (Other taxes and fees amount to about $250.00) that ticket price and the reduction in the cost of a British Pound to about $1.50 makes travel to London a great business fare. You can access all airlines offering these fares by going to www.1800flyeurope.com, and be able to get the same ticket price of $399.00 ($469.00 Miami) and save money on business travel. The big 3 need to start checking fares and saving money, instead of flying in their private jets to good ole Washington with their hands out! Searching the travel section can be a great source for saving money on fares when traveling for business, or seeking a meeting venue for your next business junket.

Cruise Lines offer the best savings deals of all, due to their serious over-capacity issues. Online Vacation Center (800-329-9002; www.onlinevacationcenter.com) is offering 14 day cruises each departing round trip from Ft.Lauderdale to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean for $799.00 to $819.00 per person. Staying home would cost you more money than that, what a deal, go on a cruise and save money! Cruises are the ultimate in affordability especially if you live in or with-in driving distance to one of the departure port cities, as most large corporations are. Imagine, if you will that AIG had saved themselves the thousands upon thousands of dollars and the public outrage and scorn they incurred, if only they had held their top producers junket aboard a cruise ship where all the food and drinks are included, and spa facilities are still available if you must. You may think I’m joking, but after they received their bailout agreement from the U.S. taxpayers and held their junket in their pricey California Resort and Spa I was seeing red for the excesses they indulged in. I say send them on a cruise and save our money!

How to Cut Insurance Costs, Part 2

One good way to keep your costs down is to be reasonable about the deductible amount. That is, you agree that the insurance company will pay everything above a certain amount that you will first pay out of your pocket. If you feel that you could come up with $500 a year for medical situations, you will pay a lower premium then if you will not pay anything. Therefore, increasing your deductible will lower your insurance bill by as much as $100 a month.

Car insurance is mandatory in most states. However, your premium will depend a great deal on your age, how good your driving record is, and how much deductible you are willing to pay. You can’t do anything about your or your family members ages and accidents do happen. But again, you can control that deductible. Shopping around to other companies and increasing your deductible can have a very large effect on your car insurance costs. We personally recently decreased our car insurance costs by $2,000 a year by just making a few phone calls and shopping around. While shopping around, ask each company if they have special lower rates for individuals who are non-smokers, kids who have taken safe driving courses, etc. Our insurance company even gave us a break because our son is a straight A student. Of course, your biggest savings on car insurance will be a good driving record. If you or someone in your family is involved in one or more accidents within a five year period, you are not good drivers and need to consider taking a course in safe driving. We know that some people are literally born with more driving skills than others are. But if you can accept the fact that maybe you are not one of them, then you can start driving more carefully to compensate for it.

We all know that teenagers are responsible for most accidents. But what can you do to control your teens driving when you are not around? Plenty! Sometimes the old-fashioned ideas work the best. Make sure your kids know that driving is a privilege that they must earn, not a right given to them at birth. Therefore, if they are involved in an accident that is judged to be their fault or they get a ticket for a driving infraction, take away their car privileges for awhile. Make sure they are well aware of the consequences that will result from their driving record. Just as crime cannot go unpunished, kids need to have some punishment in order to learn what is expected of them.

Another things to always keep in mind concerning car insurance is that a family sedan will costs you less in insurance then a sports car will (a lot less). And buying a used car will cost quite a bit less then a new car. You may want a new car in order to avoid the problems created by the previous owner but, if you must have a second car, could the additional car be a later model? Thus, you not only save on your monthly car payments but you also save on your car insurance and registration costs.

House insurance is usually very necessary for a lot of reasons. For one thing, your house is quite often the most expensive thing you own. On top of that, depending on where you live, you will need “normal” insurance to cover fire, theft, etc. and you may also need something additional such as flood insurance. Again, the major ways to save on your house insurance are to shop around for the best prices and to raise your deductible as much as you can. Unless you have already done these two things, you should be able to save at least a couple of hundred dollars.

Insurance is a very expensive gamble. We believe in using the old saying “I only bet on a sure thing”. Therefore, do everything you can to keep the bet in your favor rather than the insurance companies favor. Eat and live healthy, drive safely, and protect your home as much as possible.