The 5 Secrets You Must Uncover to Pay Off Your Mortgage in the Shortest Possible Time

Written by Rob Sallay


Continued from page 1

4. The Early Bird Catchesrepparttar Penalty If you receive a sudden windfall and decide to pay off your entire mortgage earlier than planned, make sure there is no penalty for doing so. You always want to secure a mortgage that specifies there will be no penalty for paying it off early, but if you happened to miss this clause inrepparttar 111919 contract—something you’ll definitely want to avoid inrepparttar 111920 future—think twice before writing a check.

Speak with a certified financial planner—someone with nothing to gain from whatever decision you make—to determinerepparttar 111921 best way to handle this situation.

5. Whenrepparttar 111922 Unexpected Happens… If you suddenly lose your job or suffer an illness that will create a temporary hardship, it may be difficult to keep up with mortgage payments. Protect your investment—and prevent foreclosure—by working out a forbearance agreement with your lender.

“A forbearance agreement allows for a temporary change, such as lowering—or, in some cases, eliminating—your payments for a specified period of time,” says Andrew Housser, Stroh’s partner and co-CEO. “In order to agree to this, your lender must be convinced that your hardship is temporary and that you will be able to get back on track inrepparttar 111923 future. Otherwise, they may view forbearance as merely delayingrepparttar 111924 inevitable.”

Other options, according to Housser, are:

• A loan modification, which serves as a permanent change in terms.

• A “deed in lieu,” which lets you offerrepparttar 111925 deed to your home to prevent foreclosure.

• Sale of your home.

• Refinancing your mortgage for a lower interest rate or monthly payment.

Don’t makerepparttar 111926 mistake that will cost you your home: saying nothing and defaulting on payments.

---- Mortgage Relief specializes in assisting Australian families with mortgages by making their monthly repayments more manageable and decreasing their overall debt and total interest paid overrepparttar 111927 life of their mortgage. Mortgage Relief is a mortgage refinance provider that it part of Australia’s largest Debt Relief™ organization. Visit Mortgage Relief onrepparttar 111928 web at http://www.mortgagerelief.com.au or contact them directly on 1300 789 014.

Rob Sallay


A Fresh Start for Family Finances in 2005

Written by Rob Sallay


Continued from page 1

“Consumers should feel free to contact a good credit-counseling agency to obtain free advice with regard to establishing a budget or to learn how to handle unexpected hardships,” Giarratano says.

6. Don’t Become a Victim Identity theft has become an international epidemic, so be extremely cautious when giving out your credit card or personal identifying information. Monitor your credit card bills carefully for unauthorized charges, and immediately report suspicious activity torepparttar issuing company.

“Identity theft is often an inside job,” warns Robert L. Siciliano, a personal security expert with Boston, Massachusetts-based SafetyMinute Seminars and author of “The Safety Minute.”

“Lower-level help desk workers and frontline call center employees often have access to all our personal information in their databases,” he says. “What are you doing to protect yourself? If you’re not paying attention, you could be a victim, too.”

And when a disaster strikes, such asrepparttar 111918 recent killer tsunamis in South Asia and East Africa, be wary of scammers from fake charities before reaching for your checkbook. Unfortunately, there will always be unscrupulous individuals who seize such opportunities to profit from others’ misfortune.

“Avoid using your credit card to make contributions,” advises James Walsh, author of “You Can’t Cheat An Honest Man: How Ponzi Schemes and Pyramid Frauds Work…and Why They’re More Common Than Ever.”

“Even though this can be a convenient way to proceed, many crooks are looking for credit card numbers,” Walsh says. “They will press strongly for ‘immediate support.’ Don’t rush.”

Instead, initiaterepparttar 111919 call yourself, and select a reputable charity.

“Go with recognized names,” Walsh says. “No organization is perfect; evenrepparttar 111920 best-meaning groups occasionally misallocate money or fall victim to abusive employees. But larger charitable groups—likerepparttar 111921 Red Cross,repparttar 111922 United Way and Catholic Charities—haverepparttar 111923 mechanisms in place to audit their people and performance.”

Charitable contributions are tax-deductible, so keep good records of all donations—including small cash gifts.

--------- Fox Symes assists all Australians discoverrepparttar 111924 truth about their debts and how they can rapidly reduce them. There are methods available torepparttar 111925 Australian public and you can discover how to use these to assist you in reducing your debt with a free phone consultation from Fox Symes. Visit http://www.foxsymes.com.au or contact them directly on 1300 361 204.

Rob Sallay


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