Saving Money – Part 2 

By Michelle Black

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you have more bills than money? Money shortages lead to a poor credit rating, marital stress, and the inability to provide the things your family needs.  One of the first things you will want to do if you find yourself in a situation where your budget is unbalanced is look for a way to start saving money. We hope today’s tip will be helpful.

Tip #2: Ask for your bills to be lowered.
Similar to yesterday’s tip regarding asking for your credit card interest rates to be lowered, you can also request for many of your monthly bills to be lowered as well.  Try calling your cable company, explain that you have seen some great offers for satellite TV and that you are considering switching services. However, before switching, you wanted to check with them to see if they could offer you a lower monthly rate. While you are at it, ask for your internet service bill to be lowered as well. I have personally saved money off both of these monthly services just by calling and kindly making the request.

Other monthly bills you may be able to get lowered with a request include your cell phone bill (even if you are currently under contract), your lawn care bill, your newspaper subscription, your insurance bill, etc. By calmly and politely making the request you can save yourself a lot of money. When making the request for your bill to be lowered please keep the following in mind:

1. Always be polite and calm. Getting angry will most likely insure that you do NOT get the bill reduction you need.
2. Explain why you need for the bill to be lowered. For example, “I have seen an offer for a better rate” or “I cannot afford to continue making such high payments and I’m trying to balance my budget.”
3. Ask for a supervisor if necessary. The first customer service agent you speak with likely will not have the authority to lower your bill.
4. Don’t take no for an answer. If the supervisor refuses your request politely explain your reason for needing the bill lowered again and ask “What can you do to help me please?”

Remember to check back with us again for part 3 of our money saving blog series. Saving money can help put you on the path towards a balanced budget and even a healthier credit report! If you need personalized credit or budgeting advice please feel free to give our friendly staff a call at 704-499-9696.

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Every year at tax refund time we have many clients wisely choose to  invest part of their tax refund check towards achieving a healthy credit report. Wouldn’t you love for 2012 to be the year when you finally reach the higher credit scores you desire? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if 2012 was the year when you were finally able to stop those pesky collection calls and possibly even become a homeowner?

HOPE would love the opportunity to help you reach your goals! You can join the ranks of the 85+ HOPE graduates who have completed the program with credit scores healthy enough to purchase a home in just the last 4 months! Call or email us today to schedule your own personal, no obligation credit analysis with one of our credit experts to see if the HOPE Program is right for you. We can’t wait to hear from you soon!

Congratulations to the Alexander family on their recent home purchase!  Prior to joining HOPE this family was broken hearted to learn that their credit scores were not high enough to qualify for a home loan.  However, instead of quitting and giving up this couple decided to work towards achieving their dream – homeownership and clean credit.

It didn’t happen overnight – things worth working for seldom do – but it didn’t take that long either.  After just 6 months of membership in the HOPE Program, working hand in hand with HOPE Credit Experts to improve their credit scores, the Alexanders were approved for a home loan! Not only were they approved, but over $8,137 in negative, delinquent accounts were removed or negotiated from their credit reports and the Alexanders credit scores rose from the low 500s all the way up to the mid 600s!

After their home closing Mrs. Alexander wrote to tell us:
“Hello, I hope you all are doing well. Just wanted to say thank you for all your help and support. Because of you all our credit is great and we purchased our dream home! Not just a home but our dream home. Thank you so much.”

We are so very excited for the Alexanders and so very proud of this family and our caring staff for all of their hard work!  Remember, the Alexander’s story is not an anomaly.  It can happen for you too.  Bad credit, collections, judgments, low credit scores, foreclosure, and even bankruptcy does not have to be the end of your story because you can turn your credit situation around.  There is no magic wand and it may not happen overnight, but many HOPE members are able to turn their credit situations around and have scores healthy enough to qualify for a home loan in 6 months or less! In fact, over 85 HOPE graduates have been able to qualify for a home loan in the past 4 and 1/2 months alone!

If you would like more information on the services provided by the HOPE Program please email us or give us a call at 704-499-9696.  We would love to answer your questions and show you how HOPE can help you to achieve the healthy credit you dream of having!  There is no such thing as a HOPEless situation!

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HOPE is proud to announce another happy homeowner and HOPE graduate this week.  In under 3 months this HOPE member has seen an average increase of 80 points per credit score!  He has also had nearly $2,300 of inaccurate information removed from his credit report!

This is just another example of how following HOPE’s unique plan of (1) correcting credit bureau mistakes (2) establishing the proper type and amount of current credit and (3) negotiating – if necessary – some of those pesky collection accounts can result in a healthier credit score and cleaner credit report.  So don’t be discouraged if you are currently facing credit problems of your own.  Anyone who tells you that a low credit score cannot be corrected is wrong.  It may not happen overnight, but if you are serious about improving your credit rating it is 100% possible with a little discipline and some hard work.

Remember, it is your legal right to work on your own credit report.  (If anyone tells you differently – run!  They are probably trying to scam you.)  However, if you want to achieve that healthier credit report more quickly and without the migraine headache that comes with trying to fix your credit report alone, we would love for you to consider the services offered by the HOPE Program.  HOPE offers experienced, reliable, and trusted credit education – not another “credit repair” scam.  Give us a call at 704-499-9696 to learn how the HOPE Program can help you on your journey towards the healthy credit you deserve!

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Free Credit Report – No Strings Attached – No Credit Card Required!

By Michelle Black

Did you know that you are legally entitled to receive a free credit report every single year from all 3 of the credit bureaus (Equifax, Trans Union, and Experian)? Simply visit www.annualcreditreport.com to request your free report once every 12 months with zero strings attached!  Trust us, we have checked it out. Now, unfortunately, this free report does not provide you with free credit scores (though you can pay to access your credit scores as well).  However, even though you will not be able to receive your credit scores for free, the free credit file disclosure report will show you 100% of the account currently on your file.

You may wonder why it is important to check your credit report in the first place.  Well, there are actually several important reasons:

1.  Protect yourself from fraud – Checking your credit report once every 6 months will dramatically reduce your chances of identity fraud.  If you check your credit report and discover “fishy” accounts then you can speak with a HOPE Credit Specialist for some expert advice and you may even be advised to file a police report.

2.  Protect yourself from credit bureau mistakes – Let’s face it.  The credit bureaus make mistakes and those mistakes can cost you, big time! Checking your credit report every 6 months will help you to monitor your file for incorrect accounts or incorrect information being reported.

If you do check your credit report and find errors, identity fraud, or other credit issues please know that all hope is not lost. There is still a way to turn your current credit situation around and achieve healthier credit scores! The HOPE Program has been helping people just like you to deal with credit problems for over 10 years. In fact, the average HOPE member graduates our program within 6 months or less!  Call us today at 704-499-9696 to schedule your NO-OBLIGATION credit analysis with a HOPE Credit Specialist. You have nothing to lose and could even gain the financial freedom you deserve!

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