Are you a newcomer when it comes to playing the stock market? No big deal at all! This series of articles on mutual funds will make it simple for you to understand what a mutual fund is, what it is all about and whether it is worth your while to invest in one. My first three articles are called “Mutual Funds For Beginners” and they lay down the basics.

The next one is titled “Expenses Associated With Mutual Funds” and it goes over the general things you can expect to be charged for if you make the choice to invest in a mutual fund. The last two are called “Is Investing in a mutual fund worth your while?” and they cover the pros and cons of mutual funds. First let’s break things down to a molecular level and talk about securities. The fancy definition of a security is a negotiable instrument representing financial value.

This definition is quite esoteric so let’s look at an example of a security to help you get a better idea of what one is. A stock is considered a security. Stocks can be bought or sold, and therefore have financial value, and a share of stock literally means that as a stockholder you “share” a fraction of ownership in the company whose stock you own. Bonds, which are contracts to pay back money with interest on specified dates, are also securities. If you hold a bond, you know that you are going to receive money on these set dates, so bonds have financial value as well.

Stocks are bought and sold at exchanges called stock markets, and bonds at bonds markets. A bonds market is typically very different from a stock market. If you were looking to invest in stock, or sell the stock you have, you would hire the aid of a stock broker who would charge you a commission for completing this work for you.

Generally, unless you already own stock from the company you would like to purchase from, you are going to need some sort of a broker to help you do this. The same goes for bonds – you are going to need a dealer. Now that we have the very basics down, let’s go over mutual funds. See my article “Mutual Funds For Beginners Part Two!

Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on commercial collection agencies.

In the last article I spoke about debt settlement programs and whether it pays to agree to one or not. Keeping all of this information I relayed to you in mind, if you decide that debt settlement isn’t the best option for you, there are four other main options: remain delinquent, come up with extra money to make payments, work with a credit counselor, or declare bankruptcy.

Remaining delinquent will only make your credit score worse, and the longer you wait, the harder your score will be hit. Just one thirty day late payment can cause your score to fall by up to one hundred and ten points. Ninety days? You are currently three times as late with your card payment, and you are only getting later as more time passes on.

Coming up with extra money to make payments may just be worth your while. Take a look at your budget and finances. Is there anything that can be sold or adjusted? Use any extra money to pay your debt and prevent any further damage to your credit score. For a lot of us, budgeting is not as easy as that. If you need outside help, look for a credit counselor. They will get to the bottom of the problem, and find a solution.

Additionally, you also have the ability to consider filing for bankruptcy. This means that you will not have to pay back the debt, but filing will cause your credit to drop even more than a debt settlement will, by as much as two hundred and forty points. If you are considering bankruptcy, have a consultation with a bankruptcy attorney to discuss the details.

All told, experts say that talking to a good credit counselor is the best choice. They can assist you when it comes to assessing your financial situation, offer possible alternative choices, and show you how not to make the same mistakes at any point in the future.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a national debt collection agency.

Divorce, coupled with bankruptcy can pose serious problems for those involved. When a married couple who no longer wants to stay together have debts piling up and are heading for divorce, bankruptcy may be one way to sort out the financial problems. Bankruptcy has the capacity to be filed by just one spouse, or jointly. The effects of bankruptcy on divorce proceedings? Abrupt at best. An automatic stay will put a stop to all activities on divorce proceedings.

Although one lawyer may seem trying in a time of stress, two lawyers may be necessary to sort the matters out, a bankruptcy attorney and a divorce lawyer to work things out between the unhappy couple. A bit of good advice to take would be to quickly find a bankruptcy lawyer to guide you through your finances, additionally to the attorney who is assisting you through your divorce. The expert guidance with alimony, child support, property settlements, and other financial issues is key when you are suffering from the stress of bankruptcy and divorce simultaneously.

If the unhappy couple owes a large deal of shared debt, filing for bankruptcy jointly is a good option. This can even simplify the divorce settlement, and filing bankruptcy jointly is cheaper. If you are a spiteful ex, filing individually for bankruptcy is one way to send the creditors after your spouse.

Then there is the matter of property that you have accrued during marriage. That’s marital or community property. If you are filing jointly for bankruptcy, and your ex spouse has marked some of your separate property as marital property, you should take these actions. First, you should prove what is yours isn’t community property. The bankruptcy court will release the exempt property, and the remaining property that you share will be part of the bankruptcy estate and therefore will be used for paying off the money you owe.

After the bankruptcy court has figured out which property is exempt from bankruptcy, the divorce court can split the property between the spouses equally. The non exempt property will be sold by bankruptcy trustees (representatives) to pay off debts.

A different way to steer clear of financial loss on account of your former spouse’s debt is to attach a property of your spouse as a security lien. This lien will permit you to take hold of the property and utilize it to pay off your spouse’s loan if he or she is thinking of ditching and letting you pay. The property with a lien may get you less than the market price, but this is still a good way to protect yourself.

Lastly, you can put an indemnity clause into your divorce decree. This will help protect you from creditors who are coming after you to pay for your ex spouse’s debts after the divorce has occurred. If your husband or wife files for bankruptcy, do not worry. The judge will enforce it to protect you.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a medical debt collection agency.

In recent news it was revealed that powerful prosecutors in Louisiana and Washington made announcements of actions they had obtained against debt collection agencies and their owners and managers.

Louisiana’s attorney general James Caldwell announced on Friday that his office had gotten a hold of injunctions against two collection agencies and their owners. On the same day, Rob McKenna, Washington’s Attorney General said that his office had settled charges with a collection agency that had promised to stay on the straightened arrow. In a press release, Caldwell’s office stated that in late December they had gotten a hold of an injunction against Bush and Kennedy, Inc, a Baton Rouge based collection company. The order he won placed restrictions on the business, banning them from operating further, and specifically, ordered that two of the firm’s principals, Quay W. Pattott Jr, and William S. Fesguson were banned from conducting business together.

Late last week, a judge hit Ferguson and Parrott with additional injunctions as was requested by Caldwell’s office. Ferguson is barred from using deceptive and unfair acts and practices at his current place of business, Franklin, Grant and Associates Incorporated, a collection agency based out of Metairie Louisiana. Parrott is completely restricted against conducting any new business at his new place of work, Metairie based Halsey and Associates, LLC.

McKenna’s Washington office said that Topco Financial Services Inc, a Washington based collection agency agreed not to threaten, harass or curse out debtors as part of a settlement. The collection agency has been ordered to pay around $38,000 in legal fees and penalties. An additional $82,000 in fees and penalties were suspended provided that the company agrees with the settlement terms.

As per the agreement, Topco is restricted from harassing, intimidating, threatening and embarrassing debtors, including using profanity. They are banned from implying that failure to pay a delinquent bill will result in suspension, a revocation, or impairment of the debtor’s driver’s license. They are no longer allowed to threaten debtors with impairment of their credit rating. However, the company is allowed to legally report debts to credit reporting agencies.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection agency. She also writes articles on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies.

In the middle of a recession, consumers seem to be racking up more and more debt and getting ahead of themselves financially. There are numerous reasons why credit cards could hurt you financially, but a debit card could be what is putting you over the limit.

A sound routine is to go to the bank, take out enough money to last you a week and then attempt to live on those funds. It is believed that relying on paper money in the wallet instead of plastic will increase budget discipline and reduce impulse purchases. By relying only on ten, twenty or even fifty dollar bills, you tend to buy only what is necessary as opposed to what you think you want or need.

Debit cards can be beneficial. They can prevent you from going overboard with a large purchase like you can with a credit card. It also keeps track of where and how you spend the money, but a small book for a dollar at the local pharmacy could become your new budget book.

What it comes down to, is that anything that makes it simpler to spend cash means that whoever has it will in fact spend more money. Evidence illustrates that people spend more when using debit cards in place of cash. While they may not go overboard with big purchases, they do go overboard with small purchases. Also, debit card users are more likely to overdraw their bank accounts. A story in the New York Times revealed that banks earn billions in overdraft fees that were sparked by small debit card purchases.

Debit card processing fees are quite expensive for retailers. However card issuers claim that the higher sales from consumers make the expense worth it. Many retailers, mom and pop stores in particular, are starting to protest debit card processing fees and asking customers to pay in cash.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. She also writes articles on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies.