Credit Repair Assistance for Inaccurate Credit Reports

November 20, 2012 7:46 pm /

by CreditRepairCompanies.net, resource to credit repair services

With the increasing cost of today’s expenditures, the common consumer is left with lesser options on how to budget their money accordingly. According to 2011 statistics on personal American debts, the total debt among consumers has already reached to $11.4 trillion. This figure included all types of debts, with common ones such as credit cards, mortgages, student loans and auto loans. The amount of personal debt that each American consumer has is already piling up.

For most people, the only way to resolve low credit scores would be to file for bankruptcy. In 2011 alone, the total number of bankruptcy filings in the United States has gone up to 1.4 million. Today, filing for bankruptcy is considered as a new slate, and with the provisions given by the Congress as stated in Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Law, a person covered in debts can acquire bankruptcy credit repair.

Bankruptcy law in repairing credit

According to federal law, people who declare themselves as bankrupt or anyone who aims to repair their negative credit scores can acquire free credit reports from the three national credit reporting bureau in the country.  A credit report is a statement which shows items that might explain to the account holder why they are nearing negative credit scores. Aside from obtaining information on their financial status, an account holder can also inquire regarding any suspicious items that might have been erroneously indicated on the report. In return, it is the responsibility of the agency to provide information as to how these suspicious items were reflected on the report.

Acquiring credit report from the three national bureaus has already helped millions of Americans over the years. In a study conducted by the Consumer Federation of America and NCRA, consumers were able to discover numerous discrepancies on their credit reports:

  • 30% of American consumers contain different credit scores on their credit reports from the three agencies, with discrepancies of more than 50 points.
  • 80% of the released reports indicate severe inaccuracies
  • 96% of credit reports contained different status for delinquencies on paying for loans within the 30 to 90 day payments. From this figures, it was found that 33% of consumers has delinquent status on their mortgage even when they never paid late. In addition, 67% of the consumers were considered as delinquent without missing an instalment account payment.

These inaccuracies and discrepancies only reached the awareness of most consumers after they have acquired their credit reports.

Rectifying mistakes for credit repair

During the process of credit repair, it is the right of the consumer to inquire about any inaccurate information on their credit report as stated by FTC. There will be an investigation and the agency will be given 30 days to provide an explanation. If the agency can’t produce a sufficient reason, it is their responsibility to remove the inaccuracy which they have indicated on the person’s credit report. Undertaking the efforts for credit repair can be quite difficult and time consuming for some. However, it is the only way for a person to rectify his credit scores, especially if he belongs to the 24% whose accounts are already due for denied credit.

Posted in: Animals

How to Send Free Fax Messages for Your Business

October 30, 2012 4:57 am /

Faxing is an indispensable means of communication for businesses.  Despite the availability of “modern” file sharing means such as e-mails and online file sharing sites such as Dropbox, fax messages are always considered a good way of sending raw and important data to clients, business partners and customers.  Sending fax messages was a little costly during the day, when businesses only had the conventional machines connected to the regular fax lines.  Aside from being too expensive, sending a single fax message took time—all because fax numbers were also phone numbers, and they were not capable of receiving fax during calls.

Fortunately, technology has combined the professionalism of conventional faxing and the sophistication of the internet—paving way for convenient and economical internet faxing.  In fact, free fax can be enjoyed by individuals and businesses through three different ways.

1. Free Fax Websites

MyFax, Pam Fax, Pop Fax and Fax Zero are a few of the many websites that offer free faxing through the internet.  All they ask is for you to sign up, and you may start sending fax messages to different places without paying anything.  However, since they have limits on the number of free fax messages you can send every day, this option is only suitable for purposes that do not involve multiple faxing.  Most of them allow two messages per day, on top of which you will have to subscribe to their internet faxing services and pay a specific amount each month. SendOnlineFax and OnlineFaxService.com compares online fax providers.

2. ScanR: An Innovative Service

A variation from the usual services we use to send free fax, ScanR enables you to use a camera phone to send a document as fax message.  All you have to do is take a photo of the document, upload it and send to ScanR through email—the rest is history.  ScanR then sends the documents to wherever you want to send it as a fax message.  Truly inventive, ScanR provides solutions to the absence of equipment such as a fax machine or a scanner.  More than that, their fundamental services are free of charge.  The only catch is when your camera phone’s resolution is not good enough to capture a good picture of documents with very small characters.

3. Unlimited Free Internet Fax through an Inexpensive VoIP Subscription

You might be confused why I said it’s for free, when you have to subscribe and pay for a monthly VoIP subscription.  Some of the best VoIP providers offer their monthly plans at very low prices, giving your business a superior alternative to regular phone lines and conventional faxing.  The latter charges a per message rate, while internet fax included in VoIP services are unlimited.  Perfect for advertising and other business related purposes, internet fax allows multiple sending and fax to email (vice versa) using fax machines and computers.

Posted in: Other Stuff

How do Credit Monitoring Services Work?

October 11, 2012 5:03 am /

More and more people have recognized the importance of keeping positive credit ratings and are looking for ways on how they can improve their credit scores. Indeed, in today’s society, your credit rating says a lot about your trustworthiness and your reliability in terms of handling your finances. Maintaining a good credit score opens up your doors to a lot of opportunities. That is why it is essential to keep your credit score in check so you can track your progress in your financial status. Instead of keeping your habit of monitoring your credit score on a quarterly or annual basis, most financial experts advise consumers to regularly track their account on a more regular schedule. With credit monitoring services, you can:

  • easily trace all transactions that take place in your account within a single click of a finger,
  • obtain your credit scores with a regular credit report,
  • trace all changes that occurred in your account
  • be informed if your account is compromised or if there is a possibility of a security breach;
  • and inform you of probable erroneous account reports.

Importance of monitoring your credit

Regularly tracking your account is the best way to stay on top of your finances. However, a lot of people opt to check their credit reports on an annual basis to save time on tracking down their credit transactions. But this shouldn’t be the case. It is actually more time-consuming to trace all the transactions that took place within the past year. More importantly, if your account was breached, you will already incur a lot of losses on your account and obtain a negative score. Keep in mind that if this happens, you will also have a hard time applying for loans since the lenders will add higher interests on their loan rates or even exempt you from applying in their company.

By regularly monitoring your credit score, you can keep a close eye on your account and report any erroneous issues or security breach early on.  It will also give you a more realistic insight on your expenses since you can regularly trace your expenses and pay for your balances on time. Compared to a regular credit report service, a credit monitoring service is more accessible and contains more information about your account. The report will also take your account data into consideration and analyze it so that the company can easily determine any changes that take place into your account.

Keep your credit rating at a healthy level. The great thing about these tracking services is that they allow you to access your account information and credit report on a regular or even a daily basis. The service is also possible online, but you should keep in mind to verify the reliability of the service so you don’t end up compromising the security of your account. Ask for your bank or your credit account provider if they offer monitoring services on your account aside from the annual credit report that they will provide you with.

Further Resource:

Credit Monitoring Services - http://bestcreditmonitoringservices.net/
NJMSC – comparisons for credit monitoring service providers 

Posted in: Credit

What To Do If a Bee Stings You

September 29, 2012 11:12 pm /

For the majority of us, a bee sting is not a big deal.  There is certainly some pain involved, but even in childhood the suffering never seemed to last all that long.  Though the situation can be more serious if the person stung has a severe allergic reaction to the sting, or for anyone receiving multiple wounds, all at once.

The latter of these two problematic scenarios occurs more often than you might suppose, due to the defensive nature of the bee colony.  Whenever the hive members perceive an imminent attack the collective promptly turns its attention towards defending the queen, as she is the sole cohabitant capable of reproduction and vital, therefore, for the survival of the entire community.

It’s the Foreigner’s Fault

When safeguarding their home bees can behave aggressively, and none more so than the Africanized bee, which invaded the U.S. in the early 1990′s.  The immigrant swarms heralded from Brazil, whose land they had been initially introduced to some forty years prior, to boost the country’s production of honey.

When a person experiences an extreme reaction to being stung it is termed anaphylaxis.  Bee stings account for more than fifty deaths a year in the U.S.  Fatalities are on the rise, largely due to the African invader’s aptitude for aggressively taking over territory.

Seek Immediate Assistance for Severe Symptoms

The sixty minutes immediately following the attack are the most dangerous for those who are allergic, with nearly all deaths occurring in the first hour.  While death several hours later can happen, it is rare; though the poison can be detrimental for the victim’s long-term health, damaging muscle tissue or the kidneys.

When a bee stings you should remove the stinger from the skin, firstly.  Then apply some antiseptic and protect the wound with a Band Aid.  There is usually no need to do much more than that.  When someone has a severe reaction, or is likely to suffer an anaphylactic shock, they will display some of these symptoms:

  • Acute anxiety
  • Labored breathing
  • Pronounced redness and or  localized swelling
  • Swollen mouth, lips and throat
  • Nausea
  • Low blood pressure
  • Chest pain
  • In extreme cases, the victim may lose consciousness

As a rule of thumb, unless the redness and swelling spreads more than ten inches from the site, you can treat the wound at home.  The exception being any wound that gets worse, rather than better, which you will need to show to the doctor.  If it has been more than a decade since your last tetanus jab, you will need to get another.

 

by Neil Cull

Posted in: Animals, Medical, Survival Tips

What To Do If There’s an Earthquake

September 29, 2012 8:44 pm /

The ground beneath us is ever in motion.  Not as decisively as it has before, back in the days when landmasses moved on a global scale, the days of Continental Divides… actually, it is exactly like that, even today.

When we observe the immense shifts in the Earth’s history, that created the continents that we know today, we are of course looking at a huge section of time; thousands and thousands of years.  Everything is on the move, still.

Earthquakes are the result of seismic waves, which themselves are caused by sudden shifts in the deep underlying rock that supports this planet’s surface, with which we are much more familiar.

The plates of rock are in perpetual motion, sliding past each other.  Every so often, the plates will bind, due to their surfaces are irregular.  If you imagine rubbing two pieces of slate together, you can perceive just how problematic this movement can be.

When this occurs, all the trailing plates continue to push forwards regardless, pushing with increasing pressure until forcing the trapped plate free.  The liberated layer jolts forward briefly before becoming stuck again.

The seismic wave, or shock wave, passes from plate to plate; rather like a line of cars, bumper to bumper, being shoved from behind.  As each car, or plate, collides with the next, the force of the collision passes forward, diminished with each exchange.

The Earth is constantly colliding underneath our feet, though we only notice when a very large fault line occurs, creating a seismic wave strong enough to pass through all the Earth’s layers and reach the surface with energy left over.  The more energy left, the greater the shock wave.

If There’s an Earthquake

  • Try not to panic.  If you are indoors, stay there; the same goes for those who are outside, to avoid being by a collapsing wall
  • If you are inside a building, stand in a doorway or position yourself under the dining table, or office desk
  • If you are outside, stay out in the open, well away from anything that could collapse, and avoid overhead power cables
  • Do not use lighter or spark a match as broken gas supply lines present a major hazard, post-earthquake
  • Elevators will disable, automatically and are not safe to use, anyhow

Once the tremors subside, check that you have not suffered any personal injury, (in the mayhem many people do not notice when receiving a wound), and then try to help others in the vicinity.  As you move around, be aware of any damaged gas lines or severed electric cables in the area.  If you do smell gas, the recommended course of action is to open the windows and doors.

However, should you find yourself somewhere that is somewhat sealed in, it can be safer to not do so, because of the gas to air ratio.  If the amount of gas to air exceeds a certain ratio, it will not ignite.  In which case, letting in more air could provide the necessary oxygen for combustion, and consequently cause an explosion.

Best Be Prepared

If your home is located within an earthquake zone, it is prudent to have an emergency pack on hand.  The pack should include a fire extinguisher, flashlight and spare batteries, a radio and a first-aid kit.

  • You should be aware of the location of the gas and water supply cut-offs in your home
  • If you have a family, it is a good idea for one of you to learn basic first aid
  • Organize your home so that heavy items are not stored above where they could become dangerous if toppled when the surroundings shook

 

by Neil Cull

Posted in: Other Stuff, Survival Tips

What To Do If You Have a Heart Attack

September 29, 2012 3:24 am /

A heart attack is also known as CAD or coronary artery disease, CA or cardiac arrest, and MI or myocardial infarction is the result of a blockage in supply of oxygenated blood to the heart. The heart is a muscle, and this shortage literally starves it of oxygen. Under these anaerobic conditions, the heart quickly begins to die.

Even though prompt medical assistance is the key to surviving a cardiac arrest, many patients still die en route, before reaching the hospital. This is more understandable when you consider the fact that the average person suffers heart failure for some three hours before picking up the phone and dialing 911.

The Major Causes of Cardiac Arrest

The main underlying causes of the disease include:

  • Obesity
  • High blood pressure
  • High levels of blood sugar, usually secondary to diabetes
  • High cholesterol levels
  • Smoking

While a heart attack affects people in many different ways, most sufferers exhibit at least some of the following symptoms:

  • Pain, numbness, or both; often starting in the chest and then felt in the back, the shoulders, down the left arm, in the stomach and in the jaw area.
  • Labored breathing.
  • Feeling overly tired for no reason.
  • Feeling weak or faint, experiencing cold sweats.
  • Unusual changes in mood, confused or acute stress.

How To Help Yourself

If you are alone and you think you might be having a heart attack, seek immediate medical assistance. Waiting in case it is only angina or heartburn could be a deadly mistake. If blood flow to the heart remains interrupted, irreparable damage quickly ensues.

How To Help Others

If you witness someone else having a heart attack, you can help by:

  • Assisting them to sit down and rest, calmly.
  • Loosening clothing that appears tight, especially around the neck and extremities.
  • Asking if they take any medication for heart disease. If they do, locate it and help them administer it, without further delay.
  • Alerting emergency services if their pain has not subsided after a few minutes, or if they become unresponsive.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or you are overweight or smoke your risk of having a heart attack is higher.  Don’t wait to change your habits, as people of all ages can suffer cardiac arrests, and frequently do. The time to change your lifestyle is now, today.  Take these simple steps towards a healthier heart:

  • If you smoke, stop! Sure it isn’t easy, but cutting out the cigarettes alone chops your risk in half.  When will you ever get better odds than that?
  • If you have high blood pressure look at different ways to relax, like meditation or a peaceful pass-times.
  • Keep diabetes and high cholesterol in check with a healthy, balanced diet and be sure to steer well clear of saturated fats.
  • If you are overweight, address the issue now, as it is only going to get harder.
  • Make an effort to engage in regular exercise, and commit to a long-term fitness regime. Improve your chances of success by partnering up with a friend, or enlisting the help of children, or grandchildren.

Eat Your Way To A Healthier Heart

Eat plenty of fresh fruit, veggies, and whole grain.  Also, chicken and fish are good for you; while beef and bacon offer no benefit whatsoever, but both can easily replace the pounds you’ve worked so hard to shed.

And lastly, limit your alcohol consumption to a few drinks a week, and if you enjoy a daily tipple, try following the example set by the French by enjoying an evening glass of red wine. It can help you relax, and is said to promote healthy blood flow.
by Neil Cull

Posted in: Health & Beauty, Medical, Personal

What To Do If Jailbreak Fails

September 28, 2012 7:30 pm /

As popular as it is to jailbreak, these days, there are several disadvantages well worth contemplating before attempting to break your own iPhone.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

  1. On average, post-jailbreak apps tend to cost considerably more in stores like Cydia than the legitimate downloads in iTunes do, particularly the sought-after software.  It may be a good idea to browse through the unauthorized upgrades available, to see which ones you are interested in installing.
  2. Most owners who have already jail-broken their devices successfully, admit that there is a price to pay for freedom from Apple; the iPhone is undeniably unstable following the procedure, and never regains anything close to its original footing.  In addition, the question of compromised security is of real concern, according to many experts.
  3. When you jailbreak your phone, you forfeit any further warranty in doing so; if things go wrong later, you are very much on your own.
  4. Updating a freed iPhone is a chore.  You have to uninstall all the questionable apps that you have installed and, after updating, they all need to be re-installed.
  5. When a jailbreak goes to plan, it can be a liberating experience, for a while…  In truth, there are so many ever-so-slight errors to evade; you could end up spending more time restoring the iPhone’s operating system than you do enjoying the newfound freedom.

Should the Get Away Not Get You Very Far

If you decided to go ahead anyway, and the breakout did not go exactly according to plan, the good news is that it is relatively easy to restore your device.  Follow these simple steps to return your iPhone to its former glory, without leaving any clues as to your failed attempts at fleeing.

Hold the Power and Home keys down simultaneously, until the device turns off.

  1. Connect the USB cable to your PC, but wait before attaching the other end to the iPhone.
  2. Start up iTunes on the computer and wait for it open fully.
  3. Hold down the iPhone’s Home key, while inserting the cable from the compute.
  4. Continue to hold until the “Connect to iTunes” message appears and then click “O.K.”
  5. Right click your phone, visible on the left of the iTunes’ screen, and select Restore.

That is it.  You should now be able to synchronize your phone as before, and there should not be so much as a sign of any attempted escape.  Although it may take a day or two for your iPhone to make a complete recovery, but it should.

 

by Neil Cull

Posted in: Personal, Phone

What To Do If a Condom Breaks

September 28, 2012 11:36 am /

The condom has been employed as a barrier contraceptive for centuries. Gaining popularity in the nineteen hundreds, their design has improved alongside progressing techniques of manufacture, and with the discovery of more reliable materials with which to make them. By the latter half of the twentieth century, they were one of the most popular forms of contraception available.

Condoms Do Break

In spite of their long-standing reputation for dependable durability, even the modern prophylactic has broken, on occasion. If this happens to you, or your partner, it is important that these steps are followed, as promptly as permissible:

  • Apply a vaginal spermicide, if on hand.
  • Do not douche, (repeatedly wash inside), the vagina as this can increase a woman’s chances of contracting a STD.
  • Contact your doctor and ask that emergency contraception be prescribed, often referred to as the morning-after pill.
  • Arrange for STD testing, regardless of any shared sexual history. Just because they declare you as the only one, does not necessarily mean that you are. It is best for both of you, and any future love interests, that you be certain.

You should aim to learn from your mistakes. If your partner cannot be trusted, maybe you should reconsider the partnership. If you are both concerned for the other’s welfare, consider these possible reasons as to why condoms sometimes can break, and include the advice as part of your safer sex practices in the future.

The Dos and Don’ts

  • Do not use any oils or lotions unless explicitly labeled as safe for use with condoms. If it does not say, it is not safe.
  • Avoid using a condom that you have carried around for some time, crunched up in a purse, or a wallet.
  • Never store condoms near a heat source, or in direct sunlight, both of which will weaken them.
  • Check the expiration date, always stamped on every individual condom’s packet.
  • Tear open carefully, without using your teeth or anything else sharp.
  • Confirm the condom fits properly, leaving ample room at the tip per the instructions. If you can’t trust your man, check it for yourself ladies.
  • Refrain from continually changing positions during intercourse; if you do, re-inspect the condom frequently, replacing it if at all unsure.

 

by Neil Cull

Posted in: Health & Beauty, Personal, Relationships

What To Do If You Have a Hickey

September 25, 2012 1:02 pm /

A hickey or love-bite is a bruise resulting from someone biting your skin, reasonably hard.  Common among teenagers, most adults prefer to pass on account of the embarrassing evidence that’s left behind.  Even so, there are times when passion supersedes reason; and what looked sexy last night is an unwanted scar this morning.

The Lingering Kiss

Love-bites can last up to two weeks, depending on how hard the bite was and how quickly you heal.  The bruise results from ruptured capillaries, just beneath the skin’s surface.  Initially red, due to the recently released blood that remains oxygenated briefly; the hickey darkens to a purplish brown as the blood dries, within a few hours.

It takes time for the escaped blood to disperse, and the local tissue to heal.  If you are hoping to find a quick-fix solution, sadly none exists.  Your only immediate option is to either:

  • Cover the hickey with a band-aid and claim that (a) you cut yourself shaving, or (b) that pesky cat caught you off guard this morning.
  • Apply make-up to the area, smooth it in so the edges don’t show; concealer works best.
  • Hide it under clothing:  Scarf, turtle-neck, bandanna, or high-collared shirt.

If none of them is suitable attire for your job, consider not showing up to work for a few days.  You want to pick a malady with a rapid onset, like influenza.

Life After Love-Bites

Getting rid of the troublesome tooth-marks can take a while, though there are ways to hurry the healing process along.  Some of the tried and tested techniques are:

  • Cold is most effective in the first 24 hours; use a cold compress or ice wrapped in a towel.  The sooner you apply the better.  Hold against the skin for 10-20 minutes then remove for the same amount of time.  You can apply repeatedly throughout the first day, and the next.
  • Toothpaste – rub it on and your skin will soon tingle.  Remove the paste when the tingling subsides and repeat several times a day.
  • Massage the area, smoothing the skin around.  The aim is to disperse the blood, so you need to be firm; try running your fingers over the site too.
  • Apply aloe vera lotion to the site, or skin cream with Vitamin E or K.
  • After the first 48 hours, you should stop using cold compresses, and switch to warm ones instead.  A water bottle works well, or a hot face towel.

And the next time your partner starts to nibble on your neck, why not move their mouth down, a little lower?

 

by Neil Cull

 

Posted in: Health & Beauty, Personal

What To Do If Your Dog Eats Chocolate

September 25, 2012 7:16 am /

Many of the foods that we eat are perfectly fine for your dog to eat too, but chocolate is certainly not.  One of the components in chocolate is Theobromine; and while this caffeine-like alkaloid is harmless for us, it is very poisonous to your pooch.

Regardless, some ill-informed owners still like to spoil their pets occasionally with a chunk of chocolate, claiming it to be harmless; which it is in such small quantities.  But that is not the real problem.

How Much Is Too Much?

Most veterinarians consider this behavior to be the cause of the majority of chocolate-related canine deaths.  In fact, feeding your dog chocolate could be compared to treating the kids to a quart of whiskey occasionally.  You may find that statement extreme, but think about it.

Many pets are discovered on the family’s return home, to find their best friend slouched over a box of assorted dark candy.  The truth is, had the irresponsible owner not nurtured the animal’s craving, it would not have had the   desire to wolf down the whole box in the first place.

Should you suspect that your dog may have ingested a quantity of chocolate, you should monitor it’s behavior.  The telltale signs of intoxication include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Increased urination
  • Restlessness
  • Increased heart rate
  • Hyper excitability
  • Hyper irritability
  • Muscle tremors   

If you open your door to find a pet displaying the last three listed above, youhave very good cause to call out the vet.  Or take your dog to the surgery, immediately.  As with any poison victim time is of the essence, and every second counts.

So What Is A Deadly Dose?

To give you an idea of how much chocolate we’re talking about, the chart below shows the amount of chocolate  per weight of dog.  It is a rough estimate, and should not be relied on for emergency information.

 

Toy Poodle

Labrador

Great Dane

Milk (oz)

8

60

150

Semi-Sweet (oz)

2 1/2

18

45

Dark (oz)

                3/4

6

15

 

 

 

by Neil Cull

Posted in: Animals, Home & Garden