Jean Chatzky
Jean Chatzky
Jean Sherman Chatzkyis an American financial journalist, author and motivational speaker. Chatzky has given personal financial advice on various TV shows. She is the financial editor for NBC's Today Show...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth7 November 1964
CountryUnited States of America
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If you are able to settle, you'll be getting off rather easy. Debt settlement companies can sometimes get you off the hook for a large percentage of your debt - in many cases, up to 50% will be written off.
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Most people don't know this, but if you settle a debt for less than the amount you owed, you are potentially responsible for taxes on the forgiven debt. Look at it this way: You received goods and services for the full amount of debt, but you're only paying for a portion of it - sometimes less than 50%. Anything more than $600 is generally considered taxable, but the IRS will sometimes waive the tax if you can prove that your assets were less than your liabilities when the debt was settled.
settling settlement forgiven
Debt settlement companies work as a middleman between you and your creditor. If all goes well (and that's a big if), you should be able to settle your debts for cents on the dollar. You'll also pay a fee to the debt settlement company, usually either a percentage of the total debt you have or a percentage of the total amount forgiven.
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I've never met a budget that I couldn't coax a few extra dollars from - and I'll bet that you can do the same. For instance, you're probably buying more minutes and more cable channels than you use. Oh, and how many black skinny jeans do I count in your closet? You have enough money, just the wrong priorities.
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These days, checks are direct-deposited, money comes out of a machine in the wall, and we swipe a plastic card to make a purchase. In other words, your kids can grow up thinking money comes in an endless supply if you don't show them otherwise.
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Couples that do save have stronger, more stable, less stressful unions. In other words, you don't want to be fighting about saving; you just want to be saving, period.
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Embrace your fire - even in hard times. A down economy can actually be a great time to start a business.
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Eliminating or substantially lowering just one major monthly expense can give you enough cushion to move into a more comfortable place financially.
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Put all of your savings on autopilot, and you won't likely notice the missing cash.
loans
I've never been a fan of loans between relatives or friends. They can divide relationships.
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Every minute you spend looking through clutter, wondering where you put this or that, being unable to focus because you're not organized costs you: time you could have spent with family or friends, time you could have been productive around the house, time you could have been making money.
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At the time of my second marriage, my husband was in his early 50s, I was in my mid-40s, and we each had two kids. We maintained our individual accounts and opened one for the house. We each kick the same percentage of our incomes into the house account and have a joint credit card. But we pay for our children separately.
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Use an accountant the first time you file your taxes after becoming a freelancer. It will be worth it.
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Most credit cards provide some sort of protection against a defective purchase, and with gold or platinum cards, you'll often get double the manufacturer's warranty. You're also not immediately out your own money if something goes wrong.