Baby Boomer Credit Fitness-Avoid Bankruptcy Double Jeopardy

LVM — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:30:39 +0000

Our guest author for this post is Morlino and Lathea Morris on How to Avoid Bankruptcy Double Jeopardy

As more people remain unemployed and layoffs continue, more and more consumers are finding themselves unable to pay their bills and forced to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Although you expect your credit score to take a hit when you file bankruptcy, you shouldn’t be penalized twice. But many consumers who have filed bankruptcy and anxiously applied for financing soon after their bankruptcy is discharged, are shocked to learn they have been denied only because the credit bureaus have failed to do their job. Credit bureaus sometimes don’t update consumer credit reports to show debts that are included in the bankruptcy. A court ruling requires the three credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion to report all debts that are discharged through Chapter 7 bankruptcy to be listed as such on consumer credit reports. Delinquent debts that were discharged through bankruptcy that still appear on your credit report not updated will negatively impact your credit score. Why? These debts will be looked upon as current debts and will appear to a potential lender that you still owe these debts.

A customer who has been using our Complete Credit Management Toolkit to smartly manage his credit after filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, unfortunately, missed a very important follow-up step. He spent a period of time getting his family finances in order and remaining debt free. But it wasn’t until his mortgage application was denied, that he realized he had failed to take a very important step. Had he reviewed his credit reports after his bankruptcy was discharged, he would have discovered credit cards debts that had been included in the bankruptcy were being inaccurately reported on his credit reports. So despite the fact in reality he was debt free, to the mortgage lender he was carrying more debt than he could afford, and he was delinquent on these accounts as well. The lesson here is this, if you see a bankruptcy in your future, remember, once your bankruptcy is discharged, your job is to follow-up with the credit bureaus to make sure they have done their job. Unresolved errors will negatively impact your credit worthiness. Here are some Smart Credit Moves:

1. Request a copy of all three of your credit reports from the three major credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. You can get them free online at www.annualacreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228.

2. Examine your reports carefully for errors. Pay particular attention to any accounts that were discharged as part of a bankruptcy. Any civil judgments discharged in a bankruptcy should be reported as discharged or included in bankruptcy and show a zero balance. Any other accounts discharged in bankruptcy should be reported as discharged or included in bankruptcy and show a zero balance versus showing charge-off or any other reporting.

3. Report to the credit bureaus any errors uncovered. Send them a copy of the credit report with the errors high-lighted, include any supporting documents from the bankruptcy court.

During these economic times, it’s more important than ever for consumers to review their credit reports for inaccuracies that could cause their credit score to plummet -and interest rates and insurance premiums to spike! It is your responsibility to make certain credit bureaus are doing their job. Be Proactive!

Save The Date in January 2010 for Lathea and Morlino’s Teleseminars.

Reverse Mortgage For Your Parents?

Rosie — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:00:52 +0000

I honestly do not know much about reverse mortgages. However, I do know that many baby boomers have different opinions about them. I am posting an article from a guest blogger. However, I welcome other articles on this subject that may or may not be in agreement. I also welcome your comments and experiance with reverse mortagages.

My goal is to present information that will add clarity for baby boomers who are exploring this option for their parents. Thank you

A Mortgage That Will Bring a Smile to Your Parents

Courtesy of By Sam Telford from Reverse Mortgage Advisors

Here’s an interesting and informative bit of news for “Baby Boomers” looking to make their parents’ life happy and peaceful without taking a burden on their shoulders! You can take a reverse mortgage loan for your parents if they own a home, this will ensure that they live the rest of their lives with pride and honor. By doing so, you ensure that you continue saving your hard-earned money and at the same time do not compromise with your parents’ lifestyle. Amazing, isn’t it! Surely you would like to know more about reverse mortgages, how exactly they work, and how your parents as well as you can benefit from them. So here goes!

If the borrower is above 62 years of age and needs a constant source of income to sustain a decent lifestyle, he/she can go ahead and apply for a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is a special type of loan that assists senior citizens to convert a portion of their home equity, built up over the years of mortgage payments, into ready cash. Unlike other types of mortgages, the borrower does not need to make any repayments as long as he/she continues using the home as his/her primary residence. In case there is an existing mortgage on the home, it needs to be paid off using some of the proceeds from the reverse mortgage.

Surely, if you are a “Baby Boomer,” you would not qualify for a reverse mortgage as it requires the borrower to be above 62 years of age. However, this special type of loan is ideal for your parents. Reverse mortgages are rapidly becoming popular in the U.S. because of the benefits that it offers. For all senior citizens, a reverse mortgage can assist them in:

Maintaining a decent lifestyle and being financially independent
Paying for long term care while living at home
Leading a secure life with the comfort that they are not a burden to anybody
Paying off their daily bills that includes the telephone bill, electricity bill, and grocery bill as well as maintaining their home
Staying in their sweet home for the rest of their lives and without any restrictions on how to use the received money
Retaining total ownership of the home and ensuring no tax deduction on the proceeds
Living with pride and honor as well as purchasing gifts for children and grandchildren
Traveling to various destinations without having to ask for money from children

With so many benefits for senior citizens, a reverse mortgage is a blessing in disguise. In addition, it is a government-backed procedure that ensures no one loses in the bargain. Not only this, reverse mortgage also offers a lot of benefits to all you “Baby Boomers” who encourage your parents to go ahead for reverse mortgage.

Without paying a penny from your pocket, you ensure that your parents live a decent lifestyle with pride and honor.
You continue saving your hard-earned money while ensuring that your parents pay off all their bills without having to depend on you.
The home continues to be in your parents’ name; therefore, they never need to look for a residence.
You continue to have a healthy and happy relationship with your parents without ever feeling that they are a burden.
After the home is sold off and the existing debt is paid off, all the extra money comes across to you

However, one fact that you should know about; is that reverse mortgage is a loan that has increasing debt and decreasing equity. This means that the longer thr reverse mortgage lasts, the less will be the equity of the home. Therefore, when the home is eventually sold off, you as an inheritor will get less money. However, the abundance of benefits that reverse mortgage offers to senior citizens as well as their children overshadows this meager fact! Moreover, such a fact should never stop you from encouraging your parents to go ahead for reverse mortgage. For all the pain and compromises your parents made to ensure that you are entitled to a decent lifestyle, this is the least that you can do for them; make sure that they live comfortably in their own home for the rest of their lives.

For a reverse mortgage quote contact Reverse Mortgage Adviser

Rosie's Boomer Review » mortgages

Baby Boomer Credit Fitness-Avoid Bankruptcy Double Jeopardy

Reverse Mortgage For Your Parents?