Tag: credit card

CREDIT CARD DEBT: 9 REASONS HOUSEHOLDS ARE BEING CRUSHED BY CREDIT CARD DEBT

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date October 12, 2015

Credit card debt because of reward points?

The quest for credit card reward points has caused many Canadians to overspend and get deeper into debt. We’re being lured by the promise of free trips, free merchandise, services and cash back. As a result we’re overusing credit and we’re left with monthly balances that are accruing high interest charges.

The 9 reasons people are being crushed by credit card debt

According to Canada.CreditCards.com:

52% of Canadian households had credit card debt not being repaid in full by the due date in 2014
Credit card debt as of November 30, 2014: $75 billion
Average credit card debt as of Nov. 30, 2014: $2,627 for each Canadian age 18 or over
Average number of credit cards per Canadian adult: 2.9 in 2013 (including Visa, MasterCard and American Express)
Canadian adult credit card holders carrying cards with rewards: 77% in 2013
The average Canadian household has members belonging to a total of 8.2 loyalty programs

The US statistics are even more eye popping

According to nerdwallet.com:

The average US household credit card debt stands at $15,706, counting only those households carrying debt
Based on an analysis of Federal Reserve statistics and other government data, the average credit card debt per household is $7,327 on their cards
Looking only at indebted households, the average outstanding balance rises to $15,706

What are your reward points really costing you?

Many Canadians don’t understand the true value of reward points. Typically reward points are worth 2% or less. However, annual interest rates are typically in the range of 20%. The reality is that if you’re paying interest on an unpaid balance then you’re really going into debt and not benefitting anything from your reward points. They’re costing you way too much for no return.

Start learning now how to pay off your credit card

TransUnion Canada says for every $1,000 charged in a given month, only about $600 will be paid off by the due date to avoid interest charges. Instead of focusing on reward points, make every attempt to pay off your credit card balance. If you are one of the many not paying off your balance in full each month, stop paying 20% in interest charges by:

Making a budget and sticking to it
Include some amount in your budget for paying off credit card balances
Use cash, not a credit card, to pay for necessities
Pay for everyday items with cash

When looking for credit card debt help, people normally first think of either a debt consolidation loan or a debt settlement company. Although these are two of the several credit card debt solutions for settling credit card debt, we caution:

consolidation loans are also expensive and most times if you already have outstanding debt you may not qualify for such a loan
we have written many blogs about the dangers of debt settlement companies, including, DEBT SETTLEMENT COMPANIES FINALLY TAKEN TO TASK IN ONTARIO
The US Federal Trade Commission also warns about debt settlement scams

How to get out of debt? Take action right now!

Don’t add more debt to your existing debt and don’t ignore your debt! Contact a trustee for professional help. The Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. Team will evaluate your situation and come up with a solid financial plan to put you back on the right track. We will review your options with you on how to reduce credit card debt and eliminate it, hopefully using one of the bankruptcy alternatives. Call us today and take the first step towards living a debt free life Starting Over, Starting Now.

Brandon Blog Post

CANADIAN HOUSEHOLD DEBT: WE SEEM TO LOVE IT!

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date October 5, 2015

Canadian household debt at a record high

The ratio of Canadian household debt to disposable income has hit a record high of 164.6%. This means for every $1 of after tax income Canadians earned, they owed nearly $1.65 in credit market debt – mortgages, credit cards and other kinds of consumer loans. The reality is that many Canadians are living in a financial danger zone. They’re walking a financial tightrope where anything like the loss of a job or an increase in interest rates can throw off this delicate balance and plunge them into financial disaster.

Increase is no surprise

TD Bank economist Jonathan Bendiner wrote about Canadian household debt, “The increase came as no surprise. Rising mortgage debt drove most of the growth as interest rate cuts by the Bank of Canada earlier in the year spurred borrowing, especially in the hot housing markets in British Columbia with all the homes for sale in Mission BC and Ontario”. The great concern now is what happens once interest rates rise to more typical levels. How many Canadian will no longer be able to pay their bills or carry their household debt?

5 reasons why for the increase in Canadian household debt

Why is Canadian household debt at an all time high? In addition to rising mortgage debt it may come down to one simple word – lifestyle:

Credit card spending rose by 8% this year (Moneris Solutions Corp.)
Spending on restaurants and fast food rose by more than 12% (Moneris Solutions Corp.)
Home improvement spending soared nearly 10% in the second quarter of the year compared with the same time last year, led by sales of glass, paint, wallpaper and flooring (Moneris Solutions Corp.)
Furniture sales are up more than 17% (Moneris Solutions Corp.)
Auto loans rose nearly 4% in the second quarter on the back of record vehicle sales (Equifax)

Has income kept pace with Canadian household debt? No!

Unfortunately incomes haven’t increased in the Canadian economy to compensate for the increase in spending and Canadian household debt. A Bank of Montreal report states that approximately 80% of Canadians are in debt and nearly 66% would have trouble affording their household debt if interest rates went up by just two percentage points. Canadians now spend an average 14% of after tax income on their debts. Sadly, the group that’s struggling the most is seniors. According to Equifax, for the first time in five years, 90-day delinquency rates rose among seniors in the second quarter.

What is a person to do?

Are you walking a financial tightrope? If interest rates rise will you be able to afford your household debt? Better yet, would you know how to pay off debt?

Don’t wait for disaster to strike! The time for professional help is NOW. Contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. We’re experts in debt and debt management. We approach every file with the attitude that corporate or personal financial problems can be solved given immediate action and the right plan. Starting Over, Starting Now we can give you financial peace of mind.

Tags auto loans, Canadian debt, Canadian economy, Canadian household debt, credit card, credit card spending, Debt, Equifax, financial danger zone, household debt, how to pay off debt, interest rates, lifestyle, Moneris Solutions, mortgage debt, seniors, trustee

Brandon Blog Post

THREE KINDS OF CREDIT CARD CHARGES NEEDING DEBT RELIEF

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date September 22, 2015

The need for credit card debt relief

Debt relief from credit card debt is something we see in our personal insolvency cases all the time. We read in the newspaper and hear in the media about the high level of Canadian debt. Credit cards, after mortgages, are one of the main types of debt being carried.

People always ask us how to reduce debt and the first way is to have realistic expectations about what you can afford. The next way, is not to fall for advertisements that seem too good to be true and require you to input your credit card information for a “free trial”.

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”; that may be true for free trials as well. These so called free trials most commonly incur what we call “grey charges”. Grey charges are big business and responsible for big debt. According to Aite Group, there are 233 million grey charges a year, amounting to $14.3-billion (U.S.).

What are grey charges?

Free-to-paid are the most common grey charges. You sign up for a free trial period (typically a magazine or online service subscription) after which it becomes a paid subscription if you forget to cancel by a certain deadline. How many people forget to cancel by the deadline? There are over 115 million free-to-paid transactions a year, adding up to over $6 billion, according to Aite Group.
Phantoms are extra products and services added onto another transaction.
Zombies are subscription fees continually billed to you even after cancellation.

We are seeing more grey charges creeping into credit card debt requiring overall debt relief.

Why are they called grey charges?

They’re called grey charges because although they’re legal, they are morally in a grey area.

These grey charges can go on year after year and all the while you’re accumulating debt. “Nine out of 10 people don’t check their credit card charges carefully,” says Mick Weinstein, vice-president of software company BillGuard. “And even if they do, it’s too time-consuming to dispute those charges. So most people simply let them go.”

So the first avenue to obtain debt relief, is to look at all your credit card charges closely and take the time to dispute the ones that do not look authorized.

Four ways to catch grey charges

Don’t be on auto-pilot when it comes to your finances. Take action against grey charges with these 4 tips.

Check your credit card statements carefully each and every month. These may seem like small charges, but they can add up and hurt you.
Don’t sign up for free trials. Remember, there’s always a hook. So if you wouldn’t pay monthly for it, don’t sign up. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
If you do sign up for a subscription, make sure you read the fine print. You need to understand exactly what your financial obligation is.
Check for phantoms. You may be paying for features you don’t want or need.

Serious debt requires serious professional help

Debt is serious business that requires the help of serious professionals. If you’re struggling with debt and are in need of debt relief, contact the Ira Smith Team as soon as possible. We’re a full service insolvency and financial restructuring practice serving companies and individuals throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) facing financial crisis or bankruptcy that need a plan for Starting Over, Starting Now. We have helped many individuals obtain the debt relief they so desparately require. Take the first step towards financial freedom today.

Tags Bankruptcy, Canadian debt, credit card, credit card debt, Debt, debt relief, free trials, free-to-paid, grey charges, how to reduce debt, insolvency, phantoms, starting over starting now, subscriptions

Brandon Blog Post

FINANCIAL INFIDELITY: DON’T WAIT FOR YOUR SPOUSE TO CHEAT BEFORE DISCUSSING MARRIAGE FINANCES

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date July 7, 2015

Financial infidelity: Introduction

Financial infidelity is on the rise and for some strange reason marriage finances is a taboo subject for many married people. Spouses are lying to each about how much they earn. Forty percent (40%) could not correctly identify which salary range their spouse falls into. Couples are not being honest about what they spend, what they spend it on and the amount of debt that they are carrying. As you will see below, financial infidelity is a major issue. Couples break their promise of being financially faithful to each other.

Financial infidelity: What some studies say

A new study from the National Endowment for Financial Education conducted with Harris Interactive reports:

33% of people who have joint accounts said they have committed financial infidelity
35% said they have been the victim of their spouse’s financial deception

According to CreditCards.com:

2 million Americans have a bank account or credit card that their spouse doesn’t know about
20% of Americans have hidden a purchase of $500 or more from their significant other

Financial infidelity: We can help get you back on the right path

Financial infidelity can be a “recipe for disaster,” said Matt Schulz, a senior analyst at CreditCards.com. “It’s incredibly difficult to keep a household budget when you don’t know how much money is coming in and out, he said. It could lead to late bill payments, which can harm your credit score”. As we have previously discussed, a balanced budget is to financial health what a balanced diet is to physical health.

When it comes to marriage finances, honesty is the best policy. If you have been either the perpetrator or the victim of financial infidelity, you may be in serious financial jeopardy. Don’t wait until you are out of options. Contact a professional trustee as soon as possible. The Ira Smith team is a full service insolvency and financial restructuring practice serving companies and people throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) facing financial crisis or bankruptcy that need a plan for Starting Over, Starting Now. We can help. Call today.

Tags balanced budget, Bankruptcy, budget, credit card, credit score, financial deception, financial infidelity, financial restructuring, insolvency, marriage finances, professional trustee, starting over starting now, trustee

Brandon Blog Post

LOANS TORONTO NO CREDIT CHECK: A DEBT SOLUTION?

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date June 5, 2014

I never realized that loans Toronto no credit check was such a popular topic. I want to tell you about three experiences that I had in the past few days. They are all separate, yet all related.

Revelation #1 – You can’t even buy beer with bad credit!

Last Friday, we were having the whole family over for dinner. The weather was so warm and pleasant, that we were going to have a BBQ and eat outdoors on the back deck. I went to The Beer Store to pick up some additional beverages and when I went to check out, I had my first revelation. At the front of the line was a fellow paying for his beer by cheque. I never even realized that you could do that. The clerk inspected the cheque and then asked the gent for identification, and he produced his drivers licence. The clerk ran his information through The Beer Store’s electronic system and politely advised the gentleman that he has been declined to pay by ordinary cheque, and that he could only pay by cash, certified cheque or credit card. The man could not pay for his beer because of his bad credit and had to leave without his favourite brew. This man obviously has financial problems and has to solve them. How he wished he was able to get at that moment one or more loans Toronto no credit check so that he could enjoy his beer last weekend!

Revelation #2 – This man obviously was not alone needing loans Toronto no credit check

On the weekend I was looking at some analytics to see which of our blogs have been accessed the most over the last 30 days. To my shock (yes, notwithstanding our Firm has been helping people who have trouble living paycheque to paycheque and corporations in need of restructuring and turnarounds, I can still be shocked) the 4 most read blogs in the last month were::

There are obviously a lot of people concerned about their debt levels and looking for information on bad credit loans, payday loans, loans Toronto no credit check and how to tackle student loan debt. These blogs were not only the most viewed in the last 30 days, but our blogs on the topic of payday loans and bad credit loans are the most read. Obviously, there is a large demand in the Greater Toronto area for loans Toronto no credit check.

Revelation #3 – Our top searches are from people looking for loans Toronto no credit check

Yesterday I look at our analytics to see what were the top search terms that brought people to our blog and Firm website in the last 30 days. There were 221 visits to our website using the following search terms:

You don’t need me to tell you what this means. There are a lot of people with bad credit who are feeling pain in our society and believe that more loans Toronto no credit check is their solution. The amazing thing though is that rather than looking for bankruptcy alternatives such as consumer proposals, or if required, bankruptcy itself, these people are looking to borrow more money (apparently $5000 is a popular number) from high cost lenders.

These people are misguided in that they think that further high cost loans Toronto no credit check will solve their problem. I understand the way these people think. It is hard for us to face our challenges. Whether it is about our health, our family or our financial situation, it is difficult and painful to look at our problems straight in the face, especially if we are the one who created the problem. These people mistakenly think that taking on more debt is the solution.

Well, it is not. These people need to recognize that their credit score is so poor because of choices they have made in the past, and their behaviour has to change. Taking on more debt through loans Toronto no credit check is just more of the “same old same old”. They need to look at ways to budget so that their expenses are less than their income. They need to start saving to pay down debt. If they can’t do it on their own, then they must consult a licensed professional trustee who can discuss options with them: budgeting, bankruptcy alternatives such as debt consolidation or a consumer proposal or perhaps even bankruptcy.

There also needs to be a discussion regarding life after implementing the solution and working on improving their credit score. If any of this sounds like a situation you are in, taking on more debt through payday loans or loans Toronto no credit check is not your answer.

You need to contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. right away for a no charge consultation. You can even check out our bankruptcy faqs now online here. We will go over all of your options, and encourage and help you to implement the one that is right for you so that together we can solve your problems with immediate action and the right plan so that Starting Over, Starting Now will become your reality.

Brandon Blog Post

SECURED CREDIT CARD

Post author By Brandon Smith
Post date April 24, 2014

A secured credit card functions in the same manner as a regular credit card. The only exception being that the card is secured by the amount of deposited funds that remain safeguarded in the institution where the individual acquires the card. The card looks like a regular credit card and acts like a traditional credit card. Purchases are limited by the amount of funds backing the card. The majority of institutions require a minimum secure balance of $500. However, individuals or businesses may deposit more if desired.

Who Uses a Secured Credit Card?

The card might be used by anyone with a past or current history of bad credit. When first starting out, many young people or students have no line of credit. The card might serve as a means of establishing a credit history. Someone recently moving to Canada, having recently undergone bankruptcy or having difficulty obtaining a conventional credit card may also look into acquiring a secured card.

Newlyweds starting a life together often look for ways of establishing credit. Anyone having endured a divorce or the death of a spouse may also need to start over and rebuilding credit. Entrepreneurs having difficulty getting financial backing or searching for a means of creating a financial history might also be interested in securing a card.

Benefits of a Secured Credit Card

Getting approved for a secured card is practically guaranteed. Having a card eliminates the need to withdraw and carry cash. However, in case someone needs cash for an emergency, the card enables users to get cash advances. Numerous other conveniences of having a credit card include using the card for making reservations, purchases or services rendered.

A secured credit card offers an ideal way to establish or improve credit scores, which are typically required when needing to apply for loans. By making monthly payments for goods or services, in the same way that one would if having a traditional credit card, you can learn how to create and stick to a budget.

Many secured credit cards don’t carry the same fees that are required by traditional cards so using them is not only convenient but less expensive.

Ensuring Good Credit

After applying for and acquiring the credit card, maintaining good credit means:

i. Paying off the balance monthly

ii. Paying more than the minimal monthly amount required

iii. Making payments on time

Get a Secured Credit Card Today

Regardless of your current financial situation we can help. To find out more about secured credit cards, and even to apply for a secured credit card, click on this link for the application form. If you are experiencing financial problems, contact Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. We are a licensed trustee and will listen to your issues and provide compassionate, professional assistance to assist you to avoid bankruptcy.

We will explore alternatives to bankruptcy, such as debt consolidation, credit counselling and consumer proposals. Starting Over, Starting Now, we will assist you to regain your financial health.

Tags alternatives to bankruptcy, avoid bankruptcy, bad credit, Bankruptcy, consumer proposals, credit card, credit counselling, credit history, credit scores, debt consolidation, financial health, financial history, licensed trustee, rebuilding credit, secured credit card, secured credit card offers, starting over starting now