Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Credit Repair, Debt Consolidation, and Credit Repair: Should You Pay Someone to Do It for You?
There are plenty of ways to improve your creditworthiness. The one that pops up at the top of the organic search results, namely reducing your expenses, increasing your income, and putting more of it toward debt repayment, is easier said than done for most people. Prices are high, and wages are stagnant, so even… Read More »
Can You Pickle Your Way Out of Debt?
Whoever said that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar has never opened a jar of pickles at a picnic. The only reason the flies do not swarm around the pickles is because the human guests at the picnic eat all of the pickles before the flies have the chance… Read More »
Debt Relief for Seniors
People spend decades of their lives working hard and borrowing money strategically, and repaying their debts so that they can retire comfortably. The goal is that, in retirement, your expenses will be low enough that your retirement savings, Social Security income, Medicare, and long-term care insurance can meet all of your needs. Unfortunately, this… Read More »
Does It Affect Your Finances If Your Ex-Spouse Files for Bankruptcy?
Rebuilding your finances after divorce is never easy; you may have to find some new favorite family activities that cost a lot less than the ones you used to engage in before your divorce. If Dave and Buster’s was your favorite Saturday hangout, you might have to substitute it with feeding ducks in the… Read More »
Rent-to-Own Pays $11 Million Settlement to Benefit Consumers Harmed by Its Rental Practices
It is counterproductive, and sometimes downright insulting, when purveyors of personal finance advice say that you should never pay for anything in installments. Most of us simply do not have enough money sitting in our bank accounts to pay the full amount for a purchase that costs hundreds of dollars, and saving up over… Read More »
Can Bots Wreck Your Credit Score?
By now, it is obvious to everyone that bots do not think; they merely remix the information that is already available to them. Despite this, humans authorize algorithms to make decisions all the time. Of course, it is reasonable for algorithms to decide which web pages to display in response to a given search… Read More »
How Hard Is It to Pay Off Credit Card Debt in Pennsylvania?
If you owe a lot of money to credit card companies, you have avoided the worst-case scenario. You are in a better financial position than you would be if all of your credit cards were maxed out and no one would lend to you. If you are making just slightly more than the minimum… Read More »
Will Requesting a Credit Limit Increase Make Your Credit Score Better or Worse?
Credit cards can lead to plenty of trouble, but they can also be a cause and a symptom of financial well-being. The wealthiest people have platinum credit cards that theoretically have no credit limit, so that they can carry a balance of hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even more, as long as they… Read More »
Three Strategies for Prioritizing Debt Repayment
If you are living paycheck to paycheck, then you may have gone through the stressful routine of figuring out which bills you can afford to pay on time and which ones will have to wait until your next paycheck comes in. Of course, now that you have a small surplus in your budget every… Read More »
Can Rewards Apps Like Catch Help You Get Out of Debt?
Small resolutions that you know you can keep are better than grand designs to overhaul your whole life, only to find yourself feeling like a failure when you were unable to meet the overly ambitious goals you set for yourself. It is very difficult to go from being a retail therapy enthusiast to adopting… Read More »
