Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Avoiding Debt Traps With Buy Now, Pay Later Services
Financial experts agree that budgeting is more useful for diagnosing debt problems than for paying off debts more quickly; even if you pare your food budget down to instant ramen noodles for dinner and peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, it takes a major effort to have more money available for debt repayment. An entire… Read More »
What Not To Say To Debt Collectors
In a perfect world, you would not have to deal with debt collectors at all. If you have debts you cannot afford to pay, as more than half of all Americans do, then eventually the debt collectors start calling you. Your instinct might be to curse them out and hang up the phone or… Read More »
The No Surprises Act Is Good News For Uninsured Patients, Too
Now that 2021 is well into its fourth quarter, the speculations are beginning about what 2022 will hold. New, scarier variants of the SARS-COV-2 virus? Midterm elections that are every bit as ugly as the last few election cycles have been? Rising prices of food and other consumer goods? One thing that has to… Read More »
Is A Credit Limit Increase On A Credit Card Good Or Bad For Your Finances?
Most people aspire to pay down their debts and encounter considerable challenges in doing so, but not everyone has the same motivation for paying more than the minimum payments on their credit card bills. A small but vocal minority wants to pay down their debts, including credit card bills and home mortgage, and never… Read More »
Yes, Debt Collector Harassment Can Cause PTSD
When most of us were children, kids who were the targets of bullying by classmates could expect their parents to tell them to toughen up and their teachers to tell them to stop being a tattletale. Today, parents and teachers recognize peer bullying for what it is, namely harassment and emotional or physical abuse. … Read More »
Is Having Multiple Credit Cards Good Or Bad For Your Credit?
Becoming debt free is a common financial goal, and so is getting approved for a large loan. To accomplish the first goal, you must concentrate on paying down the credit card debt you already have and very rarely make new purchases on your credit cards. To accomplish the second goal, your long-term strategy needs… Read More »
Student Loan Debt In Pennsylvania Is As Bad As You Think It Is
This year, the federal government has taken some steps to make it easier for struggling former students to receive loan forgiveness and erase some of their education debt, but millions of graduates, as well as millions of Americans who borrowed money for college but left without graduating, still have just as much federal, state,… Read More »
Is It Used Car Fraud If The Car Self-Destructs Right After The Warranty Ends?
Many big-ticket items come with the option to purchase a warranty, where the seller will repair problems that arise in a set period of time after the sale, at no cost to the buyer. The optimist sees this as an honest business practice that saves buyers from being stuck with defective items that malfunction… Read More »
Philadelphia Mom Sues Dealership Over False Advertising And Misrepresentation Of Car’s History
A gently used car can be the best of all possible worlds. You have probably heard that a car’s resale value decreases by thousands of dollars the minute it leaves the dealership lot. Therefore, if you buy a car that only has a few thousand miles on its odometers, you are, for all practical… Read More »
Westmoreland County Man Who Sold 67 Used Vehicles Under False Premises Sentenced To House Arrest
Lots of buyers are on their guard as soon as they set foot in a used car dealership. The brightly colored balloons making the dealership visible from a distance and the megawatt smiles of the sharply dressed salespeople raise red flags for car buying skeptics. The employees at used car dealerships are willing to… Read More »
