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Zero Debt »

Authors: Lynnette Khalfani, Advantage World Press Staff
ISBN-13: 9781932450750, ISBN-10: 1932450750
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Advantage World Press
Date Published: August 2004
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Lynnette Khalfani

Book Synopsis

Reissue:
This is a reprint of the original edition of Zero Debt.

I know what it s like to have excessive credit card debt. In fact, I know the stresses of having $100,000 in debt. That is the main reason I wrote Zero Debt -- to give people in debt a message of hope: You can conquer your debt! And in many cases, you can do it much faster than you think. If you re drowning in debt, I urge you to pick up a copy of Zero Debt to learn how to quickly eliminate that debt and get on the road to financial freedom. Don't delay: start dumping your debt today!

Book Description: Would you like to be free from financial worries, rest at night knowing your bills are paid, and have peace of mind when it comes to money matters? Then you need Zero Debt. In Zero Debt, you'll discover:

* How to get annoying creditors off your back
* Insider secrets to reduce interest rates or eliminate credit card late fees
* Your legal rights and what bill collectors can and can not do under the law
* The best strategies to clean up your credit report or fix errors in your credit file
* How to make lifestyle changes that will save you money for decades to come!

If you want to be debt-free and achieve financial freedom, you need an action plan to guide you. This book is your step-by-step plan. It's simple. It's easy to understand. And it works.

	Acknowledgments	1
	Introduction	8
	Not Getting Ahead?	8
	Are You Robbing Yourself?	9
	The Zero Debt Philosophy	10
	Join the Zero Debt Revolution	11
	Deprivation Doesn't Work	12
	I Don't Have Debt--So This Book Isn't For Me	12
	Who Is In Debt and Why?	13
	How Long Could You Last without Credit?	14
	Take The Zero Debt Path to Financial Freedom	15
	Want To Be Better Off a Month From Now?	16
	Having Excellent Credit--And "Good" Debt	17
	I've Been Deep in Debt Too!	18
	Overview: We're A Nation of Debtors	19
	Generational Debt	20
	Consumer Debt On The Rise Internationally	21
	A Few Words to Over-Spenders	22
	If It's So Simple, Why Doesn't Everyone Do It?	25
	All The Motivation You Need	27
	Diagnosis: You're Suffering From The Debt Disease	27
Day 1	Stop the flood of credit card offers	31
	Trends In Credit Card Marketing	32
	A Sweeter Offer?	33
	The Truth About Credit Card Companies	33
	Are You Playing The Blame Game?	34
	One Easy Phone Call Can Help	35
	Opting Out By Mail	36
	End All--Well, At Least Most--Junk Mail	36
Day 2	Make a resolution to "stop digging."	38
	Why We Spend	40
Day 3	Put all your debts in writing	44
	Why Torture Yourself Listing All Your Bills?	44
	A Wake-Up Call: How Much Do You Owe?	45
	I Debticate Myself to Being Debt-Free	46
Day 4	Order your credit report and FICO score	48
	What is a FICO Score?	48
	Fact Vs. Fiction About Credit Scores	51
	What a FICO Score Considers	53
	Is Credit Scoring Fair To Minorities?	54
	Little-Known Ways Your Credit Impacts You	54
	The "Big Three" Credit Bureaus	56
	Are You Eligible For a Free Credit Report?	57
	The Credit Report You've Probably Never Heard Of	58
Day 5	Call your creditors & negotiate	61
	You Have Leverage	61
	Six Things To Ask For	62
	The Biggest Myth About Credit Card Cos	62
	Getting Your Creditors To Work With You	63
	What's The Impact of a 16.9% Interest Rate?	64
	But What If You Had A 5.9% Interest Rate?	65
	What's The Best Time To Negotiate With Creditors?	66
	13 Negotiating Strategies To Lower Your Interest Rate, or Eliminate Late Fees and Over-The-Limit Charges	68
Day 6	Switch cards if necessary	73
	The Benefit of Comparison Shopping	73
	Warnings About Obtaining New Credit	74
Day 7	Always exceed the minimum payment due	76
	"Minimum" Payments Now Really Equal Maximum Payments In the Long-Run	76
	A Guaranteed Investment Return	76
	But I Don't Have the Money!	77
Day 8	Dispute any inaccuracies in your credit file	79
	How Accurate Are Credit Reports?	79
	How Do Mistakes In Your Credit File Occur?	80
	Credit Errors Can Cost You Mone y And More	81
	Fixing Errors & Cleaning Up Your Credit File	81
	Raising Your FICO Score	83
	Improve Your Credit Score in 3 Days--Legally	83
Day 9	Educate yourself about your legal rights	84
	10 Rights Protecting Consumers	85
Day 10	Stop collection agency harassment	93
	"Cease Contact" or "Cease and Desist" Letter	93
	Using the U.S. Post Office	94
Day 11	Prevent identity theft to protect your credit	95
	Tips To Avoid Identity Theft	95
	Identity Theft In The Workplace	96
	Scams Affect Workers And Those Looking For Work	98
	Identity Theft Insurance	99
	What to Do if Your Identity is Stolen	101
Day 12	Set up a good filing system	102
	Being Organized Helps Your Finances	102
	Creating An Effective Filing System	103
	What To Keep--And What To Throw Away	103
	Maintaining Your Filing System	104
Day 13	Face the truth about your situation	106
	Your Finances & The Laws of Cause and Effect	106
	In What Condition Is Your Financial House?	108
	How Does Your Score Compare To Others?	113
Day 14	Create SMART financial goals	114
	The Importance of Written Goals	114
	Consider Your Short, Medium and Long-Range Goals	115
	Your Retirement Aspirations	115
Day 15	Figure out the $69,000 question: Where will you get the money to pay for your goals, such as slashing your debt?	120
Day 16	Scrutinize your spending	121
	How I Got Out of $100,000 in Credit Card Debt	121
	Being In Debt Denial	122
	Downsizing Hits Home	123
	Gaining Perspective on Your Spending	126
Day 17	Make a realistic budget	127
	Causes Of Cash Flow Problems	127
	4 Simple Steps To Stop Blowing Your Budget	128
Day 18	Find 10 ways to cut your spending	132
	Saving Money Doesn't Have To Be A Big Hassle	132
Day 19	Adopt five lifestyle changes as strategies to save more money	134
	When shopping, never pay full retail price	135
	Become a frequent library patron	135
	Take advantage of free/low-cost attractions and events in your city	135
	Eat out less often	136
	Walk, instead of driving, to any place that's within walking distance	136
	How to Look Like a Million Bucks (Without Spending a Fortune)	137
Day 20	At work, adjust your W-4 withholdings if you receive a refund	140
	Refund Checks Show Poor Financial Planning	140
	A Quick Fix Via Your Human Resources Department	140
Day 21	Sell or donate stuff you don't want, use or need	141
	Holiday Giving All Year Round	141
Day 22	Find a way to generate additional income	145
	Is a Second Job, or Part-Time Work In Your Future?	145
	Turn a Hobby Into Cash	146
	The Small-Office Home-Office Solution	146
	The Ideal Part-Time Enterprise	147
	Leverage The Internet	147
Day 23	Apply for a home equity loan or equity line of credit	149
	What's the Difference Between a Home Equity Loan and a Home Equity Line Of Credit?	151
	Need A Mortgage? Credit Re-Scoring Can Help	152
	What Are Reverse Mortgages?	153
	The Pros and Cons Of Reverse Mortgages	155
Day 24	Refinance your auto loan	157
	The Capital One Advantage	158
	Online Lenders Dominate Auto Refinancing	159
	Beware Of Extending Your Loan Length	160
Day 25	Pick a "Pay Down Your Debt" priority strategy	161
	The goal is to attack your area of pain	162
	What This Technique Does & Does Not Accomplish	163
	Unconventional Wisdom	164
Day 26	Weigh the pros and cons of entering a debt management program	166
	Credit Counselors: Friend or Foe?	166
	Traditional Credit Counseling On the Decline	167
	The Financial Ties That Bind	168
	How Debt Management Programs Work	169
	Do's and Don'ts of Debt Management Plans	169
Day 27	Evaluate your existing insurance coverage	172
	Five Types Of Insurance That You Don't Need	175
Day 28	Draw up a will	177
	Get the Will to Draw Up A Will	178
Day 29	Open a "hands off" account and set up an automatic savings plan	180
Day 30	Prepare yourself to become a positive financial role model	181
Day 31	Address any other money woes, credit issues, or special financial circumstances	185
	Bankruptcy: Your Last-Ditch Option	185
	Delinquent Taxes: What To Do About Them	186
	Helping Aging Parents With Their Finances	187
	Payday Loans: 'Credit' You Must Never Accept	190
Appendix A	Credit Bureaus	193
Appendix B	Debt Counseling Firms	193
Appendix C	Sample Settlement Letter	194
Appendix D	Sample Cease & Desist Letter	195
Appendix E	The 30-Day Zero Debt Challenge!	196
Appendix F	Consumer Resources	198

Subjects

Business Books

Personal Finance & Investing

Personal Finance - General & Miscellaneous
Business Books

Professional Finance & Investing

Credit & Debt

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Author Biography: Lynnette Khalfani

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