Ever since this bad economy struck, there have been thousands of people that have lost their job.  This is a sad time, but it happens every so many years.  The competition for companies gets tougher, and there is less money being made, which leads to job cuts.  If this is your situation, you are probably under a lot of stress.  Although you may not be able to refrain from loosing your job, you can always prepare.

How to Plan For Loosing Your Job:

• It is important to start saving up as much money as possible.
• Start looking for a job in the meantime (while you’re still employed.)
• Ask if there is anyway you can stay employed even if it means a pay cut (it’s better than nothing.)
• Start making minimum payments on your debt to make sure you can save more money.
• Downsize, and get rid of your upgrades on everything if you have to (for example HD channels, your iPhone, etc.)
• Start selling items that you no longer use to make more money.
• Get a part-time job on top of this job to make sure you’re even more prepared.  This is helpful even if it’s 10 hours a week.  This also puts your foot in the door somewhere else.
• Starting making a monthly budget.  This shows you how much your bills cost and how much you have left to spend on things for you.
• Get rid of your most expensive payments.  For example, if you have a BMW that has too high of a monthly payment, consider getting something cheaper.
• Check to see if you qualify for unemployment.  This will help you bring in some money.

Loosing your job is one of the hardest things you’ll ever go through.  Not to mention, it can sometimes come out of no where, and be totally unexpected.  No job is safe today, and anything can happen.  Therefore it is important to plan for the worst, and prepare for a job loss if it comes up in the future.  You can start doing that by considering a few of the things above!

When the economy is bad, it is very common for people to worry about their job.  We want that secure feeling that our job isn’t in jeopardy and that we will continue to have that paycheck coming in at the end of each week.  Although, it is hard to determine because we’re constantly hearing about the people we know that are loosing their jobs, or the we hear about it on the news.  Bad economies bring on a lot of stress when it comes to jobs.  Although, there are ways to determine whether your job is in danger or if you’re safe.

Nervous – You can usually tell if your job is in danger because the people you work with or your boss will seem nervous.  There will be more stress, and it may be obvious that the people around you are preparing for the worst.  Although, if the atmosphere is the same you will usually be safe.

Cuts – Is your job cutting wages or laying people off?  If so, that may be a sign that your job is weakening.  The people that run the business will usually do everything they can to keep themselves above water, which sometimes means cutting wages or people.

Previous – How has your business preformed previously?  Are you a large company?  Are you in demand, and has your business been busy?  You can usually tell by how much work there is, and how your previous months have been.

Ask – If you feel like your job may be in danger, simply ask.  Ask your boss what is going on, if you’re safe and if they plan on laying you off or letting you go in the future.  They will give you an honest answer.  If they admit it may be a little shaky, ask what you can do to help and keep yourself there.

Finding out that your job may be in danger is one of the hardest things to hear.  We have families to take care of, bills to pay and we need a place to live.  So, if you feel like your job may be in danger, consider a few of these things above.  All you can do is prepare for the worst, and keep saving money to fall back on.  It is good to worry because it will prepare you, and once you find out that you’re fine you will be much more grateful to be working.

Debt is something that millions of people are in.  Whether we own money on our house, our vehicle, or it’s racked up in credit card bills, it’s still debt.  Debt isn’t a good feeling, and is something we always think about.  If you’re looking to get out of debt, you can start doing that right now.  Get out of debt, change your life and do it fast and easy.

How to Get Out of Debt Fast and Easy:

• Pay off your credit cards first, and pay off as much as you can each month instead of the minimum.
• Stop buying the things you don’t need.
• Start setting a budget for each month or week by limiting yourself to what you can buy.
• Never pay full price for anything.
• Shop for deals, sales and used items.
• Write notes to yourself so that you remember how important it is to get rid of debt.
• Only carry cash on you, and start leaving your credit card at home.
• Remember how bad you want to get rid of your debts.
• Write a sticky note, and wrap it around your credit card.  Write something like “Do I really need what I’m about to buy?”
• Don’t allow yourself to spend money for a few times a week.  Try just going out and doing your daily routine without spending one penny.
• Remember how much more you’ll end up paying if you keep letting interest on your payments add up.
• Prove to yourself that you CAN get out of debt.
• Think of yourself first, and stop worrying about buying or giving other’s you know money.

Getting out of debt can be extremely hard for some people.  Although it may take time and some effort, don’t get discouraged.  Instead, keep yourself motivated and think how nice it would be for that number of debt you have to be positive instead of negative.  Keep in mind a few of these tips, get motivated and soon you’ll be debt free!

When it comes to our debt, we are in disgust.  We hate knowing that we owe other’s money, and that we need to keep working it off.  Although, what can be confusing is to know which debts to pay off first.  Debt is debt, but some can do more harm in the long run than others can.  If you’re looking to work on paying off your debt, consider a few of these to pay off first.

Highest interest – You should find out which debts have the highest interest rate.  This is what you will want to pay off first because it will hurt you the most if you keep pushing it off.  Sooner than you know it, you’ll be paying double if you keep letting it rack up.

Credit cards – Credit cards are dangerous for some people.  They either spend more than they make, or make unwise purchases.  Credit cards can be bad because all it takes is a swipe to buy something, yet maybe years to pay off.  Therefore, you want to consider the interest rates on these cards and get them paid off as soon as possible.

Student loans – A lot of young adults are carrying student loan debt around with them.  If this is you, you want to get rid of this as well.  Make good payments on this monthly so you can avoid huge interest rates.

Car – You probably have an average car, with an average car loan.  If so, you want to get rid of this debt as well.  Although, this isn’t a top priority.  The ones listed above go much higher before this one.  This is something you can make the minimum payments for and not feel too bad.

Mortgage – You mortgage is probably your biggest debt, but it probably has the lowest interest rate.  It is important to make payments and try to pay it off as soon as possible, but what is the rush?  If you’re young, make the minimum payments and start building up your savings instead.

Debt isn’t a good thing, but is something they almost everyone has.  I suggest you pay off your debts in this order.  It is important to get rid of the ones with the highest interest rate so that you don’t end up paying a lot more in the long run!

Being in debt can be a rough trip, but if you’re getting harassing phone calls at work, and home, it can be a burden on life.  Thankfully, for the FDCPA, or Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, there are laws that pertain to debt collectors.  If you find out that these companies are violating these rules, you can get them into a lot of trouble.

It’s up to you to know to know their limits.

Can a debt collector call me?

Yes, they can.  They can’t call you before 8 a.m., or after 9 p.m., unless you have it in writing that they can do so (which I highly doubt).  They can’t repeatedly call your, nor can they trick you into picking up the phone.

When a debt collector calls, they may not harass you, use obscene language, nor can they make negative comments about yourself.  This goes alongside with racial slurs, and ethnic slurs as well.

Can they sue me?

A debt collection agency can sue you, but they can’t threaten that they can send the police to your doorstep, etc.   If you find that they threaten to garnish wages, or threaten to sue when they aren’t going to, these are all against the FDCPA rules.

What does a collection agency have to tell me?

When a debt collector calls, he/she must state their name, as well as the agency they are calling from.  If they don’t respond with an answer, I would consider that you just hang up the phone.  Also, if they don’t state the account they are talking about, you will find that it’s awfully hard to get things straight, and the fact that you may not even own these accounts.

Can I tell them to stop calling me?

Yes, you will have to send a certified letter to the collection agency.  This may stop them from calling you, but they are going to proceed with the collections process.  You can expect a letter in the mail from them telling you what they intend on doing.

Can I collector talk to my neighbor or family member?

They can, but they can only get your where abouts.  They can’t talk about your debts, what you owe.  The agency must identify them self, as well as identify the name of the company.

There are a lot of things that you should be aware of when it comes to debt collections practices.   Since there are so many questions that I just can’t get to, I would recommend that you follow up with PrivacyRights.org as well.