In this challenging economy, many businesses and individuals have become way over their heads in credit card debt. It can feel hopeless and stressful at times knowing you have more debt than you can possibly afford to pay off especially due to economic changes.
some think the only resort is bankruptcy, or possibly consumer credit counseling.
Fortunately, there is a simple way to get your credit cards settled for a fraction of the balance.
One of my clients has a $15,000 and $17,000 business credit card with Bank of America. Due to business collapse he has not made any payments for several months...the bank usually has 180 days, if an account has not been made payments on within that time frame, it goes to chargeoff and collection.
The key is to get the account right before it goes to chargeoff. So I called up Bank of America...I felt nervous at first. I was afraid the banker would yell at me, or humiliate me or intimidate me.
I called up the number on the back of the credit card. After I verified the account information, I asked to speak with someone about settling the account. I was pleasantly suprised with how pleasant the banker I called up really was...
I simply stated "look, we never imagined the economy would turn like this and make this account unaffordable. We would like to do the honorable thing instead of declaring bankruptcy. Please let us know what are the best settlement options for the account."
Then I kept silent.
She plugged in her numbers. After a just a few brief moments, she announced her number. She would settle the accounts! The $17,000 account for $3,600 and the $15,000 account for $2,800. Better yet, we could pay over 3 monthly installments!
The woman seemed extremely sympathetic to the plight of small businesses, who are the backbone of the new economy. She also regretted that due to new OCC guidelines that BofA couldn't offer an even better settlement. Apparently before the "Tarp" money BofA could settle for even less, as low as ten cents, and spread payments out over 6 months.
Still, this solution seemed reasonable as is. So I asked her to fax it to me in writing.
Here's some advice:
1. Call up the credit card companies an ask for settlement offers. The worst case is they say no.
2. Keep persisting and insisting on a better offer. Don't give up.
3. Document your conversations and get their settlement offers in writing.
4. Do ask to make sure your credit is unharmed upon settlement, if possible.
Good luck! In my VIP million dollar rolodex I include the name of the representative at bank of America who provided this settlement. I also include the name of a local company who will handle all these accounts for you without your involvement--this can save you time and free you up on rebuilding your business and pursuing your exciting profitable ventures.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
8 Unconventional Tools that Could Give You a Hidden Edge in Real Estate: Facets of "Conscious Real Estate"
Ashland, OR: I was at a lovely dinner soiree with my dear friend and mentor Stanley Krippner and other luminaries, including Jean Houston. Guests were inquiring about my work in "conscious real estate" and how these concepts can be applied to the current real estate crisis.
Stan encouraged me to keep writing about this topic; he believed it has commercial value. I like to think of myself as someone who listens to those wiser than he. I agreed to write some today.
So, here is a brief compilation of some of the less than conventional approaches to real estate. Why do I consider them conscious real estate? Because they infuse a greater awareness, higher consciousness into one's real estate dealings.
Applying these techniques can help a buyer rent/or buy an ideal property, an owner sell faster and for a higher price, and for a real estate professional, i.e. investor or real estate agent, can enact a sale with greater satisfaction:
1. Dreams. Paying attention to one's dreams for clues or symbols to assist one with their real estate dealings. This could help cut through ambiguous decisions. I featured 10 interviewees who all had dreams that guided their real estate purchases, which were some of the most satisfying in their entire lives.
2. Astrocartography. The use of astrology, either Western or Eastern Vedic, to guide the process of where in the world to relocate geographically based on astrological factors. Astrocartography can help assess a particular property as well, whether it has beneficial or harmful astrological applications. For example, one astrologer I consulted when I had been living in Philadelphia (unhappily, I might add), recommended Phoenix, AZ as a "communication nexus" for me due to the two mercury lines that crossed through that city. I considered this in my move, and I made my first million at a young and tender age there.
3. Dowsing. This process involves using a divining instrument, e.g. a pendulum or two divining rods to aquire information about a property. For example, a talented dowser can walk a plot of land and based on the movement of the sticks can assess where water or mineral deposits are underneath the land. As well, the dowser can assess some disruptive energy lines as well, which might contribute to health disturbances should someone live there.
4. Remote Viewing. This is the use of the mind to gather information about distant locations without any direct physical sensory means. in 1994 in Faber, Virginia, I first met Joe McMoneagle, "Remote Viewer 001" the first covert agent who worked for various divisions of the US Government and private industry. Initially his work involved gathering intelligence about military bases overseas to locate weapons that could pose a public safety risk. Joe was speaking at the Gateway Voyage, a week-long group journey into exploring unusual realms of consciousness using Hemi-Sync(tm) a patented sound technology designed to faciliate nonordinary states of awareness. Joe served as an excellent example of what is possible, and how this ability can be trained.
5. Feng Shui. The ancient system of arranging the layout and objects inside and outside of a property for optimal flow.
6. House Clearing: Remote. I hired an intuitively gifted practitioner, Mami Wheeler, to assess a property at a distance, with the intent to clear less than optimal energies which she could apparently perceive. For example, one horse property that purchased as a result of a divorce of the seller and his wife--I placed three occupant buyers in the property, and each of them had to be evicted because of domestic disturbances. Mami assessed the property and determined some relationship disruptions and energetic disruptions which lingered in the home and continued to influence these buyers negatively.
7. Ritual House Clearing. The use of systems and ceremonies in person to clear a property of less than desirable energies and set a clear intention. Mami Wheeler provided protocols for a fire, sage, and salt cermonies based on Native American traditions. The properties we performed this ritual on appeared to attract buyers who raved about the "energy" of the property.
8. Intuitive Consultations. For example, I hired Gigi Van Deckter, a gifted intuitive strategist, who had consulted in the 1990s in the US and overseas to global leaders, including Bill Gates, CEOs of Sony, Sega, Atari, etc. I would provide her a list of properties, buyers, sellers, and she would provide strategic information on the spot that I incofporated into my decisions. For example, when I purchased a residence in Scottsdale for $3,000.00 down, she suggested I double check the roof on the NW corner of the property. This was later confirmed by a home inspection which revealed some roof deterioration. Had I not been aware of this issue, I could have suffered further water damage to the home.
This is a very brief overview. Future articles will focus on each of these techniques in further detail, including definitions, my personal experiences with them, their benefits and disadvantages, and how buyers, homeowners, and real estate professionals can apply them.
Please note, these techniques are no substitute for sound, rational, financial decisions. They are simply additional information sources to augment or assist you in your decision making process.
In many instances in the real estate world, we have a myriad of ambiguous factors to consider and an overwhelming haystack of information. These techniques of conscious real estate, applied properly, can help guide you to your optimal decision so you can achieve the greatest satisfaction in your decision making.
Stan encouraged me to keep writing about this topic; he believed it has commercial value. I like to think of myself as someone who listens to those wiser than he. I agreed to write some today.
So, here is a brief compilation of some of the less than conventional approaches to real estate. Why do I consider them conscious real estate? Because they infuse a greater awareness, higher consciousness into one's real estate dealings.
Applying these techniques can help a buyer rent/or buy an ideal property, an owner sell faster and for a higher price, and for a real estate professional, i.e. investor or real estate agent, can enact a sale with greater satisfaction:
1. Dreams. Paying attention to one's dreams for clues or symbols to assist one with their real estate dealings. This could help cut through ambiguous decisions. I featured 10 interviewees who all had dreams that guided their real estate purchases, which were some of the most satisfying in their entire lives.
2. Astrocartography. The use of astrology, either Western or Eastern Vedic, to guide the process of where in the world to relocate geographically based on astrological factors. Astrocartography can help assess a particular property as well, whether it has beneficial or harmful astrological applications. For example, one astrologer I consulted when I had been living in Philadelphia (unhappily, I might add), recommended Phoenix, AZ as a "communication nexus" for me due to the two mercury lines that crossed through that city. I considered this in my move, and I made my first million at a young and tender age there.
3. Dowsing. This process involves using a divining instrument, e.g. a pendulum or two divining rods to aquire information about a property. For example, a talented dowser can walk a plot of land and based on the movement of the sticks can assess where water or mineral deposits are underneath the land. As well, the dowser can assess some disruptive energy lines as well, which might contribute to health disturbances should someone live there.
4. Remote Viewing. This is the use of the mind to gather information about distant locations without any direct physical sensory means. in 1994 in Faber, Virginia, I first met Joe McMoneagle, "Remote Viewer 001" the first covert agent who worked for various divisions of the US Government and private industry. Initially his work involved gathering intelligence about military bases overseas to locate weapons that could pose a public safety risk. Joe was speaking at the Gateway Voyage, a week-long group journey into exploring unusual realms of consciousness using Hemi-Sync(tm) a patented sound technology designed to faciliate nonordinary states of awareness. Joe served as an excellent example of what is possible, and how this ability can be trained.
5. Feng Shui. The ancient system of arranging the layout and objects inside and outside of a property for optimal flow.
6. House Clearing: Remote. I hired an intuitively gifted practitioner, Mami Wheeler, to assess a property at a distance, with the intent to clear less than optimal energies which she could apparently perceive. For example, one horse property that purchased as a result of a divorce of the seller and his wife--I placed three occupant buyers in the property, and each of them had to be evicted because of domestic disturbances. Mami assessed the property and determined some relationship disruptions and energetic disruptions which lingered in the home and continued to influence these buyers negatively.
7. Ritual House Clearing. The use of systems and ceremonies in person to clear a property of less than desirable energies and set a clear intention. Mami Wheeler provided protocols for a fire, sage, and salt cermonies based on Native American traditions. The properties we performed this ritual on appeared to attract buyers who raved about the "energy" of the property.
8. Intuitive Consultations. For example, I hired Gigi Van Deckter, a gifted intuitive strategist, who had consulted in the 1990s in the US and overseas to global leaders, including Bill Gates, CEOs of Sony, Sega, Atari, etc. I would provide her a list of properties, buyers, sellers, and she would provide strategic information on the spot that I incofporated into my decisions. For example, when I purchased a residence in Scottsdale for $3,000.00 down, she suggested I double check the roof on the NW corner of the property. This was later confirmed by a home inspection which revealed some roof deterioration. Had I not been aware of this issue, I could have suffered further water damage to the home.
This is a very brief overview. Future articles will focus on each of these techniques in further detail, including definitions, my personal experiences with them, their benefits and disadvantages, and how buyers, homeowners, and real estate professionals can apply them.
Please note, these techniques are no substitute for sound, rational, financial decisions. They are simply additional information sources to augment or assist you in your decision making process.
In many instances in the real estate world, we have a myriad of ambiguous factors to consider and an overwhelming haystack of information. These techniques of conscious real estate, applied properly, can help guide you to your optimal decision so you can achieve the greatest satisfaction in your decision making.
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