Ask John: National Consumer Protection Week
In most cases the term “The most wonderful time of the year” is
reserved for Christmas time. However, in my world I have to rank
National Consumer Protection Week right up there.
National Consumer Protection Week is March 2-8 and its goal is to
focus consumers on sound financial decision making. And because I’m
a credit guy, my focus is on credit management. It’s no secret
that people who are more in tune with their credit tend to make better
choices and save money on items they finance. I’ve always been
an advocate of being an active participant in the world of credit,
meaning that I don’t ever advise people to avoid credit or
live debt free -- I mean c’mon, let’s be realistic. So
how does National Consumer Protection Week benefit you? Read on…
How is Credit.com participating in National
Consumer Protection Week?
The powers that be at Credit.com have assembled what I think is nothing
short of the financial Dream Team, to steal a phrase from USA Olympic
basketball teams from the past. Adam Levin, Gerri Detweiler, Emily
Davidson, and myself are going to burn the midnight oil that week
and do our best to reach as many consumers as possible through the
media.
We’ll each tackle a different part of the country (I’ll
be in New York), and by the end of the week we’ll have done
dozens of interviews, television appearances, and radio spots. Here
are the two points that I’ll be hammering home as often as
possible:
- Stop the credit card madness! My goal is to convince you
to change how you use credit cards, from a way to live an unaffordable
lifestyle to good credit maintenance by using cards as they were
originally intended: as a convenience. If you can think of a credit
card as a way to get a 30-day no interest loan that must be paid
in full by the due date, the credit world will be your oyster. You’ll
never worry about your credit
scores or interest rates again.
- Stop shooting for 700 and start shooting for 750. The rules
have changed,. Lenders are making it more difficult for you
and me to get the best terms. This whole credit crunch, mortgage
meltdown, credit crisis, or whatever you want to call it is a big
deal and we are all impacted by it, whether we feel it or not. If
you want to ensure the best deals from your lenders, your scores
need to be closer to 750 than they are to 700. That means SMARTER
credit management.
How Can I get Help, John?
That’s why we’re here. You can send us your story and
ask for our help. We’re here for you.
AskJohn@credit.com
is my email address. I don’t care if you have $100,000 in credit
card debt and scores in the 400’s; you can right the
ship. It may take some time, but you can earn better credit.
If you have a question or comment for John or would like to suggest a topic then please send him an email to AskJohn@credit.com.
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