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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