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True client story:

Marissa (not her real name, and the first name that popped into my head) called our offices several weeks ago via a Google search. Now, we all know that this is the coldest lead in the world. We much prefer referrals from past clients and from our referral partners. Via Google search, we get emails, calls, inquiries from our Contact Us page, and even texts reaching out to us about our credit repair and debt consulting services every day. The majority of the time, folks who end up becoming a client through Google search go through several “touch points” from first contact to becoming a client. I won’t bore you with marketing and sales stats, but suffice to say, Marisa was no exception. Here is the activity from A -Z:

1. Marisa calls us via a Google search where she found our webpage
2. We talk and explain our services and offer a free credit report evaluation, with no obligation.
3. She goes to (link) and orders her credit reports, and we set up a 20 min. consult in the near future.
4. After going over her reports with her – showing her how we can help, how long it may take, and giving her some tips – she decided to hire us. but…
5. She could not afford it at that moment.
6. We stayed in touch with her for several weeks, and finally on October 1 she was ready.

“I’ll be honest, I’m both excited and nervous”

She was all signed up and ready to go and an hour later I received the above text.

We have all been there!

We have all been there! Buying a car, or airline tickets for a vacation in the future, a deposit on our first apartment or escrow on a new home purchase, even buying a new iphone (that we probably don’t need, but want), the list goes on. Anytime we are launching on a new endeavor that is going to cost us something, those proverbial butterflies in out stomach often show up. Did I make the right decision? Is this going to really be what I think or hope. What if it doesn’t turn out as envisioned? Will I regret this?

Time and money are valuable!

I remember one time when a friend of mine was selling his car. He needed to sell it fast and was willing to sell it 50% below book value. After deliberation, I decided to buy it from him with the intent of flipping it – turning right around and sell it at full price for a profit. What went through my mind as I wrote that check? What if I can’t sell it? What if it takes forever to sell? What if a major issues pops up in the meantime? What if? The “what if’s” invaded my mind. To make a long story short, it turned out ok, but to be honest, I was “both excited and nervous”at the same time.

Back to Marissa. As soon as she sent me the above text I knew exactly how she felt. At my next available time I picked up the phone and gave her a chance to expound and “let it all out”, so to speak. I already knew why she was excited from our earlier conversations. She has a one year plan of buying a house for herself and her daughter, and knew it had to start with repairing and building up her credit profiles and scores which she thought was near impossible. She also mentioned how she was tired of apartment life and that her lease would be up next August, and did not want to sign another year lease. She was/is excited because she thought for years that she could never buy a home, and now it is in her sights. She can envision it. Almost taste it. She is taking the first step toward a goal that is very important to her.

First steps toward a goal are very exciting but scary at the same time.

When I asked her why she was nervous (I could guess, but I wanted to hear her express it), she answered thus:

(Paraphrased, but pretty close)
“Well, Blair, I am nervous that this won’t all turn out like I need it to. This is important to me as a single-mother taking care of my child. My money is limited and I can’t waste a dollar if I wanna reach my goals. What if this doesn’t work out? I mean, can you guarantee my scores will go up? Without good credit scores I can’t improve my situation, my life. This is very important to me!”

I could hear it in her voice. That slightly high-pitched, increasingly rapid speaking with excited, yet reticent tone when you are “making sure” you made the right decision. Say out loud “are you sure?” with a little healthy skepticism, and you can probably hear her talking now.

I told her I completely get it, and that she is not alone. While I can’t legally guarantee a certain point increase as in “your score will go up x amount in x amount of months”, and I wouldn’t even if I could because there are so many factors involved, I assured her that with her credit report situation, and all other things considered, my experience tells me a year is more than enough time. In fact, I did promise her her score would go up, just not a certain amount, and that she would be in a position to buy a house credit-wise next year if she does everything I guide her to do, combined with our efforts. I also told her I would help her with budgeting and not to do anything on credit or make any large purchase without talking with me or one of my assistants, first.

She was mostly relieved, but to be honest, I could still hear a little hesitancy. “Ok, I am trusting you.”

It has only been 3 weeks, but all is going well as we put into action personalized, strategic first steps. Marissa is a great client.

Thank you for putting your trust in us, Marissa!

Best,

2. Blaming others and whining
This may sound harsh, and it is not the intent at all, but if you want to improve your credit scores, blaming others and whining about your credit woes is NOT allowed. You can blame your spouse, or ex-spouse, your parents, the government or economy, the list goes on, but it won’t change a thing. No crying over spilt milk. Take responsibility and move on with a plan to change the future. Nuff said.

5. Robbing Peter to pay Paul
While writing this post, my daughter asked me to explain what this idiom means, and after explaining she asked me “why Peter, and why Paul?”. I didn’t have an answer for her except that it must mean that it is a very old idiom. This means this concept of taking, or borrowing from one place to pay your debt somewhere else goes back ages. It doesn’t work, though, for it is essentially an endless cycle. You never get out of debt. Rarely does this series of activities bring about a positive benefit. If you find yourself in this never-ending rut, stop it. I know it is easier said than done, but a plan must be put in place to be ruthless with yourself, and find a different way to satisfy your debors. A better solution is the snowball debt reduction method.

This time of year is a great time to start making—and keeping—financial and credit management resolutions, too. But sadly, like other type goals, we often make them year after year with sincere intent only to see them quickly fall by the wayside, as we revert to bad habits that we have vowed to break.

But what about the most financially successful people and their resolutions? Have you noticed how the most accomplished people just seem to identify important things and consistently get them done? Study successful people long enough and you start to pick up on the resolutions they seem to consistently make.

Here are ten for better credit:

#1 Spend some time making a general plan Successful people plan, period. There is no getting around it. You have probably heard of the old axiom “aim for nothing and you will hit your target 100% of the time”. That holds true for resolutions and making plans to do something different this year that will improve your credit and debt standing. If you don’t know what you want or where you are going, you will not make much progress. Get out paper and pen, a calendar, and be like Nike, just do it, and you will see how it flows. To prime the pump, start with asking yourself some questions, beginning with general, and getting more specific using the 5 W’s, who, what, where, when, why, and lastly, how. Emphasize what and when questions. Go here for more on setting goals.

#2 Determine all possible major expenditures over the next year When scoping out your year to plan and budget think what possible major expenditures may be coming up. Will you need to replace an air conditioner this spring, or a major appliance? Are any kids starting – or graduating from – college, or getting married? Is your car on its last leg? The possibilities are endless and specific to your situation and family. Try to determine the exact month the expenditure will occur. If this is your year to improve your credit, though, don’t purchase anything not necessary. Since these may require the use of credit, also consider how it will effect your credit score and debt load. Call us anytime for a free consultation.

#3 Create a budget As a type of sub-plan under your general plan is a budget, which focuses on your finances. There are two kinds of budgets, one that considers all your current expenses and income over a specific period of time, usually monthly, and one that includes a deliberate, aggressive plan of debt reduction, often called debt snowball-ing. The debt snowball is more than just paying the minimum payment. More on debt reduction below. If you have never made (and tried to keep) a personal/family budget, It’s time. 2013 is the year! A whole blog could be written on how to create a budget, so for now here is a link to an example. The trick is to be realistic and as accurate as possible, and stick to it. Sometimes having an accountability partner helps.

#4 Make a “vow” to make all payments on time. This one should be self-explanatory. It is the cornerstone of good credit. There is no getting around that since 35% of FICO credit score is calculated from your payment history, you have to make yourself the promise to make your payments on time from here on out, and keep it. You will be amazed how much your score will go up if you do nothing else different in 2013 over 2012 except make your payments on time on your current debt each month. Try using your bank’s auto-pay system online. Call your banker to find out how if you are not already set up with online banking.

#5 Create a debt reduction plan As mentioned, this is also called the debt snowball. It is a specific plan of reducing or getting out of debt that requires paying more than the minimum payment each month and the availability of extra cash to do so. The concept is that you start out small, and on specific accounts, that as paid off frees up money you were paying on those accounts to then apply toward remaining, and probably, higher balanced accounts. It may or may not be done in a year, depending on your debt load and it is most importantly applied to unsecured, credit card type debt. A future post will be written explaining it in more detail. Warning: Don’t just jump into to randomly paying off debt. In order to improve your credit standing and increase your score as desired, it needs to be done strategically.

#6 Cut back on expenses One of the best ways to free up some money for debt reduction and financial goal setting is to cut expenses. Even when you think you can’t get blood out of turnip look at your expenses and spending habits and see if you can find something to cut out or down on. Only you know what can be cut out or not, but remember, since 2013 is going to be your year to improve your credit and reduce or get out of debt, be ruthless with yourself. It may take some sacrifice. See Cut Utility Costs – Improve Your Credit for some tips as a place to start.

#7 Check your credit reports and scores As we have mentioned in our article Ten Commandments of a Good Credit Score, it is crucial to know what is on your credit reports and monitor it regularly. If you are looking for a place to pull them, try www.privacyguard.com. it only costs $1 the first 30 days, then if you want to monitor them monthly it is reasonably prices at $14.95/month. We suggest monitoring your credit during times of credit repair and rebuilding, but it is not necessary.

#8 Deal with any derogatory or erroneous items on your credit reports Once you have pulled your credit reports, go over them with a fine toothed comb, checking for any errors, accounts that don’t belong to you, and making a note of all derogatory items. You also need to make sure you have plenty of good credit. Analyzing your credit reports can be confusing, call us, or go here for a free credit report evaluation by a credit professional at Upgrade My Credit.

#9 Refinance your home to 15-year mortgage with a lower interest rate (if applicable) This may not apply to everyone, but sometimes refinancing your home to a lower interest rate will save you significantly each month, freeing up more money for debt reduction and credit building, especially if you can reduce it to a 15-year mortgage. Here is a free mortgage calculator to compare. If you think this may apply to you, or are just want to inquire more about it, we have many mortgage lender partners we can introduce to you. Give us a call. 817-886-0302

“Goals are something we as individuals all have. Some may have achieved their goals while others are still determining what their goals are or how they can achieve them. Everyone knows the importance of not only having goals for your health, business or life in general but how many are actually taking the next step of writing them down.”~ Dr. Daisy Sutherland

Goal setting and planning are a crucial part of any successful financial planning and debt management, so we thought it would be helpful to share some tips.

Here Are 5 Tips Dr. Sutherland mentions in her article:

1. Start with a positive mental attitude (PMA)
2. Details are Essential
3. Be realistic
4. Write your goals on paper
5. Determine a time frame

Read full article here…

Avoid These Goal-Setting Mistakes

Hope you gained something from our post, even though it is not specifically related to credit issues.

Blair Warner – Founder and Sr. Credit Consultant