The Indiana Consumer Lawyer Blog has posted an article that discusses what you can use to protect yourself if a debt collector is trying to collect a debt (or an incorrect amount) that you don’t owe.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a wonderful asset that was designed to protect consumers from abusive and/or inaccurate debt collection. Debt collectors usually try to force you to pay a debt by putting it on your credit report, which makes it look like the debt is legitimately yours. They can also call you, send you things in the mail, and even file a lawsuit against you. Some debt collectors even resort to harassment to try to scare you into paying.

Read more…

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

We’re right in the middle of tax season right now, which can mean making quite a few decisions. One new option on your taxes — the ability to receive your refund as U.S. savings bonds — can present a question many of us haven’t even considered in the past. IRS Form 8888 offers the option to choose how to receive your tax refund. You can allocate your refund between three different choices: direct deposit, a paper check and savings bonds. You can

Read more…

Many entrepreneurs are adamant about getting a successful business in place right away. Rather than starting from scratch, some enthusiastic entrepreneurs simply go with a proven business model by investing in a franchise.

A franchise is a business with a proven operational and marketing model, one with a regional or national customer base already in place, but is a privately owned and operated business. The most popular franchise examples are McDonalds or Subway, but also non food-related companies like UPS Stores, Super 8 Motels, and Curves for Women.

What are advantages of buying a franchise?

• Name recognition.

Read more…

Despite a crumbling economy since 2008, a great many entrepreneurs have been finding their fortune on the internet. Ecommerce is a continually growing industry, and whether you sell products online or provide a valuable service, your website is your online store. If your store doesn’t work properly, then you lose profits.

Did you have a professional web designer build your website? What could possibly go wrong? You may be surprised! Here are three important mistakes on an ecommerce website you should avoid.

1. Browser Incompatibility

   Whether you program your ecommerce site yourself or hire a professional, be sure that the finished product works with a wide variety of browsers. J

Read more…

Suzy Salwa Phillips got her beginning in war-torn Lebanon. She spent a lot of time cooking in shelters and learning from her mom. When she moved to the United States in 1989, she used those skills to her advantage and began working in the restaurant industry.

Already working two cooking jobs, Suzy has a dream. She wants to open her own food truck. Unfortunately, the city has not been very forthcoming with the permission she needs, reports Ashville Citizen-Times.

Her truck, a 1986 model she calls “Spartacus,” has a full kitchen on board, and its clean and well-kept. She

Read more…

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

Getting to a place where you’re financially secure is up to you. Ideally, you should have an emergency fund that would sustain you over a prolonged period of unemployment. The bare minimum is three months. Six months is better, and a full year should cover you in most non-catastrophic scenarios. Then there’s your nest egg – the retirement accounts that will hopefully enable you to comfortably retire someday.

But saving is not easy. Human

Read more…

Market wrap

Sentiment remained positive but asset class performance was limited to commodities and risky currencies. US equities are unchanged, spending the evening ranging sideways as portfolios were stayed on the sidelines into quarter end. The CRB commodities index bounced 1.5%, oil up 2.0% to match March’s multi-year high, copper up 0.8%, and gold up 1.0%. US 10yr treasury yields are 2bp higher at 3.46%, volatile in a 3.40-3.48 range. A comment from Walmart CEO Simon that US consumers face serious inflation in the months ahead sparked a brief sell-off during early NY. P

Read more…