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The academic year is now in full swing. Students are filling up the classrooms in colleges and universities and they are acquiring the knowledge they need for their future careers. They’re also acquiring debt which will affect career decisions.

 

College Debt Harms Financial Wellness

 

Tuition and living expenses are burdens to a college student, and graduates must bear the brunt of the weight. The final cost of a four-year college degree can be close to six figures and a graduate degree adds to the bill. A person might be committed to paying the loan balances for decades.

 

The application can influence career decisions. Employers will notice highly talented staff leaving for other jobs after only a few months. College debt payments can force a person to change jobs, not for career enrichment, but to make more money to pay the loan balances. It is in the best interest of organizations to help an employee manage those education bills. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a Financial Wellness Plan that provides needed assistance. Continue reading

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Enormous debt balances may come on gradually. People get used to paying for everything, including groceries, with credit cards. It doesn’t take long for the purchases and the double-digit interest charged to create a sizable balance of credit card debt. An emergency medical bill could do the same damage. Financial wellness is placed in danger as the total amount owed goes to five or even six figures.

Anxiety Leads to Panic

Owing large amounts of money creates anxiety and then panic as the figures grow. The person wants to be fiscally responsible but gets overwhelmed by the monthly payments. Mistakes such as forgetting a payment or not paying anything destroys credit and leads to wage garnishments. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services wants to help folks get out of financial quicksand. Our Financial Wellness Plan will assist a person in ending a terrible nightmare.

Handling a Financial Wellness Crisis

Anyone in financial distress needs special attention. Countrywide provides services that address the issue of staggering debt. Continue reading

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Group Legal Plans encourage members to use the simple will drafting benefit. It isn’t too complicated and a simple will determines how an estate is distributed. It prevents a lot of probate court hassles and there is something else even more important. This pre-paid legal services option can prevent a major family feud.

Estates Can Be Messy

A death in the family will bring loved ones together in a spirit of mutual grieving and sympathy. The estate left behind can pull that same family apart and create domestic chaos. Relatives can grumble about what is specified in a will but that is all they can do. However, in an estate without a will a family can quickly become involved in a vicious battle.

The probate court becomes intimately involved. An administrator is appointed by the bench and reports directly to the court. There is no executor to keep things running smoothly. Family disputes over who gets what can create hard feelings that take years to reconcile. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is a Group Legal Plan vendor that has drafting simple wills as an option. Continue reading

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People will make bad decisions and financial wellness suffers. They decide to use forbearance to manage a college loan or pay a medical bill before the health insurer has paid its share. It is unfair to say those with debt are frivolous spenders. However, it is safe to assume they don’t know what to do. Access to the right information is important.

So Many Options

Unreliable sources of information and online “experts” will give ideas that may not be good. Trouble arises when an individual is financially illiterate. His or her choices can be the result of believing the wrong money guru or a poorly written financial blog. No relationship develops. The online advisor addresses a general audience and rarely works with an individual. It is easy to make financial mistakes when there is a lot of information and no one to help sort the good from the bad. Continue reading

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Government does not dominate our lives, but it influences our decisions. Ordinary people rely on government services at local, state, and federal levels. Public bureaucracies do not have a great sense of urgency: things are done methodically and deliberately. The slow pace drives people crazy. The best group legal plans assist with public agencies as a pre-paid legal services benefit.

Walking through a Public Labyrinth

A government agency for most people is nothing but cubicles and doors. It’s hard to find the right public employee and time is wasted in the search. Certain public services have specific application deadlines. Those who are a day late may need to start over again. This is frustrating when major activities such as property tax appeals are delayed. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services knows how important speed is in obtaining required services. We help with public agencies as a Group Legal Plan benefit.

Proactive Countrywide Services

We have a nationwide network of lawyers who will provide help. These professionals practice law in a client’s community and are readily available for a personal conference. Continue reading

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The start of the new school year reminds many recent college graduates of an obligation they must meet. They financed their education through a series of loans that met the cost of tuition and other expenses, but that left them in a mess. The financial wellness of many is under a burden of payments which can last for decades.

An Educational Experience That Is Stressful

College is the first time many young people are away from home. Regrettably, it is also the first time these people confront a major, life-changing, debt. The FAFSA forms were tough enough to complete. Loan papers that were signed and perhaps cosigned by parents committed the students to a payment plan that would start in a few years.

You can’t blame a person for taking out a student loan. It is the only way to pay for the required college education for many. Not all the students understood what was required of them in the loan applications. As graduates, with the six-month grace time now over, they need to find ways to stretch their budget. Continue reading

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The market is not perfect. Products and services might be defective or have poor quality. Group legal plans offer benefits to help with many legal issues. It is all well and good, but consumer protection is a pre-paid legal service benefit many Plan members need.

Protected by Paper

We expect good quality in what we purchase, but we do not always get it. Appliances may arrive with defective belts or poor electrical wiring. The same is true for computer equipment. Software might contain glitches and even malware. Products are not the only potential problem area. Service given in health care facilities or offices of financial services can be substandard.

Posting bad reviews on consumer boards is a common practice, but it isn’t always enough to prevent later problems. Complaints filed with consumer protection agencies are more effective. The process can be frustrating. There are forms to be completed and evidence must be furnished to the proper public authority. Continue reading

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Consumers enjoy using credit cards. It is certainly convenient to buy with plastic and it is much safer than carrying a lot of cash. Nevertheless, credit cards can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong person. Even though credit cards make shopping easier, they pose a serious threat to anyone’s financial wellness. Here is how it happens.

  1. Retailers Want You to Use Your Credit Card

The reason is very simple: you are going to spend more with a credit card at the store than if you use cash. People are nowhere near as thrifty if there’s a special sale which encourages you to use your credit cards. While this ordinarily happens at Christmas time, consumers can run up a hefty balance on their cards with just a few shopping trips. The balances must be paid and the minimum monthly payment can become substantial.

  1. Forgetting to Pay the Monthly Bill Has Consequences

The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 has reduced some of the negative impact of not paying your credit card bill on time. However, the credit card company can still charge a penalty for a late payment and impose a penalty APR (Annual Percentage Rate) that can be as much as 29.99% for an indefinite period. Continue reading

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Settling agreements with a handshake alone is not just old school; it is ancient history! This is not your grandfather’s society, and everything must be in writing. Contracts, leases, warranties, licenses, and all other types of arrangements are drafted in specific language that can be very confusing to an ordinary person. Group legal plans recognize that the average person is not a legal scholar. It is why document review is such an important pre-paid legal services benefit.

Legal Paper Scares People

We are told all the time how to read the fine print and avoid bad deals. The trouble is that too many people don’t understand even the plainest language in a legal document. It happens because the terminology is not in modern language. Instead, phrases used in the past are found in the text and these Latin words are important and have consequences. An individual can easily get trapped into a bad deal or purchase useless services because he or she is unfamiliar with the terminology. It helps to have a lawyer look at the papers. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services includes legal document review among its Group Legal Plan options.

Working with Experienced Professionals

Countrywide has a nationwide network of attorneys to provide the pre-paid legal services. These professionals will review contracts and legal documents up to six pages long. That is enough for most plan members. Continue reading

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Financial wellness is elusive for some of us. It seems as if as soon the books are balanced, there is a major medical bill or credit card invoice in the mailbox. Unexpected debt will cause carefully made financial plans to go out the window.

No one wants to lose control over their finances but breaking even every month isn’t easy. There is a secret to maintaining financial wellness. It is twofold and hidden in plain sight.

  1. Financial Information

Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a benefit which is committed to establishing financial wellness. Collecting data is the first step on the road to healthy finances. Our network of certified counselors performs that task for a plan member. Continue reading