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Capital One was a recent victim of hacking. Approximately 100 million subscribers were compromised, and their personal information was stolen. A theft this large should remind all of us about the magnitude of the danger posed by Internet pirates.

Cyber theft is a multi-billion-dollar crime industry. Hackers live anywhere on Earth and do business with global clients. Purloined data is sold in batches and bogus credit card accounts are created for dishonest use. Individuals’ existing bank and credit accounts are exploited. Most victims don’t know of the crime until they receive their monthly statements.

Companies will offer Group Legal Plans and Pre-Paid Legal Services. They don’t always provide Identity Theft Prevention or Credit Monitoring Plans. A victim often must restore credit ratings and financial integrity alone. It is a long process and can be stressful. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offer Group Legal Plan benefits to organizations. We also offer Identity Theft and Credit Monitoring services to individuals. Continue reading

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The Los Angeles Times recently reported about a growing dissatisfaction with medical deductibles. Middle-class families are being squeezed by deductibles of $5000 or more. These costs can result in financial wellness emergencies as people struggle to pay a sizable bill.

The Increasing Debt Load

Deductibles are reinstated annually. If you paid all the deductible of your insurance policy in 2018, you started 2019 with the entire deductible required payment once again. This renewal will impact treatment and therapy which crosses over into the new year. It explains why the cost of a medical procedure can be thousands of dollars despite existing health insurance.

People get nervous when the final medical bill shows up. The stress level increases if  bill collectors start calling. Hasty decisions about paying can damage anyone’s financial wellness. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services appreciates how desperate some folks might become. We have a benefit that can ease a person’s troubled mind and prevent the wrong choices from being made. Continue reading

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Group legal plans have benefits that assist people in everyday legal problems. Pre-paid legal services such as drafting wills and consumer protection are standard options. Nevertheless, a good employee benefit must have more than just primary aid. A good group legal plan will have secondary benefits which support the main ones. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers comprehensive help to the employees of our clients.

Access to Required Help

There must be more than a call center for people who have legal issues. The law is a service best rendered in face-to-face conferences. This is not easy if the primary service providers are far away. Countrywide uses a nationwide network of attorneys. What is nice about our arrangements is the attorney practices law in the same community as our client. A face-to-face conference with a Countrywide attorney is convenient and easy to arrange.

The plan member may get nervous in the meetings and forget to ask some questions. Ordinarily, a follow-up telephone call is a billable service but not when it comes to the Countrywide benefit. We will allow an unlimited number of telephone calls on a given situation. That way, there is less confusion or misunderstanding about the assistance provided. Continue reading

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Sudden expenses can cause anxiety and panic. The emotions lead to poor decisions which will cause even greater problems. Those who do not understand how to manage their money can be in a state of confusion and stress. Their financial wellness can be in trouble.

Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services wants to help people maintain control of their money. We believe most cash problems can be resolved with proper advice and guidance. We have a Financial Wellness benefit that allows people to resolve those financial emergencies which arise.

The Use of Experienced Counselor.

It is not enough to post advice on a webpage. Those who do not know what to do will appreciate personal contact. Countrywide will use its network of certified counselors to help reduce the stress and regain financial wellness. Continue reading

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Death will come unannounced. An individual may die while asleep or from an unexpected heart attack. While we can’t always prepare for death, we can protect our loved ones from the consequences with a simple will.

People Forget

You can’t take it with you is an old saying. It is true, but you can leave a hot mess when you exit. Dying without a will leaves your loved ones in a state of limbo. Probate court appoints an administrator who reports directly to the bench. There is no executor of the will and the estate settlement will drag on for months or even years.

People forget to write wills and families pay for such negligence. There are bills to be paid such as tuition and badly needed money from an estate is not available. Moreover, there can be bitter squabbles over the estate that result in long-term family feuds. Group legal plans will draft simple wills for plan members. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services will prepare those final documents as a benefit option. Continue reading

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Graduation presents are not always gift cards. A smartphone, tablet, car, or another very expensive product might be the reward for getting a diploma. Smart shoppers will get a repair warranty on those big-ticket items. Unfortunately, buying the warranty doesn’t always mean you can use it.

The Murky Wording of the Warranty

Consumers will purchase warranties sight unseen. They buy the protection without understanding the details. A warranty is a contract with specific action required. Warranty language might also specify only certain repair parts may be used. Moreover, only certain repair shops can be used and the warranty is good only for a given period of time.

Retailers will take advantage of a buyer overlooking important details. They, the retailers, might not volunteer the information needed to use a warranty and the buyers are left with a worthless piece of paper. That person feels frustrated because he or she spent money for nothing. Continue reading

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Understanding cash flow is a major part of financial wellness. Being aware of where the money is coming from and where it is going to will prevent many emergencies. It is amazing how many people do not appreciate this simple budgeting fact.

Budgeting isn’t rocket science, but many employees do not know how to do it. They will live from paycheck to paycheck without fully covering expenses. It can lead to financial trouble that hits without warning and creates serious domestic problems.

Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services helps people deal with routine financial problems and advises how our Financial Wellness Plan helps employees organize their money more efficiently. Continue reading

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Many group legal plans will emphasize the primary services which they offer. It is understandable they do this, but the quality of pre-paid legal services does not rest only with the major features. Indeed, the other services, those which are offered regardless of the selected benefit options, do a lot to enhance the value of the group legal plan. The additional benefits cannot be taken for granted.

Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services provides the kind of benefit options any organization would like to have. We go one step further by giving additional service that makes our overall benefit that much more appealing. These are offered regardless of what options a client selects for the group legal plan.

  1. Face-To-Face Conferences

Countrywide has a nationwide network of attorneys who will assist plan members. We will not rely on website pages or call centers. Instead, we make it easy to have face-to-face meetings with an attorney. Our lawyers practice in the community where an organization does its business. It is very simple to arrange for a meeting with a Countrywide attorney. That Countrywide plan members have priority treatment makes things even easier. Continue reading

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Employees want to have a comprehensive benefits program for their employees. Benefits that complement each other are more cost-effective and people are more likely to take advantage of what their managers offer. Millennials and those just graduating from college need help with their college debt. Furthermore, they need to find ways to prevent college costs from overwhelming their financial wellness.

There Is a Need to Stretch Educational Assistance

Management understands that employees in school need a helping hand with their college expenses. It is why educational assistance programs were developed in the first place. Such assistance is appreciated but it doesn’t go as far as it could.

The cost of higher education has skyrocketed in recent years. The cost of tuition is often more than what companies can provide as education assistance. Employers can still provide needed support and it doesn’t mean increasing the educational assistance budget. Continue reading

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Group legal plans will proactively market their pre-paid legal services. Prospective clients receive all information about the benefits and how their employees will be served. A big question which some vendors try to avoid answering is: what happens when the attorneys can’t perform the needed service?

Law Is Not Simple

The rules of law in the United States depend on the type of jurisprudence. There are several niche legal areas where specialized attorneys practice. These can include consumer law, immigration law, probate and estate, and HOA law. Not every attorney is familiar with the practices of specialized law and, therefore, those attorneys with a unique set of legal skills are called upon. The problem is that their services are not cheap.

But the advice of these attorneys might be needed by a group legal plan member. This same person may be frustrated by a group legal plan which does not allow for referrals. Even if referrals are included, there may not be a discount for this service. The plan member is constantly forced to bear the cost which might be rather steep. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is proud of the quality of advice and guidance our network of attorneys provide. However, we understand that these attorneys may have no expertise in highly specialized law. Rather than not provide a needed service, we will provide referrals in situations where a lawyer with a legal specialty is needed. Continue reading