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Credit cards are a major part of American commerce. People try to use credit cards as little as possible and some will try to do without credit completely. This is almost impossible. Emergencies arise that require the use of credit and retailers encourage the use of credit cards with special deals. Some of the special deals are traps that will threaten an innocent victim’s financial wellness.

The Nature of the Beast

Retail stores want people to use credit cards for a very simple reason: consumers will purchase more with plastic than if they had cash in their pocket. Some of the deals include offering credit cards at zero interest rate for a specific period. Other deals involve substantially reduced credit costs. Some credit card companies attempt to persuade people to consider a consolidation loan through the credit card. That latter one is deceptive because it permits a person to put a large amount of debt onto a single credit card in return for a significantly reduced rate of interest.

This all sounds attractive, but the devil is in the details. Not everyone is willing to read the fine print of some of the offers. For example, failure to make a payment on a consolidation loan will result in a significant interest charge. Other deals require that a given amount of money must be charged on the card or the lower interest rates will not apply. People get in trouble when they don’t understand the terms and conditions of a credit card. A person can end up in deeper trouble. Continue reading

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A major threat to financial wellness is panic. A person gets a sizable bill in the mail and his or her anxiety spikes. A hasty decision is made that only makes matters worse. One source of alarm is medical bills.

A One-Two Punch

Healthcare costs are not going down despite efforts to control the inflation. Deductibles are growing as employers try to reign in premium costs and new therapies are expensive. These pose a serious challenge to any individual.

People will get upset when they see the bill. Hasty decisions include paying off the entire bill (which can drain life savings}, taking out a loan(which might not be necessary), or using a credit card to pay the debt(generating sizable interest charges each month). The main problem is not knowing the best way to deal with medical debt. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services knows how medical bills harm financial wellness. We offer a benefit to help manage those medical costs. Continue reading

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Consumer protection is not intended to be a corporate headache. It is a means by which any company, including a service provider, is held accountable for its marketing claims. Promises of high-quality efficiency are used to encourage consumers to purchase goods and services. Consumer protection law guarantees these assurances are kept.

Group legal plans should help with consumer protection. People are often frustrated by inferior products. They are not able to properly file a consumer protection complaint, and this adds fuel to an angry fire. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services wants to help folks with consumer-related issues. We offer consumer protection services as a group legal plan benefit option.

Making the Case

Consumer protection claims require forms to be completed and the right evidence provided. Tantrums will not accomplish anything. Countrywide has a national network of skilled attorneys who practice in the local community. They provide highly professional pre-paid legal services to plan members. Continue reading

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Many think owning a home is just a dream. Real estate is not cheap and there are other debts which strain an individual’s finances. Countrywide Pre – Paid Legal Services wants to help make owning a home possible.

“Make Your Move” Teaches Home Buying

Real estate is a market with many players and a distinct vocabulary. A buyer who does not understand real estate is at a disadvantage. The Countrywide Financial Wellness Plan has an educational program to introduce folks to real estate.

“Make Your Move” is a self-study education program. It is an excellent orientation to house buying. A plan member might not understand FHA loans. Our program makes FHA mortgages clear and understandable. Mortgages come in all sizes. Not all loans are suitable to an individual’s finances. Our educational program will discuss pros and cons of the various mortgage loans. Professionals such as real estate agents, FHA inspectors, mortgage bankers, and home appraisers play a role in real estate. Countrywide helps identify them and explains their unique roles. Continue reading

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In our society we must always deal with all kinds of contracts, leases, permits, and other types of paperwork. Legal documents are part of doing almost any kind of business. An important question all consumers should answer is:   “Do you know what you are signing?”

Legal documents are drafted in a special language. Latin phrases such as sine die will pepper the paragraphs of many important forms. Phrases are written in a dry and tedious style, but a person must be careful. Those boring clauses contain obligations and penalties for noncompliance. Anyone who signs a legal document without understanding the content is taking a major risk. Some group legal plans offer document review as a benefit. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is a vendor offering that option.

We Rely on Professionals

Our nationwide network of attorneys assists with group legal plan member needs. Our lawyers prepare legal documents such as simple and living wills. They are familiar with legal language and know what parts of a document are important. Continue reading

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Legal issues are ordinarily not the courtroom dramas seen on television. Law is primarily a system of paper processing and filings. There are deadlines and evidence requirements which most people do not understand. Group legal plans promote services that help plan members deal with ordinary situations. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers a benefit that will address any legal issues.

It Starts with Professionals

The Countrywide network of attorneys is the primary benefits provider. The lawyers practice in our client’s communities and a meeting is simple to arrange. Group legal plan members are encouraged to ask questions. Countrywide attorneys will address issues such as consumer protection or document review and give superior guidance. People sometimes forget to ask a question in a meeting. Countrywide allows an unlimited number of telephone calls on a given subject.

Warranties are documents that people don’t always understand. Countrywide attorneys will interpret and help a person get what they are supposed to receive. If a consumer protection complaint must be filed, the Countrywide attorney will guide the plan member in preparing the evidence and the documents. This legal professional also knows what public agency to approach and help dealing with all branches of government is a Countrywide benefit option. Continue reading

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Debt is something we need to expect. People use their credit cards or take out loans to cover expenses when they occur. Trouble will surface when compulsive spending becomes a habit, or an emergency happens. Not everyone knows how to handle desperate situations and their financial wellness is affected. The proper tools and guidance are necessary to get out of trouble. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services can help.

Our Basic Tools

The Countrywide network of certified counselors assists financial wellness plan members. Many problems are minor and require just basic corrections. Our counselors have the task of using the Countrywide tools to fix things.

A budget analysis is a primary tool our counselors use. A person may have no idea about cash flow. The Countrywide counselor looks at the figures. This professional identifies major expenses and how these affect a plan members income. A working budget is developed and an individual can use it to maintain financial stability. Continue reading

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Students will talk about their post-graduation plans and what jobs they would like to have. They have wonderful objectives but not all of them understand the challenges life will present. The real world can be a shock to any new graduate

The College Debt Pit

Colleges are becoming increasingly more expensive. Many young people graduate with student loan obligations the size of a mortgage. They may have little idea of how to address paying back their loans. Lack of knowledge or ideas will threaten financial wellness.

Young employees could use some assistance. They need some form of blueprint to help avoid using forbearance and to assist in paying the monthly installments properly. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers a Financial Wellness Plan to help get out of the college debt pit. Continue reading

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A living will sounds like a contradiction. Wills are supposed to convey the wishes of dead people so why bother with one? A living will, and the accompanying medical powers of attorney, are more important than many people can appreciate. Both safeguard the emotions of survivors and loved ones.

The Cold Reality behind Living Wills

A medical crisis is nondiscriminatory: it will strike a person regardless of race, sex, color, or creed. An automobile accident or a cardiac seizure can render a person unconscious and unable to communicate. Healthcare providers are ethically mandated to comply with a patient’s wishes. A comatose victim cannot communicate instructions and the hospitals only course of action is a life support system. Life support puts a person in vegetative limbo; living but not responsive.

The patient’s family goes through the pain of watching a loved one lying in bed with minimal recovery chances. No one knows what medical care the patient wants. Death may be months or even years away. Group legal plans must address the living will issue and Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services does that. We have a living will option in our group legal plan benefits. Continue reading

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Employees have a right to government services. Their tax dollars support public agencies but getting the benefits they need might be frustrating.

Property tax assessments can be appealed but there are forms to be completed and accurate evidence must be submitted. Deadlines are very strict, and appeals are rejected for being too late.

Getting government services is not easy for foreign-born employees. They are new immigrants or here on work visas. The American legal system is a mystery and they are not sure of what to do. It can result in disabled children not getting the help they need in school, or elderly parents not getting the additional attention they need. Group legal plans must guide their plan members through the bureaucracy jungle and cut red tape. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services will do both. Continue reading