Monday, March 23, 2009

Secured Credit Cards For Bad Credit

I get asked this question a lot by people that are looking for a credit card. "How does a secured credit card actually help my bad credit?" Well, I can tell you this much. You don't just apply for a card and flip a switch and The Phantom debt is magically gone. You have to do the complete opposite and work toward it. I'm Six Million Dollar Man action figure to give you a few steps you can take in order to kill your debt and revive your credit score.

Learn from your past mistakes - You're probably in a lot of debt now because of either careless spending or living well above your means. You need to step back and look at your past and analyze everything you did. It may be time now to re-do your budget and spend only what you can afford. 1953 Topps baseball cards you have to get rid of credit cards, by all means do it. The nice thing about secured cards is that Fantastic Four able to control your spending since there is a cap on what you can spend.

Learn how you use a credit card - A credit card isn't hard to use but if you've had trouble in the past, try and use some of these steps in order to use a card the proper way. Learn how to pay your balance off in full each month as well as know what you're putting on your card. The best way to do this is simply by either writing it down or marking down somewhere where you can remember. This way, when you go to your bills at the end of the month, you won't be surprised with the total.

Pay off your bill in full - I know I already mentioned this but most people can't get this through their head. You have to realize that you need to pay your bill off in full each month in order to not pay interest rates. If you pay interest rates, you're going to have a higher bill each and every month, it isn't worth it! As these rates add up, you're going to be paying a lot more in the long haul. Make sure that you make it a great habit to pay it off in full.

Watch your balance online - A great way to track your balance is simply by logging into your account online all the time. This way, you can log in here and there to make sure that you're staying below your means. Sometimes, people will find themselves going out to dinner too often or buying a lot of little things. Those little things add up and can play mind games on you. Think about this - if you buy 10 $10 items throughout a week, that's $100 already. See how quickly that adds up?

Bad credit isn't a bad thing. A lot of us have fell victim to it. Make sure that you follow a few of these tips if you want to get out of debt. Remember that it takes action and motivation to keep your credit score strong. If you can accomplish this, debt won't have to bother you ever again in life.

Find the best secured credit cards on the market at FINDsecuredcards.com, where you can find even more of Tom's work.

Apologize - Yes Or No? (The Golliwog Doll Affair)

We live in sensitive times The Joker action figure seems. And "mistakes" are easily made. The question then is do you apologize or not. Is an Action Jackson a sign of strength, or weakness or neither of them?

Before yesterday X-Men didn't know what a "Golliwog" was. It appears to be ... a character of children's literature created by Florence Kate Upton in the late 19th century, inspired by a blackface minstrel doll which Upton had as a child in America. (1)

Whether it is a coincidence or not, but a British newspaper Wizard of oz playset twice an incident where this little dolls was involved.

The first one, yesterday, is about Carol Thatcher who was sacked by the BBC because she refused to apologize for using the word "golliwog".

A few pages later I noticed a similar story about the queen, a portrait of the doll was printed on the page. The queen on the other hand issued an apology after it was revealed that an official gift shop at her Sandringham estate was selling these dolls.

... the term ... was used both as a reference to the children's toy and as a generic, racist term for blacks.(1) That is the sensitive side of the story.

When I think of Thatcher's' daughter I immediately imagine an "iron daughter." Perhaps this is a prejudgment which it is, and I wonder whether this (iron) characteristic is the cause of her omitting an apology. Is an apology a sign of weakness?

I don't think so. Obviously the Queen doesn't feel weak but she is aware of the times we live in. And currently any insinuation can be read as an (racial) attack. When reading the story of Carol it reads like a racist's remark.

Besides this the question remains should one apologize and when?

The question is about valuing the truth in a technical discussion whether she did or did not mean to offend someone. But, beyond the technical truth lies a more commercial truth where it is not only important how a message is send, but how it is received instead.

In that case the BBC management can only be right in sacking their reporter.

An apology is not a sign of weakness but a necessity in human interaction. In case of doubt (which is a sign of weakness): use it!

(1) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golliwogg

2009 Hans Bool