Rebecca Surran's Blog

For the Future

For those of you who are counting, it's 7 trillion dollars.  Yes, that's what the federal government has allocated in bailouts to keep our country from sinking into a desparate depression. And as much as I  dislike the idea of "bailing out" anyone or anything that has engaged in irresponsible monetary behaviour, I have to say I was relieved to see that the program announced this morning has something for our young people.  This latest program called "TALF" will provide $200 billion dollars to gaurantee securities tied to consumer loans like auto, credit card and most importantly STUDENT LOANS!  We are leaving our children and their children for that matter with tremendous debt because of this financial crisis; wouldn't it be nice if we could provide them with the academic tools and education to deal with it.  Loosening up money for our kids to get a college education is money well spent.  Now, maybe they can use that education to do a better job than we have.  

Drowning In Debt

The costs mount don't they?  Groceries, heating costs, gasoline, braces, college I could go on and on.  And then there are the unexpecteds; the car that breaks down, the furnace that blows... it's that "giant sucking sound" that one-time Presidential candidate Ross Perot referred to... money just goin' down the drain. Financial author Jordan Goodman came to our studios last week to tackle the topic of consumer debt and offer some suggestions on getting the debt you may have under control.  Jordan says, number one, clean up your credit report and score.  He says the best place to start is with the Equifax Credit Watch service.  Their email address is www.guardmycredit.com.  There you are able to get a look at your report and score, and Jordan says make sure if you see any derogatory remarks that you have them removed.  You can head to www.creditreportabc.com for help in that.  Jordan also says consolidate any high-interest credit card debt to lower rates.  He says head to www.creditcardperks.com for a look at some of the better rates available.  And if you find that your debt troubles are just too much for you to handle, Jordan recommends a credit counseling company.  Jordan's suggestion is Cambridge Credit Counseling at www.cambridgecredit.org.  He adds that many of these companies are scams, so do your homework.

If you'd like to see more of my interview with Jordan Goodman just head over to the "Features" tab on the site and click on "12 On The Money."

What a Country!

Allow me a moment of patriotism, if you will, and let me say "What a country!"  Coming off what was such a pivotal week in US history, we begin a new chapter with a new leader. Getting here could have been fraught with troubles, but our transition has been a peaceful one; no riots, no mobs, no gunshots.  More than one hundred million Americans went to the polls on Tuesday, some stood in line for hours.  Sure there were pockets of confusion; poll volunteers unclear about the rules, voters uniformed on what they needed to do or where they needed to go.  But patience prevailed and we cast our ballots in one form or another.  I personally watched parents juggling toddlers in their pj's while trying to educate their older children about the voting process.  There was no yelling or terse words, they recognized the opportunity before them to teach their children about the precious right to participate in the democratic process, and they seized it.  And, yes, I sound like a Polly Anna, and yes, I recognize the backroom bickering and truth-bending smear ads, but all in all there is no other system like it.  We should be proud!