As the new year is in full swing, it is important to focus on what you are looking to achive in the days, weeks, months, and year in front of us.

The starting point to all achievement according to Napoleon Hill is to have a Definiteness of Purpose: Knowing what your goal is, and knowing what you want must fill your mind so that you can press on towards the mark while overcoming any negative thought that may come up. Negative thoughts or people for that matter!

A great way to set yourself apart from the masses is to decide on a major goal in your life, or pick a smaller term goal for your profession or daily life and write it down. The key is to put it on paper and make this goal visible, so that you can read it several times a day. Sounds wierd, huh. Well, that's why you will be one of the few that actually follow through on this plan and will greatly improve your chances of attaining your goal.

How much time will you give yourself to achieve this goal? How will you know that you achieved it? Is it measurable? Attainable? Be realistic, but do the things today that can help you come closer to your goal on a daily basis.

Successful people move on their own initiative, but they know where they are going before they start.

Here was a man who interviewd hundreds of the most successful buinessmen of his time in the early 1900's. Born in the mountains of Virgina, Napoleon Hill started as a poor son of a farmer, and grew into a successful businessman himself. Even after more than 30 years of his passing, his works are still classics in homes accross America. Take a peek at one of his most famous classic books, Think and Grow Rich.

This gift to you could be the best book you will ever read in this new year!  

Other classics include The Law of Success and Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude.

Please share your thoughts about this one of a kind legend.

Remember always, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe... It can achieve."

All the best of success,

Gabe Avalos

I was curious to find out what others felt about weekly networking groups, like LeTip, or BNI, etc. At times I feel that I should start my own group, since ones I have gone to are either non-productive, or un-organized.

Do you have tips or suggestions you can share about either starting my own networking group, or what other National groups are available? What has been your best experiences in networking events in your area?

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.     

Avoiding Default and Foreclosure

If you have fallen behind on your payments, consider discussing the following foreclosure prevention options with your loan servicer:

Reinstatement: You pay the loan servicer the entire past-due amount, plus any late fees or penalties, by a date you both agree to. This option may be appropriate if your problem paying your mortgage is temporary.

Repayment plan: Your servicer gives you a fixed amount of time to repay the amount you are behind by adding a portion of what is past due to your regular payment. This option may be appropriate if you've missed only a small number of payments.

Forbearance: Your mortgage payments are reduced or suspended for a period you and your servicer agree to. At the end of that time, you resume making your regular payments as well as a lump sum payment or additional partial payments for a number of months to bring the loan current. Forbearance may be an option if your income is reduced temporarily (for example, you are on disability leave from a job, and you expect to go back to your full time position shortly). Forbearance isn't going to help you if you're in a home you can't afford.

Loan modification: You and your loan servicer agree to permanently change one or more of the terms of the mortgage contract to make your payments more manageable for you. Modifications can include lowering the interest rate, extending the term of the loan, or adding missed payments to the loan balance. A loan modification may be necessary if you are facing a long-term reduction in your income.

Before you ask for forbearance or a loan modification, be prepared to show that you are making a good-faith effort to pay your mortgage. For example, if you can show that you've reduced other expenses, your loan servicer may be more likely to negotiate with you.

Selling your home: Depending on the real estate market in your area, selling your home may provide the funds you need to pay off your current mortgage debt in full.

Bankruptcy: Personal bankruptcy generally is considered the debt management option of last resort because the results are long-lasting and far-reaching. A bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years, and can make it difficult to obtain credit, buy another home, get life insurance, or sometimes, even get a job. Still, it is a legal procedure that can offer a fresh start for people who can't satisfy their debts.

If you and your loan servicer cannot agree on a repayment plan or other remedy, you may want to investigate filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy. If you have a regular income, Chapter 13 may allow you to keep property, like a mortgaged house or car, that you might otherwise lose. In Chapter 13, the court approves a repayment plan that allows you to use your future income toward payment of your debts during a three-to-five-year period, rather than surrender the property. After you have made all the payments under the plan, you receive a discharge of certain debts.

To learn more about Chapter 13, visit www.usdoj.gov/ust; it's the website of the U.S. Trustee Program, the organization within the U.S. Department of Justice that supervises bankruptcy cases and trustees.

If you have a mortgage through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or Veterans Administration (VA), you may have other foreclosure alternatives. Contact the FHA (http://www.fha.gov/) or VA (http://www.homeloans.va.gov/) to discuss your options.

Contacting Your Loan Servicer

Before you have any conversation with your loan servicer, prepare. Record your income and expenses, and calculate the equity in your home. To calculate the equity, estimate the market value less the balance of your first and any second mortgage or home equity loan. Then, write down the answers to the following questions:

• What happened to make you miss your mortgage payment(s)? Do you have any documents to back up your explanation for falling behind? How have you tried to resolve the problem?
• Is your problem temporary, long-term, or permanent? What changes in your situation do you see in the short term, and in the long term? What other financial issues may be stopping you from getting back on track with your mortgage?
• What would you like to see happen? Do you want to keep the home? What type of payment arrangement would be feasible for you?

Throughout the foreclosure prevention process:

• Keep notes of all your communications with the servicer, including date and time of contact, the nature of the contact (face-to-face, by phone, email, fax or postal mail), the name of the representative, and the outcome.
• Follow up any oral requests you make with a letter to the servicer. Send your letter by certified mail, "return receipt requested," so you can document what the servicer received. Keep copies of your letter and any enclosures.
• Meet all deadlines the servicer gives you.
• Stay in your home during the process, since you may not qualify for certain types of assistance if you move out. Renting your home will change it from a primary residence to an investment property. Most likely, it will disqualify you for any additional "workout" assistance from the servicer. If you choose this route, be sure the rental income is enough to help you get and keep your loan current.

Bottom Line: Call Your Lender. If you don't do anything about your past due balance, you will lose your home. 

                             

We are very excited to announce that on September 29, Pre Paid Legal will be featured on Court TV. 

This documentary about Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. will find an audience with those interested in a revolutionary solution to the growing problem of limited access to justice. The program will be informational and educational in nature and provide a glimpse into our unique company and the services we provide.

Far from a typical documentary which focuses on something interesting but may have little direct impact on the individuals viewing it, this program will address needs that most people have.

Most people who do not have access to legal counsel will simply accept their circumstances and go on.  When the credit card company charges unfair fees, when your cell phone service provider is unreasonable, or when an invoice is higher than quoted, what can we do but pay and go on? 

In many cases, and for most people, it's not about whether we will absolutely have to have an attorney.  It's more about whether having an attorney could make a difference through empowering us to make better decisions, resolve conflicts, and have peace of mind.  This program will address this concept and much more.

We hope you will tune in to Court TV on September 29th.  Please check local listings for program availability in your area. 

September 29, 2007
11:00am Eastern
10:00am Central
9:00am Mountain
11:00am Pacific

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND BUSINESS OWNERS YOU CARE ABOUT...

 

I recently finsihed a great book written by Jim Stovall. If you like inspirational stories this should be on the top ten list!

 Here are only a few of the pieces that I took from reading this great classic book:

In the end, a person is only known by the impact they have on others...

It is a wealthy person, indeed, who calculates riches not in gold but in friends...

Problems may only be avoided by exercising good judgment. Good judgment may only be gained by experiencing life's problems...

Laughter is good medicine for the soul. Our world is desperately in need of more medicine...

I'd recommend that you passing on this book to others can be an ultimate gift in itself! I have extra copies on hand myself! YOU DON'T WANT TO PASS UP THIS EASY READ BOOK!

Make Today A Great Day!

Top five reasons why you should reviewing your credit report

1. Inaccuracies & Mixed Credit Files

Many inaccuracies on a credit report can be the result of simple human error, and are therefore are not difficult to dispute. Of course, if you don't order your credit report, you might never know about it. Whether the inaccuracies relate to payments not credited, late payments, or data mixed in from the credit file of someone else with a name similar to yours, you will want to contact the credit bureau to dispute inaccurate information promptly.

2. Tracking Payments

One of the most important elements of credit is a demonstrated history of on time payments. Once you send the check though, anything can happen--a delay in the payment being received can kick you over to a 30-day delinquency. If you call your creditor and explain the situation, they might adjust the information. Of course, if you don't read your credit report, you won't necessarily know which payments are being received and reported properly.

3. Identity Theft

This issue alone is reason to order your credit report immediately. Identity theft is an insidious crime, involving a thief who assumes your name to open new accounts, divert your card statements to another address, and run up all sorts of bad debt without you ever knowing about it until collectors come calling. Over time, identity theft could jeopardize your ability to obtain further credit. The best way to catch a thief who is using your name is by getting a copy of your credit report, which will show you if there are accounts listed you know you haven't opened. For example, if a thief has intercepted a pre-approved credit card offer in your name and sent it in with a change of address, your credit report will include the account.

4. Inquiries

If you're shopping around for a loan or more credit, you should know that when creditors check your credit, it places an inquiry on your credit report. Inquiries can add up, which is often interpreted as a negative by creditors. For this reason, too many inquiries can actually make getting credit more difficult. Moreover, if you didn't authorize someone to look at your credit report and they did, they may have broken the law.

5. Credit Fraud--Unauthorized Charges

Credit fraud involves the theft of your credit card or account number to make unauthorized charges to your account. Though consumers are protected financially from this abuse, other creditors may take note of all this activity and decide to raise your interest rates or refuse to grant you a loan. Ordering your credit report will help you catch new activity on accounts that you haven't been using, or may have closed.

Trying to be perfect takes too much time and effort. It creates too much stress and is impossible anyway. Instead, strive to relax at the 90% level. This is the personal mastery level. Following the Action Steps, reaching the 90% level in most of your financial and social endeavors will be something that you don't even have to think about. It will happen through your persistence, determination, hard work and nice personality.

Right now, learn about the income and the lifestyle level of those in the top 10% of your profession. If you aren't content earning more than 90% of your co-workers, choose another profession.

It is possible to try too hard in business, exercise and relationships. Overwork can produce stress and anxiety, which is the opposite of the inner peace you seek. Your best is good enough. Live to a high standard, not to an impossible obsession.

Knowledge, practice and courage are your weapons against fear.

One person can step out of an airplane door at 2,000 feet without hesitation. Another can stand before an audience of 2,000 and give a speech without breaking into a sweat. Fears can be rational or irrational, but they are always personal and real. Everyone fears something.

To diminish a fear, you must first face it. The one hundredth skydive or speech won't be as traumatic as the first. The best way to deal with first fears is through a combination of logic and bravery. Logically, most people who jump from planes or give speeches don't die. They succeed through preparation. If your equipment is right and your training is complete, you are ready to jump. If your speech is carefully crafted and practiced, you are ready to speak.

Associate with confident people. You have seen many who have already done what you fear doing. Now, do what they have done. Courage grows with action. Fear is learned and must be unlearned. After facing that fear, you will feel exhilarated. Without fear, there can be no courage. Fear provides the opportunity to be brave.

"I don't feel comfortable here. I don't like the sound of this. This doesn't look right to me."

With regard to your body or surroundings, your instincts are your best early warning system. Listen to the inner voice. Listen to that gut feeling. Go to the doctor. Leave the party. Get away from these people. Quit this job. Don't open that door. Duck into that store. The world is an imperfect place. There are dangerous places and people.

Every once in a while, your instincts may be off and you may feel foolish. Err on the side of safety and your instincts may save you from danger. Give yourself time or space to consider your options. It is foolhardy to do otherwise.