Deborah McNaughton - 15 May

America is in crisis. The crisis is spelled D-E-B-T. It starts at home and reaches crescendo in our Capitol. There is a solution, spelled D-E-B-O-R-A-H. Deborah McNaughton is a crisis expert. Each chapter in her book is laser-focused on a specific target. This book is relevant and informational for all stages of our financial life. Choose any personal financial subjectDeborah approaches it with vast experience, wisdom, and grace. This book should be required reading as a primer for our Congress and Senate!

Bob Hastings, director of sales, Salem Communications

From tips on how to repair and rebuild your credit report to increasing your FICO scores, getting out of debt, saving money, and building a budget, Deborah McNaughton has the answers. Do you know how to read your credit report? Do you need to re-establish credit? Do you want to buy a house? Does it even matter? Yes it does! And Deborah McNaughton tells you why in her great book, The Essential Credit Repair Handbook. A must-read for everyone in today's topsy-turvy society.

Terry Lowry, host, The What's UP? Radio Program

Copyright 2011 by Deborah McNaughton

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopy-ing, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press.

THE ESSENTIAL CREDIT REPAIR HANDBOOK

EDITED AND TYPESET BY NICOLE DEFELICE

Cover design by Jeff Piasky

Printed in the U.S.A.

To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Can-ada: 201-848-0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on books from Career Press.

The Career Press, Inc. 220 West Parkway, Unit 12

Pompton Plains, NJ 07444

www.careerpress.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

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This book is dedicated to all the readers who have been on a roller-coaster ride with their finances and now have landed on level ground to achieve their future financial goals.

So many wonderful people have been involved with this writing project. Cynthia Zigmund, who has been my literary agent for many years, has been my greatest promoter. Without Cynthia, I could not have reached out and touched the lives of people who needed financial knowledge.

The team at Career Press has been unbelievable. Each one of them has had an integral part in making this book a reality. A special thanks goes to Michael Pye for catching the vision of this book and putting the team together to make it happen.

To Kirsten Dalley and Nicole DeFelice, my special editors with whom I worked alongside with, a great big thank-you goes to both. Nicole, your patience and recommendations on putting this book together are especially appreciated. Laurie Kelly-Pye, my sales and publicity director, thank you so much for jumping in and getting a great publicity team together to launch this campaign. To all those involved with this book and not mentioned, just know that I appreciate you all.

Lauren Pickens, who is my right hand gal, you are the greatest. This project was made easier because of your help.

And a special thank-you with hugs to my wonderful husband Hal for his patience and encouragement on making this book a reality.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged herein in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the author nor the publisher endorses any product or company listed in this book.

All names of the people in the stories have been changed.

Nobody wakes up one day expecting their financial security and life to be turned upside down as a result of a job loss, illness, pay cut, or uncertainty in the economy. There could be other things that affected your financial stability, but the crisis is over, lessons have been learned during this time of crisis, and you now have a chance to learn from and undo your mistakes, and focus on a new beginning. What a refreshing goal, and one you can achieve.

In today's society, credit reports and credit scores have been the determining factors in obtaining most types of credit and loans. Credit is a way of life. Without it, you can't qualify for a home, car, credit card, or bank loans.

When credit was easy to obtain, many people took advantage of using their credit cards, taking equity from their homes, and using lines of credit for purchases as if they were extra paychecks. It was easy to use the credit cards and equity from our homes to purchase luxury things. Some of the money even went toward investments, such as real estate. Were your motives wrong? Probably not at the time you made the investments, but again, no one could see the future and expect loss of income or a financial crisis.

The purpose of writing The Essential Credit Repair Handbook is to empower and encourage you to get back on track. One of the main objectives of this book is to give you all the tools you need to repair your credit report and increase your credit scores while reestablishing new credit and improving the credit you currently have.

The book will give you information on the areas of credit you need to improve your situation. It is recession-proof.

In , you will learn how to set new financial goals, as well as understand how you got into the situation you are trying to rectify. There are many credit report and credit card myths that will be discussed to clear up any misconceptions.

will also help you reorganize your budget, save money, and get out of debt. This section will be the platform you will need to follow to begin repairing your credit and rebuilding your credit portfolio.

Credit Repair 101 will be discussed in . This section covers credit reporting agencies, reading your credit report, and step-by-step procedures on how to repair your credit report and increase your credit scores. These are key elements you need to know to enhance your credit report and credit portfolio. I also discuss hiring an outside credit repair company versus doing it yourself, as well as credit card and credit repair scams.

will show you ways to reestablish and build up your credit after a foreclosure, short-sale, bankruptcy, or loan modification. You may have felt all was lost when you experienced these situations, but it is not. One of the main dreams people have is homeownership. You may feel that your dreams have been shattered because of your past credit report. This section will show you how to apply for a home loan, as well as credit cards. You will learn what lenders are looking for during the qualification process. With a solid game plan, you will be able to achieve these dreams.