Dealing with Debt Collectors

 

It’s not uncommon to fall behind on debt payments, particularly in a troubled economy. If you have missed payments on your mortgage, credit card or other outstanding debt, you may hear from a debt collector at some point, if you haven’t already. The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA) provides some advice on how to deal with collection agencies if you find yourself in this situation:

Contact Your Creditor

If you do owe money and have missed payments, it’s best to face up to the fact and deal realistically with your creditors. You may be able to avoid hearing from a collection agency if you contact your creditor, explain your situation and try to work out an alternative plan. Banks and other lenders may be willing to allow you to stretch out your payments by paying a little less each month, or grant you a brief moratorium on your loan in which you don’t have to make payments. You’ll never know until you ask. And in the current economy, creditors are more willing to accept compromises if they believe you sincerely intend to pay the debt.

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Special Tax Break Available for New Car Purchases This Year

MOUNTAINSIDE — The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that taxpayers who buy a new passenger vehicle this year may be entitled to deduct state and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase on their 2009 tax returns next year.

“For those thinking about buying a new car this year, this deduction may give them a little more drive to make their purchase this year,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “This deduction enables taxpayers to buy now and get cash back later on their tax returns.”

The deduction is limited to the state and local sales and excise taxes paid on up to $49,500 of the purchase price of a qualified new car, light truck, motor home or motorcycle.

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Heart Walk Planned For May

CRANFORD—The American Heart Association’s Greater Union County Start! Heart Walk is set for Saturday, May 30 at Nomahegan Park in Cranford.  Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by the walk at 10:30 a.m.

Presented nationally by Subway, Healthy Choice and AstraZeneca, and locally sponsored by Schering-Plough and WCBS TV New York, close to 2,500 walkers are expected to walk against cardiovascular diseases and stroke.  

The Greater Union County Start! Heart Walk is an action with a mission. As part of the American Heart Association’s national movement to get America walking, Start! Heart Walk participants help raise vital funds to support the American Heart Association’s mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke, while taking heart-healthy steps by walking.   

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A Grocery List For Women’s Nutrition Week

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – A, C, and D are not just letters of the alphabet. In nutritional terms, they’re vital nutrients for women. Vitamins found in healthy food choices are just one way that women can meet their special nutritional needs throughout life.

Registered Dietitian Ann Ruelle, R.D., C.D.E., C.L.S.C., a certified diabetes educator, author, and nutrition consultant for TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), offers her list of “must have” grocery items for every woman just in time for National Women’s Nutrition Week, April 5 through 11. 

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