Freedom Debt Relief, one of America's largest debt settlement businesses, is a top choice. However, the company is facing a lawsuit from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. According to the agency, Freedom Debt is accused of engaging in unethical and deceptive practices that have caused harm to consumers. CFPB seeks monetary relief and civil penalties against the company.
The CFPB claims Freedom Debt Relief did nothing to warn customers about their right not to withdraw from the program and claim a refund. It also claims that Freedom Debt Relief misled customers about how much they could save on their debts. It claims that the company failed to notify customers that their money was being held in an account that was theirs.
Freedom Debt Relief, according to the CFPB, violated numerous consumer protection laws such as the Telemarketing Sales Rule (and the Consumer Financial Protection Act). This company is also charged with engaging in high pressure sales tactics, fraud and other illegal activities. The CFPB seeks injunctive and monetary relief.
The New York State Attorney General's Office has also sued Freedom Debt Relief. They claim that Freedom failed to notify clients of their rights and that it caused harm to many customers. Freedom has been accused of making misleading statements about the company’s ability and willingness to negotiate with creditors.
Freedom did not provide clear information about billing and payment. Freedom didn't have access to the account of the consumer. Once the customer has enrolled in the program, they can negotiate with their creditors for a reduction of the debt. Freedom then collects the full amount if the creditor refuses negotiation. This is not always possible.
One complaint against Freedom Debt Relief is that it charged upfront fees to the client even if the debt was not settled. This is because it said it was not allowed to charge the customer until the debt was settled. Many of the clients who signed up for the program ended losing the money they had saved. It might have been possible to prevent fraud if the company had informed clients that they could withdraw from the program and receive a refund.
Freedom Debt Relief also has a problem with their ownership structure. Andrew Housser, the company's co-founder and co-CEO, continues to oversee the company's operations, which includes approving its policies. He also knew that Freedom wasn't willing to negotiate with certain creditors. According to some reports, he knew that Freedom was taking payments directly from consumers but was not willing to negotiate with the creditor.
Consumers should be aware that Freedom uses deceptive, unethical practices regardless of the reason they are suing Freedom. Anyone who has had similar issues with Freedom should consult a lawyer for more information about their rights. A lawyer can help with the development of a strategy or gathering evidence that will support your case.
FAQ
Which passive income is easiest?
There are many ways to make money online. However, most of these require more effort and time than you might think. How can you make it easy for yourself to make extra money?
Finding something you love is the key to success, be it writing, selling, marketing or designing. That passion can be monetized.
For example, let's say you enjoy creating blog posts. Create a blog to share useful information on niche-related topics. You can sign readers up for emails and social media by clicking on the links in the articles.
This is called affiliate marketing, and there are plenty of resources to help you get started. For example, here's a list of 101 Affiliate Marketing Tools, Tips & Resources.
You might also think about starting a blog to earn passive income. It's important to choose a topic you are passionate about. Once you have established your website, you can make it a monetizable resource by selling ebooks, courses, and videos.
While there are many methods to make money online there are some that are more effective than others. Focus on creating websites or blogs that offer valuable information if you want to make money in the online world.
Once you have created your website, share it on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. This is known content marketing.
How to create a passive income stream
You must understand why people buy the things they do in order to generate consistent earnings from a single source.
That means understanding their needs and wants. You must learn how to connect with people and sell to them.
You must then figure out how you can convert leads into customers. To keep clients happy, you must be proficient in customer service.
Every product or service has a buyer, even though you may not be aware of it. If you know who this buyer is, your entire business can be built around him/her.
It takes a lot of work to become a millionaire. You will need to put in even more effort to become a millionaire. Why? You must first become a thousandaire in order to be a millionaire.
And then you have to become a millionaire. You can also become a billionaire. You can also become a billionaire.
How does one become a billionaire, you ask? It starts with being a millionaire. All you have do is earn money to get there.
But before you can begin earning money, you have to get started. Let's look at how to get going.
Which side hustles are the most lucrative in 2022
It is best to create value for others in order to make money. If you do it well, the money will follow.
Although you may not be aware of it, you have been creating value from day one. As a baby, your mother gave you life. The best place to live was the one you created when you learned to walk.
Giving value to your friends and family will help you make more. Actually, the more that you give, the greater the rewards.
Everybody uses value creation every single day, without realizing it. You create value every day, whether you are cooking for your family, driving your children to school, emptying the trash or just paying the bills.
In actuality, Earth is home to nearly 7 billion people right now. This means that every person creates a tremendous amount of value each day. Even if your hourly value is $1, you could create $7 million annually.
This means that you would earn $700,000.000 more a year if you could find ten different ways to add $100 each week to someone's lives. This is a lot more than what you earn working full-time.
Now let's pretend you wanted that to be doubled. Let's assume you discovered 20 ways to make $200 more per month for someone. Not only would this increase your annual income by $14.4 million, but it also makes you extremely rich.
There are millions of opportunities to create value every single day. This includes selling information, products and services.
Even though we focus a lot on careers, income streams, and jobs, these are only tools that can help us achieve our goals. Helping others achieve theirs is the real goal.
To get ahead, you must create value. Start by downloading my free guide, How to Create Value and Get Paid for It.
What is personal finance?
Personal finance means managing your money to reach your goals at work and home. This means understanding where your money goes and what you can afford. And, it also requires balancing the needs of your wants against your financial goals.
You can become financially independent by mastering these skills. That means you no longer have to depend on anyone for financial support. You don't need to worry about monthly rent and utility bills.
You can't only learn how to manage money, it will help you achieve your goals. You'll be happier all around. You will feel happier about your finances and be more satisfied with your life.
Who cares about personal finances? Everyone does! Personal finance is one the most sought-after topics on the Internet. According to Google Trends, searches for "personal finance" increased by 1,600% between 2004 and 2014.
Today's smartphone users use their phones to compare prices, track budgets and build wealth. You can find blogs about investing here, as well as videos and podcasts about personal finance.
Bankrate.com says that Americans spend on the average of four hours per day watching TV and listening to music. They also spend time surfing the Web, reading books, or talking with their friends. Only two hours are left each day to do the rest of what is important.
You'll be able take advantage of your time when you understand personal finance.
What is the distinction between passive income, and active income.
Passive income is when you make money without having to do any work. Active income requires hardwork and effort.
You create value for another person and earn active income. If you provide a service or product that someone is interested in, you can earn money. For example, selling products online, writing an ebook, creating a website, advertising your business, etc.
Passive income is great because you can focus on other important things while still earning money. Most people aren’t keen to work for themselves. Instead, they decide to focus their energy and time on passive income.
Passive income doesn't last forever, which is the problem. If you are not quick enough to start generating passive income you could run out.
If you spend too long trying to make passive income, you run the risk that your efforts will burn out. It is best to get started right away. You'll miss out on the best opportunities to maximize your earning potential if you wait to build passive income.
There are three types passive income streams.
-
Business opportunities include opening a franchise, creating a blog or freelancer, as well as renting out property like real estate.
-
Investments - These include stocks, bonds and mutual funds as well ETFs.
-
Real estate - This includes buying and flipping homes, renting properties, and investing in commercial real property.
How much debt are you allowed to take on?
It's essential to keep in mind that there is such a thing as too much money. You will eventually run out money if you spend more than your income. Because savings take time to grow, it is best to limit your spending. If you are running out of funds, cut back on your spending.
But how much is too much? There is no universal number. However, the rule of thumb is that you should live within 10%. Even after years of saving, this will ensure you won't go broke.
This means that if you make $10,000 yearly, you shouldn't spend more than $1,000 monthly. If you make $20,000, you should' t spend more than $2,000 per month. And if you make $50,000, you shouldn't spend more than $5,000 per month.
Paying off your debts quickly is the key. This includes student loans and credit card bills. Once these are paid off, you'll still have some money left to save.
You should consider where you plan to put your excess income. If you choose to invest your money in bonds or stocks, you may lose it if the stock exchange falls. If you save your money, interest will compound over time.
Consider, for example: $100 per week is a savings goal. This would add up over five years to $500. At the end of six years, you'd have $1,000 saved. In eight years, your savings would be close to $3,000 It would take you close to $13,000 to save by the time that you reach ten.
You'll have almost $40,000 sitting in your savings account at the end of fifteen years. It's impressive. However, this amount would have earned you interest if it had been invested in stock market during the exact same period. Instead of $40,000 in savings, you would have more than 57,000.
It's crucial to learn how you can manage your finances effectively. If you don't do this, you may end up spending far more than you originally planned.
Statistics
- While 39% of Americans say they feel anxious when making financial decisions, according to the survey, 30% feel confident and 17% excited, suggesting it is possible to feel good when navigating your finances. (nerdwallet.com)
- As mortgage rates dip below 7%, ‘millennials should jump at a 6% mortgage like bears grabbing for honey' New homeowners and renters bear the brunt of October inflation — they're cutting back on eating out, entertainment and vacations to beat rising costs (marketwatch.com)
- Mortgage rates hit 7.08%, Freddie Mac says Most Popular (marketwatch.com)
- U.S. stocks could rally another 25% now that Fed no longer has ‘back against the wall' in inflation fight (marketwatch.com)
- Etsy boasted about 96 million active buyers and grossed over $13.5 billion in merchandise sales in 2021, according to data from Statista. (nerdwallet.com)
External Links
How To
Passive Income Ideas To Improve Cash Flow
There are many ways to make money online, and you don't need to be hard working. Instead, passive income can be made from your home.
There may be an existing business that could use automation. If you are considering starting your own business, automating parts can help you save money and increase productivity.
The more automated your company becomes, the more efficient you will see it become. This allows you more time to grow your business, rather than run it.
Outsourcing tasks can be a great way to automate them. Outsourcing allows you to focus on what matters most when running your business. Outsourcing a task is effectively delegating it.
You can now focus on what is important to your business while someone else takes care of the details. Outsourcing can make it easier to grow your company because you won’t have to worry too much about the small things.
Turn your hobby into a side-business. Using your skills and talents to create a product or service that can be sold online is another way to generate extra cash flow.
If you like writing, why not create articles? You can publish articles on many sites. These sites pay per article and allow you to make extra cash monthly.
You can also consider creating videos. Many platforms let you upload videos directly to YouTube and Vimeo. These videos can drive traffic to your website or social media pages.
Stocks and shares are another way to make some money. Investing is similar as investing in real property. Instead of renting, you get paid dividends.
When you buy shares, they are given to you as part of your dividend. The amount of dividend you receive depends on the stock you have.
You can sell shares later and reinvest the profits into more shares. In this way, you will continue to get paid dividends over time.