Comparing Related Financial Services - In addition to the credit card company advertisers listed below, Debtconsolidationloan.com offers a wide variety of consumer finance program listings to assist you with controlling your debts and other money management needs. Consolidate credit card bills with debt consolidation loans or use a credit counseling service for help with your getting your monthly budget under control.
- Debt Consolidation Help - Are your bills piling up? Lower your monthly payments and consolidate them with a debt consolidation loan or a related service.
- Debt Management Counseling - Do you feel that your credit card bills are stacking up with nowhere for you to turn? Your problem is not unique. Signing up with debt management firm may be the right solution to your debt problems. Review different firms offering these services to determine if this is the correct option for you.
- Personal Loan Consolidation - Need a smaller loan? Personal loans are most often unsecured. That means you do not have to secure them with personal assets in order to do a debt consolidation. This type of financing is typically based upon your credit history and your ability to make your payments.
For Financial Caregivers:
Helping Disabled or Elderly Relatives With Money Management, Even From Far Away
Millions of people serve as financial caregivers for ill or elderly spouses, parents, children or other loved ones. They perform services that include paying bills, handling deposits and investments, filing insurance claims and preparing taxes. Because this role can be costly and physically and emotionally exhausting, especially for a caregiver who lives far away or has the usual time-demands, FDIC Consumer News offers some suggestions.
Preventive Measures
Consider taking these steps before someone becomes ill or disabled:
Make sure the family knows where to find personal and financial documents in an emergency. These include bank, brokerage and credit card statements; original wills; insurance policies; and Social Security, Medicare and pension records.
Think about the direct deposit of pay and benefit checks into bank accounts. Direct deposit is safer and more convenient than paper checks. There are no delays in getting funds deposited, and no checks are lost or stolen in the mail or forgotten at home.
Consider automatic payment of important, recurring bills. You will have one fewer thing to worry about if you can arrange for utility bills as well as other regular commitments (such as insurance and the mortgage) to be paid electronically out of your loved one's checking account.
Try to make sure your elderly relatives are properly insured. If you have doubts about someone's insurance coverage or ability to pay for long-term care, get a second opinion from a financial planner or an insurance agent you trust.
Consider a "durable power of attorney." This is a legal document giving one or more people the authority to handle finances or other personal matters if the individual becomes mentally or physically incapacitated.
Suggest a "living will" or other instructions about future medical care. Most people should have a living will specifying the type of medical care they want or don't want if they become terminally ill and are unable to communicate their wishes.
Experts also recommend a "health care power of attorney" or "health care proxy" designating a family member or other trusted person to make decisions about medical treatment.
Living wills and health care proxies are intended to ensure that someone's wishes regarding medical care are honored, but they also can prevent unnecessary and costly procedures.
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Spring 2008 | Preventative | After Illness |
FDIC Consumer News is published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
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Last updated on 05/13/2008