What would winning the all expenses paid trip to Affiliate Summit West mean to me?

First of all, I've been doing affiliate marketing for nearly 10 years...and I've yet to "hit the big time" and be able to run my business full time. Sure, I've had some decent years. And I've had some bad ones (this one is closer to bad than decent). So hopefully this would give me that little extra push to get over the top.

Second, I'm not just some marketer pushing a bunch of junk. The sites I build are based on lessons I've learned, mostly the hard way. So I share those lessons, and the resources I've used, and in the process build a business around them. I'd love to be able to reach more people and help them get out of debt, buy their first house, or fix their back problems.

Third, I'm an eager student. For many years I sat alone and tried to build my business. Now, I'm focusing on building partnerships and learning from those who know what they are talking about (constantly buying the newest "get rich quick" program is definitely NOT the way to do this). So I would truly appreciate the opportunity to schmooze with the best affiliate marketers, and maybe even share a tip or two I've learned through the years.

Thanks for the opportunity, and good luck to whoever wins!

Sorry, we are not accepting guest articles at this time. Please check back for updates.

WHAT KIND OF ARTICLES DO WE ACCEPT?

1. Something creative or with a "wow" factor - Anyone can write an article about "The 5 secrets to getting out of debt". In fact, I'm the king of those types of articles, so I don't really need any more. So find a unique way to cover a topic that people will spark people's interest. Here is an example:
   10 financial blunders that prove you're not smarter than a 5th grader
2. A newsworthy or educational topic - If there are new government regulations or there's a hot news story on some issue in the financial world, this is a good opportunity to offer your interpretation or advice. Here is an example:
   Are annoying debt collectors really getting nastier these days?
3. A personal story that changed the way you look at money - Tell us a story about the lessons you learned about money, or something that happened that changed your life. Here is an example:
   The 5 truths and myths I learned the hard way about fixing your credit problems

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARTICLE WILL BE ACCEPTED?

This isn’t an article directory. This is a blog I started personally, which contains lots of advice and tips I learned “the hard way” during my own journey to getting out of debt. If your article took 15 minutes to write, or was written by writers you hired from some freelancer site, send it to ezinearticles.com or a similar site. I’m looking for content that is special. What makes a guest article special? In the words of one blogger, it must be some really epic sh@#.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER GUIDELINES?

• Include links to 1 or 2 authority sites, articles, or sources. That means from big name websites, popular personal finance sites, or legitimate news sources.
• Properly formatted using html. That means tags such as <p>, <b>, <a href="http://www.yourlink.com">, you get the idea.
• You can include 1 or 2 links to your own sites, 1 in the text of the article and 1 link in bio. These links must link to a website related to personal finance.
• If your article fits into one of the 3 categories above, then I don’t care about how many words you write.
• When you’re ready, send it over to me. Or feel free to send me a proposal before you start writing.

Declaring bankruptcy can be a burden on anyone, and while it can cause a financial headache, you’re also going to find that it’s going to cause stress, confusion and more. If you’re declaring bankruptcy, there’s a good chance that you’re going to be doing it for the first time. To make it easier, I wanted to break down the costs, as well as reasons why you should do it, as well as reasons on why you shouldn’t do it.

The costs of bankruptcy

Filing bankruptcy isn’t cheap and you’re going to find that if you don’t have the money up front, many attorneys just won’t work with you. You will want to think about their side for a second. Would you really work for free? For starters, you’re going to have to file with your state. There are two types of bankruptcies, which are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Your Chapter 7 bankruptcies are going to cost you around $300 to file while your Chapter 13’s may be a pinch cheaper.

Now, filing the bankruptcy with your state is just the beginning. After this, you’re going to have to set out to get an attorney. From doing my research, the average attorney is going to run you anywhere from $500 to as much as $2,500 to file the paperwork as well as consult with you. The more time you generally spend with an attorney, the more you’re going to have to pay.

How to save on your bankruptcy

There’s a good chance that you may not even have to file your bankruptcy papers with courts. What you will find out is that there’s a good chance that you may not even have to file! I was watching a documentary back in the day where a female had proclaimed that she wanted to file bankruptcy. The sad thing is that she only had $14,000 in debt. While it may sound like a lot of money, there are so many things that you can do to get out of it. Consult with a local church, or nonprofit organization in your area. These people will be more than happy to help you with your financial needs at no cost!

How do I know if I should file?

This is probably the most popular question asked online, as well as in person. Every situation is going to be different, and while you may feel that you should declare, there is a simple formula that you can follow. What you’re going to want to do is write down what you make on an annual basis (take home). You will then want to tally up all of your debts that don’t include your mortgage (if you have one). If your debts are more than 3 years worth of your annual take home, you probably should highly consider it. If it’s anything lower than this, you will want to create a plan so that you can work things out.

The real costs in the long run

If you do decide that you want to file, there are going to be many hard obstacles in the years to come. You will want to kiss any home loans goodbye, as well as any other method of loans for at least the next 7 years. Also, keep in mind that many employers will check credit reports as well. Sadly, if you

have a bankruptcy, they won’t hire you. While you will have $0 in debt, is it really worth just taking the easy way out? There are so many methods that you can take to help you drive down your debts without having to file. As I mentioned above, be sure to check with some local nonprofits to see what they can do for you.

This article was written by Elizabeth Cutten, who helps run www.findsecuredcards.com, a resource center helping consumers rebuild their credit with credit cards as well as provide them with many unique tips, tricks and more.

Before you declare bankruptcy, follow these six relatively easy steps. Just take a moment and consider other options before making a huge mistake. If you're experiencing major debt right now, I highly suggest further investigation on what options are available whilst you complete the following six steps.

1. Lay out your debt: how much debt do you have in total? How much of it are secured versus unsecured loans? What are their interest rates? How many months are you behind on their payments? Also list your current monthly expenses from bills like insurance, food, power, telephone (including mobile). In addition, log in detail all your gratuitous spending habits, including theatre spending, gym memberships, restaurant dining, etc… Once all that is complete, compile with the aid of your credit cards all your accumulated debt in each aspect where bills occur.

2. Stop your bad spending habits: With all your bills staring back, you have a general idea what you need to reduce your spending on. Although the greatest part won't be your gratuitous spending, for some people, it might just be it. With a strict budget plan removing all unnecessary expenses, you can get a better handle on your expenses and avoid bankruptcy.

3. Get the family involved: speaking to the family might help reduce the stress, that they can carry it with you. You can ask relatives for assistance as well and altogether, you can save as much money as possible whilst reducing gratuitous spending.

4. Liquidate your assets: with equity, you may be eligible to pay off your debt through refinancing or through a secured loan. If you don't cash this out after you declare bankruptcy, you won't have that privilege anymore. You could even sell the stuff you have lying around the home, like antiques, collectibles, fancy designer old stuff. You should write down all that you have available in the house of monetary value, and estimate. There are all sorts of channels you can use to sell your stuff, for example: eBay, Amazon, Facebook, Craigslist, and even garage sales.

5. Counseling Services: look for an online or local credit counseling agency that is able to provide advice for free, but they'll probably want to continue with them. These agencies provide debt management counseling and may even negotiate reducing your interest rates and overall debt, guide you towards a better situation away from bankruptcy.

6. A second Part-time Job: a second part-time job is important right now because it will add additional income to your household. No matter how small, you can do the best you can to earn as much as you can with it.

Bankruptcy has devastating consequences including the incredible length of time it would require for you to repair your credit rating (5 years). It's clear there are alternatives, you can follow them and it won't be an impossible scenario after all.

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This is a guest post. Sufi M and his staff operate The Glaring Facts, one of the leading and densely populated websites involving psychology, media-related material, history of science, and money management. We are certain you will find something that will fascinate you.

Every once in a while someone asks me: "Is it better to settle your own debts or hire a professional debt settlement company?"

The answer is easy - it depends. If you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn how to do it, then you can certainly learn how to do it yourself. If not, then hire a professional company. It's a lot like changing the oil in your car. If you don't mind getting dirty and have the right tools, you can do it on your own and save yourself some money. If you have no interest in getting dirty, or don't have the time, then bring it to your mechanic or quick oil change center.

If you want professional help, here are the debt settlement companies we recommend.

If you want to settle your own debts, you have 2 choices. First, you can either learn as you go or search online for the right information. Second, you can learn from a debt settlement pro. Charles Phelan, owner of ZipDebt.com, offers you professional training on how to settle your own debts. The program is called Do-It-Yourself Debt Negotiation Training & Coaching Program.

It's not free information (although you can sign up for a free report on the website), but it's a lot cheaper than hiring a debt settlement company. And you'll get personal coaching to go along with the training. So in the end you will save yourself lots of time, money, and headaches. And if you ever have any questions, Charles is always very quick to respond.

If this sounds like the type of help you are looking for, here's a more detailed review of ZipDdebt.com

Do you have a tough question about debt or credit, and can't find the answer?

Then you should try asking your question on a personal finance or legal forum to get more information. I get questions about specific credit problems & debt issues all the time. I offer general help whenever I can. But for those questions I can't answer, I direct people to some of the top forums to get the help they need.

Not everyone responding to questions on these forums is an expert. But if you stick to the good ones, you'll at least get someone with some knowledge about the issue you are having. At worst, you'll get someone who went through the problem on their own. At best, you'll find a financial professional. Either way, it's a quick, easy, and free way to get advice about credit & debt problems.

Setting up a forum is easy, so there are lots out there. But most have only a few posts, so those won't give you the help you need. Others are simply a bunch of ads.

So you need to find the good ones, and avoid the bad ones.

You will need to sign up for a free account, which is well worth it to get free advice. It's a good idea to create a username that does not contain your real name. Any type of nickname or creative name will do. Then you'll need to confirm your account by checking your email.

Once you are done, it's a good idea to search the forum for your particular question or issue, to see if it has already been answered. If not, then go ahead and post it. Sometimes you might get an answer within a few minutes. Other times you might need to wait a day or two. Keep in mind that most people on the fourms, even the moderators, are volunteers. So be patient.

Then, poke around and see if you can answer anyone else's questions. The real value of these forums is the community, and the more involved you are, the more you will enjoy it. And you might help out someone in a tough situation similar to yours.

Here are a few of the good ones in each category. If you've used any others that are helpful, post them in the comments:

Credit & debt:

TheFinanceForums.com
CreditBoards.com
CreditInfoCenter.com

Personal finance:

FatWallet.com
SavingAdvice.com

Legal & bankruptcy:

ExpertLaw.com
FreeAdvice.com
BKForum.com

Or are consumers just getting more irresponsible?

Hold on a second. I'm no advocate of debt collectors using rude language, calling late at night, using scare tactics, or anything like that, as described in this story. Being a bully isn't the right approach to get people to pay up.

But it may be necessary.

Because if you're a consumer, it's easy to think that all you need to do is call the number on your TV screen and you can pay off you debt for less than 50% of what you owe! So why in the world would you give anything to some rude dude on the phone?

OK, seriously.

I promote several debt settlement and other debt reduction programs here. And all have outstanding BBB reports, and are well-known in the industry. For the right situation, debt settlement makes sense. And you can save 50%. But it's not easy, and it's not for everyone.

But the average consumer doesn't know that. Or at least they don't want to know.

So the debt collectors have to get tough, right? They have a job to do. And if enough people walk away from their debts, then we all pay. The banks raise fees. They get into shady deals like giving mortgages to people who have no business qualifying for one. They scam those who do qualify. Not always, of course. But if we as consumers don't pay our bills, then the business model doesn't work.

Again, I'm not saying that bill collectors should be allowed to harass people. Well, maybe some people like my deadbeat friend Joe (sorry, just kidding).

But I would imagine that most people who get abused by debt collectors aren't living up to their end of the bargain - like they don't pick up the phone, or make no real effort to start paying back what they owe.

So, if the debt collectors are starting to call your phone number, follow these tips:

1. Don't ignore the calls! Hey, you owe the money. The least you can do is pick up the phone and explain your situation. Then do you best to come to some agreement to pay your bills. If you ignore the calls, expect the collectors to start calling at odd hours, or call you at work, call your neighbors and relatives, or worse!
2. Be polite. Don't yell. And if the bill collector calling you gets nasty, tell them to speak appropriately or that you'll hang up. And follow through if necessary. But if you want a fight, and you want more serious action to be taken against you, try arguing and you'll get what you asked for.
3. Don't lie. If you can't pay next week, don't say you will. If you can't afford $100, ask to pay $50. If you can't afford $50, ask to pay $25. Then pay.
4. Have a plan. And do it BEFORE you start getting phone calls. Look for ways to save money. Cancel your cable TV. Get a lesser cell phone plan. Stop eating out every Friday night. Sell stuff you don't need. At least until things get better. It's you responsibility to pay what you owe. Then, you'll be in better position to work out a deal when the dreaded collections calls start coming.
5. Get everything in writing. If you do come to an agreement, ask for it in writing. Have it emailed or faxed to you if necessary, to get it fast. Even though you sometimes hear "this message may be recorded..." don't expect that to help you when the written agreement doesn't match what you agreed upon with the agent on the phone.
6. Keep records. Of every call, and write down the name of the person you spoke to, the time of the call, the content of the conversation. The more information you have, the easier it will be next time.
7. Know your rights. Read these Debt Collection FAQs: A Guide for Consumers. This way you'll know if they're crossing the line, or just doing their job.

Just realize that debt stinks. There is no easy way out, "secret method", or quick fix. But no matter what, ignoring the calls from the bill collectors WON'T make life easier for you.

Do you agree? Or have any other tips for dealing with nasty collection calls?

Thanks to The Digerati Life for this post. If you're considering refinancing, you'll find this information helpful:

Many homeowners who are struggling to keep up with their monthly mortgage payments think of refinancing when interest rates go down. When you question some lenders about refinancing options, you can expect to start receiving e-mails and telephone calls almost everyday.

There are a number of reasons why people resort to refinancing and one of them is to make the most out of reduced interest rates. The borrowers have the opportunity to reduce their monthly mortgage payments if the interest rates go down. If they want to reduce the refinance loan term, they might have to pay higher monthly payments, but they can still save on interest costs. By shortening the loan term, they can pay it off faster.

Before you refinance, you'll need to observe interest rate fluctuations. As rates go down, so do a slew of other rates, such as savings account rates and credit card interest rates. This is actually a good thing for the housing loan market, but you'll need to keep an eye on a moving target. Of course, the goal here is to try to lock in the lowest rate that you come across. You can do this more than a month ahead of closing, which is basically the final step when you refinance. If you’re not able to do so, you can lock in a rate even five days prior to closing.

Like getting your first mortgage, you’d have to apply for a "new loan" to refinance your existing mortgage. If you remain with the same lender, you might save some money and time since there are reduced formalities. Realizing the extent of competition out there, it’s beneficial for your lender to provide you a good offer. Nevertheless, there are a lot of lenders who are eager for your business and you can shop around, not only for reasonable rates, but also to save money on fees. The procedure which involves closing with one lender and starting with another lender, usually generates a range of fees that can frequently accumulate, so get a list of all probable fees. Request a quote that incorporates the correct fees.

If you’re thinking about living in your home for quite a number of years, then it’s better to make the most of low interest rates. Just like when you took out your original loan, you can also buy points that are a type of prepaid interest. If you have additional cash on hand, this might be helpful. Every point is 1% off the overall loan amount. By paying points, you can reduce your interest rates.

You can also go for a cash-out refinancing where you can refinance with an amount that is higher than what is outstanding on your current mortgage; the difference between your new loan and your old loan is the amount of cash you get to keep. This is basically a technique that will allow you to obtain some money as a tax-free loan on the difference between the present home value and its value from the original mortgage. For instance, if your mortgage balance is $100,000 and your current property value is $300,000, you can refinance for $175,000 and keep $75,000 as tax-free money minus the fees and transaction costs. As per Freddie Mac, one of the leading secondary mortgage market players of the country, almost 60% of borrowers who refinance do this for the aim of cashing out.

The Digerati Life is a personal finance site that offers tips and resources on credit card and debt management. Check out the site’s review of best balance transfer credit cards and 0% APR credit cards.