Debt Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (2008, Hardcover)

I thought this book would give good insight to helping with debt. 50% of the book talked about how bad and corrupt the government is, especially the Bush government (like credit cards werent around before 2000!) 40% is telling stories or examples of people fighting credit companies, and the last 10% is giving information that anyone should already know. Let me save you some money and time...check your credit rating, call the card companies and ask that your interest rate be lowered, and tell the collectors to stop calling you...there...i just saved you $20-$30.00 and time of reading 300 pages to tell you those three things. What a crock!

Kevin Trudeau is everywhere these days: on infomercials that grace the wee-hours airwaves; on talk shows; and in Borders and Barnes & Noble, thanks to his several books purporting to introduce an unsavvy public to the behind-the-scenes scoops on topics as health cures and debt relief. This book is thick, at 308 pages, and does include some useful information and tips, but it does not truly live up to its name since the best "cure" for debt is simply to tighten the belt and pay the debt off, and the best prevention for debt is to not buy anything using credit that can not be immediately paid at the end of the month with cash on hand (except for a home or boat or smilar large item). However, the concept that the lending industry is unscrupulous about recruiting persons for their products is well-taken, and some of the statistics are mind-boggling! For example, did you know that 4 billion pieces of unsolicited surface-mail solicitations are sent annually in the United States? Or that interest rates above 21% constitute usury in this country while fees can exceed 45% and can cover exactly the same sorts of services? I was surprised to learn that every American carries a credit card debt approximating $8000 and that the USA is $6.7 trillion in debt with that figure increasing by $2 billion daily! Some useful advice: (1) Debts over three years old have exceeded their statute of limitations, so consumers ought to simply hang up on collections agents who dun; (2) When starting to get in too deep with monies owed, try bargaining with creditor(s) to extend payoff(s); bankruptcy is not typically the best answer for most people; (3) Credit repair agencies may be scammers; (4) conscientiously checking and persistently correcting all three of one's credit reports quarterly can be quite beneficial; (5) Having a credit score 50 points higher may save thousands on a 30-year home loan than for the identical loan amount compared to wha will be paid in interest by someone with a credit score 50 points lower; (6) Put down 20% when buying a home so that PMI wll not be charged; (7) Shave years off your mortgage by paying the entirety in 1/4-sized bits through the month; (8) Prepay mortages if possible; (9) Write down all transactions with creditors and collectors, et al; and (10) Save, save, save!