A Debt Mentality
While working through my own debt situation, and helping others resolve their life issues regarding debt and credit, it never ceases to amaze me how similar the life stories are and how profound is the effect of debt on the way a person thinks about life, irregardless of how much money they have or don't have.
I remember being in junior high school hearing my father say something to the effect of "you only have as much money as you have credit." Now whether that was what he said exactly or not, dosen't matter because it stuck in my head that unless you had massive debt, you couldn't have massive prosperity. Now, some 40 years down the road, I realize how flawed that reasoning was and my responsibility for allowing it in my own life.
I suspect I am not alone in those feelings. Others may get to this mentality by different life events, but it is incredible how common the debt stories are. We all get here by different routes, but FEEL the same about the result. My personal view is the way debt makes you FEEL is the whole purpose of getting in debt in the first place. If you are in debt and have bill collectors calling, and getting the envelopes that you can read PAST DUE through, and getting the ugly phone calls, you understand what I'm talking about.
One way to describe it is to use the principle of slavery, or being in prison. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman acted out this concept in a powerful movie titled "The Shawshank Redemption" (get it and watch it closely). Even though he was in prison, Tim Robbins character was never a "prisoner", and even when Morgan Freemans' character was released from prison, he was still a prisoner. How one led the other to that awareness is the point of the movie, and a powerful life lesson.
One more point. There are those who have access to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and are broke because of a debt mentality. They suffer the same feelings of someone who only has a few thousand dollars of debt, and as near as I can tell, IT IS THE SAME FEELING. I saw a coyote put in a cage one time. Completely wild animal, never caged. The panic that creature experienced caused it to die over time. A debt mentality is similar. We may not panic and die all at once, but we will do it a little at a time, and the result will be the same. No enjoyment of life, no hope beyond working to pay past due bills. And this mentality fits how someone chooses to see life. But it dosen't have to be this way.
Rich Toops created http://www.do-it-yourself-credit-repair.net to provide information that would allow subscribers to restore their credit files, and get back to purchasing status. This is still the primary function, but the awareness that there are some subscribers who keep repeating the same debt cycle is leading to a deeper look at how debt causes someone to think about their life, and how to break that cycle.
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Fallout From TJX Credit Card ... InternetNews.com - By Andy Patrizio: More stories by this author: The indictment of 11 criminals involved in the TJX credit card theft incident shows that cybercrime is indeed ... Video: Feds Charge 11 in Massive Retail Hacking Case Credit card thieves ran a polite, professional help desk 11 charged over US credit card theft |
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Credit Crunch Videos Sky News, UK - Equity, bond, and money markets were reluctant to accept that this was going to be a global banking problem, leading to a massive credit crisis. ... Credit crunch and banks: from the Rock to a hard place The credit crunch The year of living dangerously Many happy returns, credit crunch |
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The End of Credit Card Consumerism U.S. News & World Report, DC - For more than four decades, our shopaholic nation has shown an insatiable desire to spend until our credit cards melt. And throughout this era, ... |
 Reuters | Credit Suisse auction-rate debt suit may start frenzy Reuters - ST Micro alleges in the August 6 complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, that by late 2006 Credit Suisse knew that collateralized debt ... Fannie Mae expects smaller credit losses in 2009 Credit crunch cripples European insurers' profits UPDATE 1-CS reinitiates IT hardware sector with "market weight" |
Credit Suisse Sued Over Auction-Rate Securities (Update3) Bloomberg - 7 (Bloomberg) -- Credit Suisse Group, Switzerland's second-biggest bank, was sued by Swiss semiconductor company STMicroelectronics NV for allegedly placing ... STMicro sues Credit Suisse over auction-rate debt Credit Suisse sued by semiconductor firm Credit Suisse sued over 'auction' debt |
 Sydney Morning Herald | Barclays' Profits Hit by Credit Crunch BusinessWeek - by Kerry Capell The credit crunch continues to take its toll on British banks. On Aug. 7, Barclays (BCS) revealed its first-half pretax profits fell by ... Barclays: credit and credibility Barclays hit by £2bn profits slump as credit crunch takes hold Income at Barclays declines less than analysts expected |
 CNET News | Credit cards: US authorities charge 11 in global identity theft racket guardian.co.uk, UK - American authorities have uncovered a global computer hacking and credit card fraud ring spanning the US, eastern Europe and Asia, officials said. ... Gang charged for theft of 41 million credit card numbers 11 charged in connection with credit card fraud Retail Hacking Ring Charged for Stealing and Distributing Credit ... |
Settling the credit score CNNMoney.com - Having a good credit rating is more important now than ever, but determining exactly what yours is gets complicated. By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff ... The FICO Score- Unregulated Discrimination? Back-to-school shopping tips |
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