From depleted retirement accounts to underwater homes, it's been gloomy news for years. But the picture will get much brighter for those who take advantage of the laws and reforms enacted in the wake of the banking, real estate, and economic meltdown. The Dodd-Frank Act. The Making Home Affordable Program. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. These are just a few examples of the significant but little-understood changes that offer people an unprecedented chance to set things right with their credit, savings and investments, employment, housing, retirement and more. Financial Fresh Start explains it all-simplifying the complicated reforms and motivating readers to shake off their malaise and radically improve their long-term financial prospects. Written by a dynamic author with a unique blend of legal, financial, and real estate expertise, the book's big-picture lens spans the spectrum of money matters, and delivers clear, actionable answers to questions such as: * How can you repair your credit quickly and avoid high finance costs? * What are the safest places for saving and investing? * Can you legally avoid repaying what you owe? * Will your home ever be worth what you paid for it? * Is there life after foreclosure? * Are you missing out on programs that can put money in your pockets? * Is it possible to make up for recent losses and still retire on time? * And more Big corporations and the mega-wealthy have professionals to keep them abreast of the latest regulations. Now, everyday people can learn what the new rules really mean to them with the expert guidance and practical solutions in Financial Fresh Start.

Don't get down, get started instead-with Fresh StartBankruptcy Well over a million Americans suffer the trauma of bankruptcy everyyear. But many don't know that bankruptcy may be the idealopportunity to rein in their out-of-control finances, get back ontheir feet, and start over anew. Fresh Start Bankruptcy is a friendly and non-intimidating guidethat walks you step by step through the filing process and providesthe sympathetic, expert advice you need to survive the ordeal.Attorneys Deborah Herman and Robin Bodiford provide the informedperspective that makes tough decisions simple. They'll help youdecide whether you should retain legal counsel or move forward onyour own. And if you do decide to go it alone, you'll find all theprofessional advice you need to make the process as quick andpainless as possible. You'll learn which chapter to file and how todo it, how to protect your assets and deal with creditors, how torepair your credit, and how to navigate bankruptcy court. Personal anecdotes included in the book prove that people of allwalks of life have gone through the process and come out strongerthan before-- and you can too! So, no matter how your financialtroubles came about, stop worrying and start over with the positiveoutlook and thoughtful guidance you'll find only in Fresh StartBankruptcy.

Three years after the economic meltdown began, many of us are still reeling from its devastating effects. Maybe you're among the millions of homeowners who fell behind on their mortgages or you lost your home to foreclosure. Maybe you lost your job and have struggled to find a new one, meanwhile struggling with a drastically reduced income. Or perhaps you're one of the roughly 1.5 million Americans filing each year for bankruptcy. Or maybe you emerged from the meltdown relatively unscathed, but you've been recently divorced or widowed. Now, along with all the other accompanying emotional hardships, you must deal with a household budget that is dramatically changed. Maybe you experienced an unexpected health crisis that drained your savings or retirement account. Or perhaps you've simply grown tired of having so much debt. As tough as these situations are, they aren’t hopeless.. You have options. When the old \ rules for managing your finances no longer apply, you can take control of your situation, wipe the slate clean, and start over. Here, in the accessible, empathetic, and easy-to-understand style the Wall Street Journal Guidebook series is known for, veteran WSJ personal finance reporter Karen Blumenthal walks you through everything you need to know to leave the past behind you and get your financial life back on track. This includes how to: -Build a trusted team of professionals to help you navigate your new financial landscape -Get your credit record - the support beam of your financial scaffolding - back in order -Recalibrate your budget and weigh your big ticket expenses -Determine whether you can afford to stay in your home -Adjust your debts to your new situation -Assess your health coverage and other necessary insurance -Invest for your future retirement and other needs -Craft a sustainable plan for long-term financial health Whether you're recently divorced or widowed, or have declared bankruptcy or lost your home to foreclosure, or simply want to start with a clean slate, you can make a fresh financial start. Covering housing, insurance, health care, investing, debt, taxes, wills, and more, this book shows readers at all life stages and income levels how to adapt and adjust their finances to their new circumstances and get on the path to a better financial life.

David Bach has a plan to help you live and finish rich—no matter where you start So you feel like you’ve started late? You are not alone. What if I told you that right now as you flip through this book, 70% of the people in the store with you are living paycheck to paycheck? What if I told you that the man browsing the aisle to your left owes more than $8,000 in credit card debt? And the woman on your right has less than $1,000 in savings? See? You’re really not alone. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who’ve saved too little and borrowed too much will never catch up financially. Why? Because they don’t know how. You can start late and finish rich—but you need a plan. This book contains the plan. It’s inspiring, easy to follow, and is based on proven financial principles. Building a secure financial future for yourself isn’t something you can do overnight. It will take time and it will take work. But you can do it. I know. I’ve helped millions of people get their financial lives together—and I can help you. Spend a few hours with me—and let me challenge you. Give me a chance to become your coach. Just because you started late doesn’t mean you are doomed to an uncertain future. Whether you’re in your thirties, forties, fifties, or beyond, there is still time to turn things around. It’s never too late to live and finish rich. All it takes is the decision to start. —David Bach Is it too late for me to get rich? Over and over, people share their fears with David Bach, America’s leading money coach and the number-one national best-selling author of The Automatic Millionaire. “If only I had started saving when I was younger!” they say. “Is there any hope for me?” There IS hope, and help is here at last! In Start Late, Finish Rich, David Bach takes the “Finish Rich” wisdom that has already helped millions of people and tailors it specifically to all of us who forgot to save, procrastinated, or got sidetracked by life’s unexpected challenges. Whether you are in your thirties, forties, fifties, or even older, Bach shows that you really can start late and still live and finish rich – and you can get your plan in place fast. In a motivating, swift read you learn how to ramp up the road to financial security with the principles of spend less, save more, make more – and most important, LIVE MORE. And he gives you the time tested plan to do it. The Start Late, Finish Rich promise is bold and clear: Even if you are buried in debt – there is still hope. You can get rich in real estate – by starting small. Find your “Latte Factor” – and turbo charge it to save money you didn’t know you had. You can start a business on the side – while you keep your old job and continue earning a paycheck. You can spend less, save more and make more – and it doesn’t have to hurt. David Bach gives you step-by-step instructions, worksheets, phone numbers and website addresses --everything you need to put your Start Late plan into place right away. And he shares the stories of ordinary Americans who have turned their lives around, at thirty, forty, fifty, even sixty years of age, and are now financially free. They did it, and now it’s your turn. With David Bach at your side, it’s never too late to change your financial destiny. It’s never too late to live your dreams. It’s never too late to be free.

The instant NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER #1 PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT Revised & Updated for 2023 THE PATH TO YOUR ULTIMATE RETIREMENT STARTS RIGHT HERE! Retirement today is more complex than ever before. It is most definitely not your parents' retirement. You will have to make decisions that weren't even part of the picture a generation ago. Without a clear-cut path to manage the money you’ve saved, you may feel like you're all on your own. Except you're not—because Suze Orman has your back. Suze is America's most recognized personal finance expert for a reason. She's been dispensing actionable advice for years to people seeking financial security. Now, in this revised and updated Ultimate Retirement Guide for 50+, which reflects recent changes in retirement rules passed by Congress, Suze gives you the no-nonsense advice and practical tools you need to plan wisely for your retirement in today's ever-changing landscape. You'll find new rules for downsizing, spending wisely, delaying Social Security benefits, and more—starting where you are right now. Suze knows money decisions are never just about money. She understands your hopes, your fears, your wishes, and your desires for your own life as well as for your loved ones. She will guide you on how to let go of regret and fear, and with her unparalleled knowledge and unique empathy, she will reveal practical and personal steps so you can always live your Ultimate Retirement life. "I wrote this book for you," Suze says. "The worried, the fearful, the anxious. I know you need help navigating the road ahead. I've helped steer people toward happy and secure retirements my whole life, and that's exactly what I want to do for you."

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