| Steer clear of companies offering to fix your credit - Money Matters
Q: I'm 53. After years of taking care of my ill father, I've got about $17,000 in credit card debt. My interest rates have been jacked up because my credit rating is so bad. (I made some late payments during times my dad was in the hospital and life was crazy.) I've heard about places that can fix your credit. I'd like to get caught up on my bills but it's impossible with interest rates of more than 30 percent. Can these places really fix your credit rating? R.I., Lakewood A: Steer clear of these outfits. There are only three types of supposed credit-repair companies: Those that charge hundreds of dollars to write letters to the credit bureaus to dispute negative information on your report. If the information is accurate, it won't be deleted. If it's inaccurate, you can write the letters yourself at no charge.
Rangers must seize chance to exceed Smith's goals
RANGERS could be guaranteed European football beyond the turn of the year no matter the outcome of their own Champions League tie at the Nou Camp tonight but Walter Smith is demanding his players do not simply settle for achieving the target he set them at the start of the campaign. If Lyon defeat the currently pointless German champions VfB Stuttgart in Group E's other fixture in France tonight, the worse case scenario for Rangers will be a third-place finish in the section to parachute them into the UEFA Cup next February. .
Line of Scrimmage: Week 12 - Lions Must Answer T'giving Dinner Bell
Maybe, just maybe, we won't have to reach for the Maalox before Thanksgiving dinner is served this year. At 6-4, the Detroit Lions are not the nausea-inducing group of bumblers we're used to seeing in the early afternoon slot on Turkey Day. In fact, if the NFL had decided before this year to reduce its schedule to an Ivy League-like size, the Lions' regular season would have just ended and they would be calling themselves a playoff team right about now.
That said, a sense of dread is creeping in around an organization that went an unspeakable 24-72 between 2001 and 2006. The Lions have lost a couple in a row since their 6-2 start, a tough schedule awaits them during the last six weeks, and you can't help but wonder if the bottom has begun to drop out.
Green Bay comes to Ford Field this week as a streaking 9-1 football team looking to draw ever-closer to the NFC North title against its closest competition in the division.
(AFX UK Focus) 2007-11-15 14:59 GMT: Metals - Copper falls on rising supply, weak demand; Chile quake damage unclear
LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Copper fell as rising inventory, weak demand and uncertainty in equity markets outweighed possible supply disruptions from a recent earthquake in Chile. The red metal's price rose to its highest level in over a week yesterday as traders fretted Chile's most powerful earthquake since 2004 might disrupt supply. Chile accounts for 35 pct of global supply. Yesterday copper hit 7,386 usd a tonne in intraday trades, its highest price in over a week. At 2.34 pm, LME copper for 3-month delivery was down at 6,970 usd a tonne against 7,130 usd at the close yesterday. Market opinion as to how serious the earthquake was, in terms of squeezing supply, was divided. "The overall situation remains very unclear as mining companies assess the damage and it is likely to take several days for power to be restored," said Robin Bhar, UBS analyst.
Merrill Lynch hires new CEO from NYSE
Merrill Lynch & Co. named NYSE Euronext CEO John Thain as its chief executive, a move that acknowledges it needed an outsider with a Goldman Sachs pedigree to repair an image battered by wrong-way bets on subprime mortgages. Thain, 52, replaces Stan O'Neal, who was ousted as Merrill's CEO and chairman last month after the company wrote down $8.4 billion in assets during the third quarter. Thain's appointment is effective Dec. 1, Merrill said. One of his first tasks will be to assess Merrill's risk management procedures, which analysts said clearly failed in evaluating exposure to subprime mortgages and collateralized debt obligations. The New York Stock Exchange named Duncan Niederauer chief executive, replacing Thain. Niederauer, 48, joined the NYSE in April after serving as co-head of equities trading at Goldman Sachs.
Credit Counselor Mark Foster Teaches Financial Responsibility
FAYETTEVILLE -- Young couples struggling to balance income with expenses. Families mired in credit card debt. Retirees concerned about identity theft. Teenagers without a clue how to handle their finances.Mark Foster cares about them all.As director of education at Credit Counseling of Arkansas, Foster works with a wide variety of people. He leads seminars on a host of financial topics, coordinates outreach services and acts as media liaison. He's a featured financial expert on "KNWA Today" and hosts a quarterly show on Jones Television Network. He oversees 17 employees, including several who offer services in Spanish and Marshallese."We all have money," said Foster, 39. "How do you manage it? How do you budget it? What goals do you set? How do you manage credit wisely?"With all the pressures on American families today, it is essential for people to master their personal finances to survive and excel."CCOA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people improve their financial literacy.
Melbourne Mall: We Will Not Take Money From Salvation Army
MELBOURNE, Fla. -- The Melbourne Mall said it will reverse its decision and won't take a cut of The Salvation Army's holiday donations this holiday season, following questions from Channel 9. The charity was being asked to pay the mall 10-percent of collections in exchange for permission to put their kettles on the property. The Salvation Army said it asked the mall for weeks to re-think the policy, but didn't get anywhere. "It's a crying shame," said Robert Murphy, a Salvation Army bell ringer. "I think it amounts to highway robbery." A spokesperson for the Melbourne Mall said a former employee made a mistake and gave out false information on the mall's policy. They promised not to dip into the Salvation Army's donation kettles. .
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