Vulgar Voicemails Force Debt Collector To Pay $1.5 Million Dollars

I was sent a link to this by a friend it is a great piece written by:  Jason Whitely at WFAA.com.  These guys are out of control, it is about time someone stepped in and put them in their place.

DALLAS — The harassing and threatening voicemail messages left on Allen Jones’ mobile phone are nothing short of vulgar.

“This shouldn’t be tolerated,” he said. “Nobody should have to experience what I had to experience.”

Debt collectors from Advanced Call Center Technologies, LLC left eight messages for Jones in August 2007 trying to collect what it said he owed on a credit card.

Most messages were laced with profanity and spewed racial slurs:

“This is your mother******* wake-up call you little lazy a** b****,” a collector said on one. “Get your mother******* n****r ass up and go pick some mother******* cotton fields.”

Jones is African-American.

“If we did not have tapes, no one would ever believe that this happened,” Mark Frenkel, one of Jones’ attorneys said.

The recordings are so offensive News 8 decided against publishing transcripts of the others.

“This is absolutely, without a doubt, the most egregious collection case I’ve ever seen,” Dean Malone, Jones’ other attorney, added.

Jones sued Advanced Call Center Technologies over the harassing calls.

Friday afternoon, a Dallas County jury awarded him one of the biggest verdicts of its kind.

He won $50,000 in mental anguish and $1.5 million in punitive damages.

“We made a statement and the statement is we will not tolerate abusive debt collectors,” Jones continued.

Frenkel and Malone said employees from Advanced Call Center Technologies confessed to the calls. It remains unclear if they’re still with the company and whether it will appeal. Messages left at its headquarters were not immediately returned.

Jones always disputed the debt and claims he paid it.

The amount in question is as hard to believe as the calls themselves.

“They did this to Allen for under $200,” Frenkel pointed out. “Two hundred bucks put him through this.”

Now the company trying to collect money has become the one paying it out.

Rates To Die For Or Kill Over, You Choose!

There is an article that I wrote for a major Ezines that will be published shortly (when it is I will let you know) on using CD’s to your advantage.  I thought talking about CD as alternative investments to savings accounts would make a good topic for us today.

CD’s or Certificate of Deposits are fairly well known to most people.  There are advertisements for them on TV, in the local bank, even at the bus stop.  There are even websites that specialize in finding the best rates available.  Some local newspapers will do the same type of thing.

Here is a snapshot of a local NY website that has the rates listed.

The local NY website only offered 1 year CD rates, but as you can see they are not bad (all things considered).

Here is a snapshot to a local NY credit union website and their listed CD rates.

The local credit union has 3 and 6 month rates listed.  These are nice if you have money you will be needing shortly, you can place it there and earn a decent interest rate.  Much better than the bank pays for savings avvounts.

Strategy Based Profits TIP: - Do some research and check back in a few days for the link to the full article on what to look for in a CD.

Robert J. Roy
Money Man

Cashing In On Summer Jobs For Teens & Tweens

Summer is upon us, the kids are out of school and looking to take it easy, at least for a little while.  Your tweens and teens are going to want to go and hang out with their friends; go to the movies and just do stuff this summer.  The kick of it is they are going to look to their parents for the cash to do so.  They will be looking to pull some cash off of the money tree in the back yard.  Oh wait there really is no money tree just Mom & Dad.

One way to help ease the financial burden (for parents) this summer is to have your children do some work to earn some extra money.  There is nothing wrong with teaching them the value of a dollar early on, actually the tween and early teen years is the perfect time to do so.

Here are a few of the top tween and teen jobs for this summer:

Cleaning up the yard – Yes it would be great to have them clean up your yard (and save dads back along the way) but don’t forget they can clean up your neighbor’s yard also.  Raking leaves, mowing the grass, watering the flowers and weeding the garden are just some of the things they can do.

Pet care – If your child has always wanted a dog or a cat or some other exotic animal like a ferret and you have resisted because you don’t believe they will be responsible enough with them than this could be a wonderful experience for them.  First they will get to see what it is like to take care of a pet with full responsibility and they will get to earn some money along the way.  They could offer pet sitting, dog walking and even give baths to the pets (get the first bath on video, it will be a blast).

House cleaning – Please don’t discount this one, everyone has to clean up at some time or another.   You might be surprised after one full summer of your kids cleaning up other people’s houses they might even keep their room clean.

Babysitting – This works best for the teens but the tweens are welcome to join in also.  When our daughter was eleven she babysat in our home so my wife was there to keep a watchful eye on her and the baby.  Kids are getting between $5 – $15 per hour for babysitting these days (not bad money).

Bake sale / lemonade stand – These types of events are usually less frequent than some of the others mentioned above.  They work well around block sales and sporting events.  One trick is to ask a store owner if your child could set up shop outside of their store for one or two days a week.

Try making up flyers and posting them at the local supermarket or library.  Also give them out to your neighbors and have them available at sporting events.  Let the kids help create them on the computer, it’s their business so let them treat it that way.

So there you have it a few good ideas for helping your kids not only to make extra money but you will be teaching them the value of a dollar.

Strategy Based Profits TIP: - Start teaching your children early about the responsibilities of money.  Have them pick out a niche and help them advertise it.  Most importantly keep them encouraged and motivated, be their hero!

Robert J. Roy
Money Man

Making Money Online With eBooks

As a society we have instant access to information.  It has gotten to the point of information overload.  If you do a Google search for the word “money” you will get 943,000,000 results (give or take).  This makes it almost impossible to find just what you are looking for.

Much of the information is not very good.  Most of it is just fluff thrown up on a homemade website full of grammar and contextual errors.  You might be thinking that this is bad news but it is actually very good news for you.

What makes this good news is you are going to do something about it.  You are going to contribute to the amount of information online.  The major difference is that you are going to create a document that is chock full of pure content.  This will be content that people are looking for.  How are you going to do this, you are going to create your own eBook.

I can hear the roars now “Rob I can’t write a book”.  Actually you can do it.  Keep in mind you do not need to be a journalist to write a book.  Here is what you do need:

            A desire to see the job through
            Deep knowledge of a topic
            A plan to get it done

Writing an eBook is actually fairly simple, the number one secret to success is to write about something that you know.  I am constantly writing articles, blog posts, chapters for my book and short stories that focus on money and finances but you can write on anything that you know that you could be considered an expert.

The best way to determine what to write about is to sit down with a pad and brainstorm.  Write down everything that you have an interest in, what you do as a job, your hobbies.  Don’t hold back here, just get it on paper, and don’t think about it at this point.

Now for the making money part.  Once you have written your eBook you will want to make some money with it.  You put in your blood, sweat and tears into this masterpiece and it is finally time to make some money by selling your work of art.

There are two main areas to focus on for selling your eBook.  First are the online auction sites such as eBay.  Go to eBay and search for eBook and look over the advertisements people already have posted there.  This will get the juices flowing on how to list your produce for sale.  Next go to Google and search for eBook directories and you can list your book there.  Some sites will charge you but that is ok because of the exposure you will get by listing it on their site.

You might be asking the question “Rob why would I want to go through all of this work”?  Well if you create an eBook that has value to it, people will want to buy it because it has meat to it and it solves a problem that your audience has.  So you have done a good thing BUT let’s not forget the money part of this.  Once the book is written the hard part is done.  As you sell your book (let’s say for $10.00 each) and you sell just 10 copies a month, that is an additional $100.00 per month.  Then you add a few more sites to sell your book from and you are now selling 15 books a month, well that is $150.00 a month of extra income.

Once you get to this point you will be thinking of your next eBook (your sequel as it were).  It’s not hard but it will take a little time.

Strategy Based Profits TIP: - Brainstorm and pick a topic you are familiar with, spend time writing your eBook, and list it for sale.  Sit back and let the sales come in.

Robert J. Roy
Money Man

Budgeting Made Easy (Or at least simpler)

I have received numerous emails asking for more information on creating a budget.  What I did was I went back to my files from a budgeting workshop that I teach and I have created a quick and concise eBook called: “Strategy Based Profits Starter Budgeting Worksheet”. 

I have set up a download link on the top right side of the page.  Enter in your email address and your first name and you will receive a download link to the free eBook.

I hope you enjoy it!

Robert J. Roy
Money Man

Profiting From Garage Sales (Finding Hidden Gems)

We have all driven past them before.  We have seen the sight stapled to trees and telephone poles and even posted in the grocery store on the community bulletin board.  Garage Sales (sometimes listed as yard sales, tag sales, estate sales, etc) are everywhere around us.

This weekend I saw over a dozen such sales in my neighborhood.  As I was talking to my wife about this we didn’t remember here being this many yard sales last year.  I decided to stop and talk to some of the “garage sale merchants”.  I was amazed at what I found out, my conversations actually confirmed my initial thought process on this recent boom in garage sales.  As the unemployment rate continues to climb and remain near recent highs individuals and families are cutting back and selling “The Family Junk” (as it were) to make extra cash.

The consensus I found in my conversations was that the economy wasn’t getting any better anytime soon so they were preparing themselves as best as possible.  I also realized that the home owners having the garage sales were very open to negotiating the selling prices of their wares.  I realize that garage sales are meant for negotiating but I have never been able to drop some of the prices to 10% of the original asking price.  This was at more than one of the numerous sales I stopped at.

So how can you profit from this recent boom in garage sales?  Here are a few ways you can take advantage of them:

*Look for deals for personal use – One persons junk is another person’s treasure.  I saw almost brand new bicycles for $5.00 each.  It doesn’t have to be brand new to be a good deal.

*Collectables – Estate sales are wonderful for these types of items.  Family members are selling off all of the assets form a parent or other family member that has passed on.  Usually they have no idea what they have their hands on.  You need to know your market to make sure you are not overpaying but if you get a deal here you can make a small fortune reselling the item.

*Resell what you buy – Places like craigslist.com and backpage.com are great places to resell your items and both of these are free to use.  You could also use paid sites such as ebay.com.  If you have some knowledge about books go to my post on ”Selling On Amazon Click Here   to learn more on selling your items on Amazon.

Strategy Based Profits TIP: - When looking to profit from garage sales be familiar with the items you are looking at.  Also the key is to negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate.  Did I mention you need to negotiate!  Most important be willing to walk away from the sale.  Don’t show the seller you want the item more than they need to sell it.

Robert J. Roy
Money Man

Mom and Dad are not an ATM MACHINE!

You’ve see it happen before, little children going up to their parents in a store asking “Mommy can I buy this”.  I am sure your children have done the same thing, all kids do.  Children look to parents for their sole source of supply.  Who else should they turn to, a complete stranger?  Of course not, children know that they can go to mommy or daddy for anything.

At an early age it seems cute but as our children get older they need to learn that money doesn’t grow on trees.  Although they have always looked to you for their sole source of supply, the supply is not limitless.  There comes a point where (as parents) we have to draw a line in the sand.  A point where we have our children take on some (if not all) of their own financial responsibilities.

Here is one way to handle this situation.  The first step is to determine when you feel your child is mature enough to start handling money.  What I mean by that is if you were to give your nine year old child $50.00 on the first of the month would they be able to budget it and make it last the entire month?  At nine years old that is probably too much to expect, but at fourteen or fifteen they are more likely to be able to handle this.

Once you feel your child is old enough to handle the financial responsibility pick a dollar amount that you are willing to give your child for the month (or the week) to spend on their daily needs.  This could be for going to the movies, school lunch, transportation to school, etc.

What you are teaching them is how to handle their own finances.  In essence you are teaching them to create and stick to a budget.  BUT don’t believe for a second that they are not going to stumble along the way.  Instead of getting mad about it use it as a teaching time with your children.  You don’t have to be all business with them, have fun and enjoy the ride.

Strategy Based Profits TIP: - As your kids fall short of money at the end of the week or month explain to them that as adults we struggle with the same things day in and day out.  They are not alone here.

Robert J. Roy
Money Man

Savings Plans & Kids (When To Start)

To a child there is no better sound than a coin dropping in the slot of their piggy bank and hitting the coins below.  As you watch your child drop the coins in their favorite piggy bank just look into their eyes and you can’t help but see joy within them.  As children get older they tend to enjoy the look and feel of dollar bills over change.

No matter what age your child is, no matter if they receive bills or coins; they learn early that money brings a certain joy to them, even for a short time.  As your kids take money and drop it in their bank they are learning the basis of money and how to save it.  This is the start of their savings plan.  This is an important step in getting your children on the right track financially.

So when is a good time to get children started on a savings plan?  There is no perfect answer but for the average child the age of 3 is a great age.  Some will pick it up a little sooner and for some it will take a little longer, don’t rush it, and allow it to happen naturally.

There are many ways to start kids out on a savings plan here are a few ideas to get your creative financial juices flowing:

*Take your child to the store and allow them to pick out the piggy bank they like.  If they like the bank they will be more interested to put money in it.

*Teach your children the amount of each coin (1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents).  Use real money not plastic or fake coins.  They will be using real money so teach them with real money.

*Try to use newer / shiny coins; children are more attracted to them over older more dull coins

*Make a game out of it.  Kids love games and playing so make it fun and exciting.  Have them count the number of coins they drop in their savings bank.

*As they are getting ready to drop a coin in the bank ask them how much money is that coin worth.

*Buy a few items from the store that cost 1, 5, 10 and 25 cents (I know there really are not a lot of them).  What they are is less important than the size of them.  Show your child how much each one costs.

As I said earlier there are many things you can do to teach your child about money and savings.  No matter what method or game you play with them take your time and make it fun for them.  Remember you are starting them off on a journey that will never end.  Make it fun, make it memorable and most important enjoy the time with your children.

Strategy Based Profits TIP: - When teaching your children about money keep it fun for the both of you!

Robert J. Roy
Money Man

World Economic Outlook As Of April 2010

According to a report released in April 2010 by the International Monetary Fund here are some global considerations and expectations.

The recovery is stronger than expected but the speed of the recovery will vary
Financial conditions are easing in some sectors

Capital is flowing into emerging economies
Inflation pressures have lessened but they may still rear their ugly head
The global demand is leveling out and we are starting to see a rebalancing taking place

These are wonderful facts to know but how does this help us with our money?  How will knowing this help us with our money?

The direct effect will not be easily seen over the next few weeks but the recovery is certainly noticeable.  Just walk into any supermarket and look at what is loaded in someone’s wagon and you will see that people are spending money on items that for a while they were holding back from.  As an example consumers were only spending money on items that they had to have in an effort to preserve cash.

It is no different in a department store, a car dealership, a furniture store, etc. people are starting to spend money.  The difference this time is that two years ago the average consumer was very comfortable; they were on top of the world, never expecting the economy to do what it did.

Go back five years ago if you had told someone that the real estate market was going to lose 10%, 20%, 30% even 50% from the highs and people would have thought you were crazy and they would need to have you committed.

Bottom line, things are getting better BUT many economists are waiting for the other shoe to drop.  In the United States the other shoe is the commercial real estate market.  Are they correct?  Will it drop?  I don’t have a magic ball but all roads seem to point to the commercial real estate market weakening but how much is anyone’s guess.

Strategy Based Profits TIP: - Keep saving for that rainy day, it may not be that far away!

Robert J. Roy
Money Man

Quick Cash Online For Kids (Adults Can Play Too)

I hear from parents all the time “My kids are always looking for money” or “How can I get my kids to make extra money “?  We all know that children are not cheap to raise.  It takes money and if you have a few kids, it may take lots of money.

It is important to teach children the value of money.  Helping them to understand that money doesn’t grow on trees is an important lesson for them to learn.  So how can parents do that?  How can I show my little Johnny or Mary the value of money?

One thing to do is to show them how they can make money themselves.  I am not talking about taking your 12 year old child and having them get a job at Home Depot.  What I am talking about is having them make money right from the comfort of your home.

The internet has grown exponentially in the last decade.  Who would have ever thought that it could possibly become such an important thing in our society?  With the internet having so much influence over our daily lives and online sales of everything from information to cars to houses to, (well you get the point) teaching your children to take advantage of this now will put them light years ahead of their peers.

One Quick and easy way to do this is to go to Amazon.com and sell books you or your child no longer want or need (you can even sell your old college textbooks).  Selling on Amazon is quick and easy.  Here are a few simple steps for selling your unwanted books

1-      Create an account (It’s free and easy to do)

2-      Create a sellers account (Also free and easy to set up)

3-      Get together the books you want to sell

4-      Research what the same used book is selling for on Amazon (enter book name on Amazon.com)

5-      Go into your sellers account

6-      Enter the book name

7-      Enter the book condition (Be VERY accurate here)

8-      Enter your selling price and shipping method

You are done!  Have fun with this, this is not hard stuff and you can make some extra money along the way.

Robert J. Roy
Money Man