Numerous stories are popping up around the personal finance blogosphere with regard to the fact that Chase is raising the minimum payment on its credit cards. Last month, I wrote a post about things are about to get ugly for consumers in terms of their credit card accounts. So it was no surprise when that post (although a month old) saw this recent comment from a reader, Lisa:
Yesterday (6-25-2009) I got a notice saying my “minimum” monthly payment was going from 2% to 5%. That means my payment of $345.00 will start to be $810.00 in August. I will not …read more

We’ve all heard about the great deals being cut for a number of companies. They’ve enjoyed bailouts and preferential treatment on their financing. Now, consumers may be able to get a bit of a break — and the intiative is coming from the credit card companies.
Credit card debt settlemtent made easy
It has always been possible to employ debt settlement as a method of getting rid of unsecured debt. However, the process has long been fraught with complications and strenuous negotiations. Not so much anymore. CNBC offers an example of what happened when one customer asked to settle his credit card …read more

Normally, I am not overly fond debt negotiation. After all, the idea is that you stop paying your creditors and put money into a third savings account. The debt negotiation company then works on settling your debt (usually for less than you owe overall) and then pays the settlement out of the third party savings account. Most debt negotiation companies will try and get anyone to sign up for their programs, even if they aren’t needed.
Rise Above Debt Relief has a different approach. Recently, I spoke with Jeff Boulton, CEO of the company, about his approach to debt management.
“We really …read more