cashnocredit

Well, that complicates things. Given the BK you may, or may not, be able to swing a BT if you pay down the high balance, low interest card. You have 50k or less in your 401k. Since you are retied, are you able to withdraw from it w/o penalty? Generally, paying CC bills with 401k funds is not a good idea as 401k funds are protected from creditors. The mortgage is the last thing you should pay off. Remember, BT's aren't interest free. There is typically a transfer fee of 4% +/- so make sure you factor that in. Living with a relative rent free helps a lot. The rental income-mortgage is not your net though. You have to consider unexpected expenses relative to keeping the home up. Much depends on your equity which is likely pretty decent since you have owned the home over 12 years and haven't refinanced. You might consider selling it when the lease ends. I think home prices are starting to peak. You can likely get rid of your debt and have some left over. You need to go through your budget and perhaps simplify your finances. Your baseline since you are living with a relative is quite low, You could well be better off with just SS and tiny amounts each year from your 401k with no debts even without rental income. Especially since CC interest isn't tax deductible. Need to do the math and sketch it all out.

https://www.americanbanker.com/news/loans-not-subject-to-usury-cap-can-still-be-illegal-calif-high-court An interest rate on a consumer loan in California could be deemed illegally high even if it is not subject to usury laws, the state's Supreme Court ruled Monday.

American Blind justice

http://www.fox5dc.com/news/ramen-noodle-heist-in-georgia I mean, I like Ramen too. But wtf?

Personally, I wouldn't worry about scores. You have OK credit and scores are meaningless unless you need to apply for new credit like a mortgage. The difference in interest rates is simply too large and paying off the maxed out one may give you the best score bump but it will cost over $500 more in interest over the next 12 months. I'd go for the higher interest payoff.

The closest thing I've seen re student loans was the proliferation of crap "universities" when the federally guaranteed student loan program was ramped up in the 2000's. Partly the theory was that more education produces higher income. Cons in the education industrial complex saw the opportunity of lots of unemployed peeps getting subsidized as students together with cash coming from tapping govt. guaranteed loans. And no one really looked at the quality of the education many of these places offered. Banks loved it, students loved it, and it helped stimulate the economy so the politicos of all stripes supported it. The people that got screwed were the students who were left with a big debt and no possibility to pay it off because their education was, essentially, nil. Eventually, the chickens come home to roost. Lots of finger pointing now and lots of peeps with a poorer life outlook. As for credit cards, their terms and conditions are explicit and clear. Especially since the CARD act. Now some can't resist the idea of "free money" today without clearly understanding that debt is expected to be repaid with interest. Do you proposed that peeps should not be allowed to apply for a credit card unless they pass a test that shows they understand what they will be expected to pay? Perhaps, like a driver's license, people should have a borrower's license? What, exactly should be done so that people don't get and use credit cards from some sort of, in your words, "deceptive con?"

Every time the thief applies for credit using stolen ID a new crime is committed and the SOL for that crime starts anew. File a police report and contact the inq. sources. Follow ICAN's post.

I was in Japan/Korea for a couple weeks on biz and when I got back the electricity had been turned off for over a week. I was often sloppy at paying bills (no autopay back then). First indication was the garage door opener didn't work. When inside there was this awful smell of rotting meat. Opened the fridge and nearly barfed. Spent the next couple days cleaning it out but nothing worked and had to replace the fridge. What a mess.

Turns out the guy was a baggage handler at the airport. Apparently his only "experience" was a simulator on his home PC. They are quite good but can't replicate the physical inertial effects. Especially stalling. Probably wasn't monitoring his airspeed at the end or maybe just nosed it in on purpose. At least he wasn't homicidal. Could have done some serious damage had he wanted.

Great story. Yeah, trouble renting cars / hotel rooms with just a debit card was the primary motivation for getting my first credit card in a very long time. I had just assumed debit cards and credit cards were interchangeable. Turned out they use credit cards as sort of a proxy that you aren't going to trash their car/room and skip even though they have to pay a higher fee to take credit cards. I had no idea.

Back in my cash only days I hadn't used credit in a long time, had no credit cards, and just wrote checks or used a debit card for things. I didn't even know how bad my credit was and had never pulled a credit report or applied for anything involving credit in over 10 years. Until this: I decided to have more than the usual amount of fun at a local Indian casino. Picked up a cashier's check at my bank and tried to deposit it as "front money." They declined to take the check in spite of me having gambled there for years and having a player's card albeit with smaller amounts and only using cash. When a casino turns down your cashier's check from a local, large bank (WF), you know your credit seriously sucks.

Guy was suicidal, and wanted to have some fun first and do barrel rolls before, "calling it a night," as he put it to air traffic control. Seems he did exactly what he intended. Landing, in the traditional sense, wasn't his plan. Reportedly, he had no pilot training. Simulator games are quite good these days and he might have had access to Alaska Air's simulators.

This has been kicking around a while. In spite of what it's called in the letter "Activate your card now," it's not a credit card. There are folks that have posted images of the letter and so called "Card" as well as the tiny fine print on the back of the letter that says: "This is not an offer of credit. This invitation to apply for credit .... blah, blah" The letter people get just talks about the "Card" with imagery implying it's a credit card but the phrase "Credit Card" is nowhere to be found. It's really just a scam. It's illegal of course to send unsolicited credit cards and they skirt the law with the disclaimer. It's not even a pre-screened offer. Just a simple scam. https://nickgray.net/connector-capital-scam-credit-card/

Once upon a time Amex charge cards were due the date the statement cut, but they didn't treat it as late for 30 days and even then they didn't charge a penalty until you were repeatedly late. While the due date occurred several days before you got the statement in the mail, it also had a "suggested pay by date." Yes, literally it said "suggested." Likely this came from the large number of business clients that regularly paid after 30 days, or even 45 days. As they have gradually shifted to real credit cards and even provided pay over time options on their charge cards they have changed their terms and they now comply with standard CARD act requirements for credit cards. On my Plat this wording change occurred at the end of 2016. They are quite tolerant of the occasional payment lapse and butterflywing's DH is miniscule. It is good to keep in mind that while Amex particularly values people that PIF, a long record of on time payments makes a slight late a non-issue. Even if a 30 day late got reported, which it won't, on an otherwise solid report it would not be a problem in govt. jobs or clearances.

Burial expenses are something someone alive has to contract for unless the decedent has made prior arrangements. There's no requirement that those left behind do anything at all. But if someone signs up for cremation or any other of the myriad funeral related services, that someone is on the hook. Burial expenses can be paid out of the estate but if there isn't money there then whoever contracts for the funeral stuff is legally obligated.