The risk-based-pricing
software systems used by most mortgage companies
(as well as any credit grantor) have no way of
knowing the information in your credit files are
bad: You're guilty until proven
innocent in the credit reporting system, and
credit grantors can only assume the information
being reported about you is correct and rate you
as a credit risk accordingly. Is your credit
information incorrect? No whining, just be
prepared to pay more, since you'll be rated as a
higher-risk...and higher-risk
borrowers will always pay more.
More good news
for future home buyers (and their credit reports):
Didja hear about the mortgage company that was
able to step in and close a tough loan on less
than 24 hours notice? Despite all
of the paperwork and (perceived) brain-damage that
goes with the home buying process, the first
mortgage company that was supposed to close fell
apart and set the stage for the save of the
century by my friends at W.R.
Starkey Mortgage. And
what's really amazing about this story are the
facts of the deal: A pock-marked credit
report, a non-conforming loan and a short-fuse
couldn't keep Starkey from delivering the goods
for a grateful homeowner, which brings me to the
moral of the story...
Don't screw
around with a buncha pikers that make mortgage
promises they'll never be able to keep!
You might think you're getting a good deal, but
it'll likely blow up in your face when
push-comes-to-shove and they can't close.
Then your problems really begin. W.R.
Starkey has the Dover Seal of Approval because
they're the best, no-B.S. mortgage company in the
nation...period.
They deliver and make
home buyers the winners and long-term
beneficiaries of Starkey's commitment to their
company positioning statement: "A
different kind or mortgage company where people
come first."
You really can bank on it, folks.
Take
the Dover-proven route to stress-free
finance, and take advantage while interest rates
are STILL at incredibly-low levels! Ben's
no-brainer choice for any/all of your mortgage
needs? Easy...do
it all on-line
or on the phone with the
official mortgage company of www.benjamindover.com
and your first (and
only) stop: W.R.
Starkey Mortgage.
It's
easy to get educated about the process
first...(plus the price is
right...how about free?!?)
Everything you need to know
is only a click away. Get your copy of Bens'
2003 Home Buyer's Guide by clicking here.
What's in your credit
files? How do you know? Yeah-I've heard
the faulty logic: "I get dozens of
pre-approved credit card applications every month,
so I must have great credit." Wrong,
Einstein: Don't come cryin' to me if your file's
loaded with credit crapola. Get
to work and find out what's in your file-here's
how.
It's time to
wake up and check your FICO
scores! I can't make it any easier
for you, either. Click
here for some credit hand-holding from your pal
Bennie...
Since we're on
the subject of credit scores, it's
time to learn more about the inner-workings
of that black hole known as the credit reporting
bureaus: Get a
digital copy of Ben's 1993 (#5) bestseller Life
After Debt on-line,
right here. Here's
how.....
If
you (or someone you know) is even
remotely thinking about paying some non-profit credit
counseling service, hiring a debt re-negotiation
company or filing for bankruptcy, you might wanna read
this first:
Trust
me, you'll be more informed and a
lot more grateful 10-minutes (or
less) from now.....
Speaking
of brain-damage, Californians should check out
this special section on the website that'll
help you get a handle on your rights if you do
decide to pull the ripcord (that's slang for
filing for bankruptcy) on your creditors:
It's a
Q&A
with one of the top bankruptcy attorneys in the
state, and
a chance to debunk the half-truths being spewed
by those bottom-feeding tele-terrorists.
Don't get suckered in by countless radio-commercial
claims from car leasing companies out to hook
you, wear you down...and beat you into an emotional
(and maybe financial) pulp! Check
out Ben's free Smart Car Seminar automotive
acquisition tips right
here!
This
is a no-brainer, and they're the first and last
automobile leasing company you'll ever need to
deal with, no matter where you
live...Benjamin Dover-endorsed Manufacturers
Auto Leasing! They
have loyal clients across the entire state of
Texas and around the nation. Why?
Because they'll take care of
you better than anyone else out there!
By
the way: If
you're facing one of those upside-down scenarios
(car business term meaning you're financially
buried), or maybe you simply want to bail on
your current vehicle and need someone to get
creative on your behalf, Manufacturers
Auto Leasing is
the best in the business.
Period.
Here's one story
Michael Jackson doesn't need to worry
about-syphilis cases on the rise:
As a sigh of relief went out across Neverland
Ranch, the number of Americans infected
with this form of venereal disease increased for
the second year in a row. Pass
the penicillin and read more about it here.....
More "Life With
Mikey," Part II: The latest
accusations against The King Perp,
I mean, King of Pop could spell trouble
for a performing arts theater in Whacko's
hometown of Gary,
Indiana, as well as other
charitable Whacko beneficiaries.....
More "Life With
Mikey," Part III: No matter what
anyone says about Michael Jackson, the guy's
obviously ahead of the curve-seeking counsel from
voodoo experts to put spells on assorted enemies
last Spring. Perhaps he should
consider paying a
return to trip to New Orleans? Hmmmmmm.....
It's finally
here. Ben's 2003 Holiday Gift Picks List:
Wanna get a letter
from the President? How about a sheet of uncut
$1/$5/$10/$20 bills? Maybe you're at a loss for
the perfect gifts for the woman in your life.
Maybe you've got someone on your gift list who
already has "everything....."
Outta
the box solutions...all here and all $$$
affordability rated.....
Kathie Lee Gifford and
Puffy/P. Diddy/Whatever-he's-going-by-this-week
Combs' sweat-shop workers are yesterday's news.
Wanna Dover-glimpse of today's newest sweat-shop
employing target? (There's one on every
corner...): Starbucks!
Could Juan Valdez and his pals in the coffee
bean fields of Colombia be the next target for the
anti-sweat shop activists of our world? Pass
the cream and sugar and read for yourself.....
Is Wal-Mart one
of the most dangerous places for shoppers this
holiday season? It looks that way to a
hospitalized Florida shopper: The siren
signaling the beginning of the
Friday-after-Thanksgiving Day sale blared at an
Orange City, Florida Wal-Mart and seconds later a
41 year old shopper was unconscious and being
trampled by a buncha hawnyawks
fighting over $29 DVD players. Once
again, the (toothless) truth is stranger
than fiction.....
Dontcha
love the amazing resources I compile
every week in the Dose of Dover? Good! Then don't whine
about having to sign-up for free access:
Like anything in life,
there's always gonna be a trade-off on some level.
I embed dozens of links in every edition of this
newsletter, and my frequent sources,
The
New York Times, The
Dallas Morning News, The
Los Angeles Times, The
Orange County Register and
USA
Today require
varying levels of registration in order to access
their websites for free...with
one small caveat: If you try to hit an older story,
there's a reasonable chance that the news
organization has either moved the story to a new
URL, or to their archives. If it's archived,
there's a high probability that they'll charge you
for access to the story...usually under $3.
Don't whine about it...just pay 'em if you wanna
read it--or not. It's always your choice.
Also
worth noting: Nowhere
is it written that you have to give accurate
information when you sign up for free access on
their website. They'd like
you to, but they'll never really know. So use a
disposable e-mail address (like Hotmail
or Yahoo)
and get creative when you register. But
just remember: They/we are giving
you a tremendous service for a great
price...free! So no
complaining...
Why not help Mom
& Dad (or Grandma & Grandpa) do a little
fancy financial footwork and allow them to live
in their homes until they pass on without a
mortgage payment, or even pull a wad of cash
outta the deal while they're at it?
I've
already done the research for you on reverse
mortgages. Now it's your turn to help an
older homeowner take advantage of this
fantastic financial product.
Still
looking for a cool holiday, birthday (or other
special occasion) gift that'll keep on giving, all
year
long? Give
'em a subscription to the Dose
of Dover...the
most reliable source of
insight and no s*** ideas available on the planet.
(You can afford it...it's free!)
Time to share the wealth!
Sign-up for a subscription
to the weekly Dose of Dover Newsletter right
here!
NostraDover
strikes again-this time predicting the "wimpiness"
and "toothless" impact of the much
ballyhooed "Do Not Call" list:
I don't care if you signed up for a state-enforced
or national list, as
I predicted in January '02, there's more
holes in the Do Not Call list exemptions than
there are in Scott Peterson's alibi. Take the
phone off the hook and read the
"revelations" resulting from a lawsuit
filed by the Texas Attorney General's office
against 15 companies accused of violating the Do
Not Call list.....
And
if you'd like to turn the tables on telemarketers
that continue to be a source of tele-irritation,
it really is easy-and fun! Here
are some Dover-inspired suggestions.....
Okay chicken,
so you didn't want to fight the brain-damage of
Thanksgiving travel...fine! Goin'
anywhere for Christmas? It's only 23
days away!) Get
more bang for your turkey buck...check out Ben's
reliable, no-brainer choice for consistently
affordable and competitively priced hotel room
or condo deals: www.hotels.com.
NostraDover
called it-get ready for the "Do Not
Call" list to force more solicitors to your
front door: As I predicted almost
a year ago, the shrinking world of telemarketers
is giving way to the expanding world of
door-to-door solicitors. Time
to get out the Windex, clean-up the peephole and
get ready for the onslaught of unwanted
bellringers. (Maybe those tele-pests weren't so
bad after all?)
NostraDover, Part
III-I've been tellin' ya that this may be the
hottest gift of the 2003 holiday season for the last
several weeks: The Saturday,
11/29/03 edition of The
Boston Globe spotlighted
Dallas-based "Despair.com"
and their line of "Demotivational"
products: Cheer up...this stuff is hilarious,
incredibly-affordable and their no-brainer gift
catalog? Only a click away.....
Diamonds are still
a girl's best friend. Here's how to buy 'em
right, and get maximum bang-for-your-buck: It
doesn't matter where you live on the planet, I've
got the
absolute best, Internet-based resource for
diamond rings, tennis bracelets...or even high-end
watches like Rolexes.
If you're as big a fan of
Muhammad Ali as I am, you'll be excited when you
read about a forthcoming book that truly
redefines the term "coffee table book."
Unfortunately, many of you probably won't be able to
lift it, let alone afford it: It's called
GOAT,
an acronym for "Greatest
Of All Time;" the monstrous, 792
page/20" x 20" book weighs
in at a heavyweight proportions: 75 pounds. Equally
heavyweight? The
price! The first 1,000 copies could
definitely knock-out your holiday budget: Signed by
the author and The Champ himself, they'll set you
back $7,500 each.
The remaining 9,000 copies are "only" $3,000
a pop. You'd
better be a fan if you're signing up for
this shot at The Greatest.....
How deep are your
pockets? Wanna even-up the gift-giving score
for the next coupla years? Okay,
so this one's not for everyone's
budget...(but at least you won't have to worry about
fighting lines at the post office to get this gift
delivered on time).
Think you're gonna
outsmart the credit card companies by transferring a
balance from one card to another to cash in on 0%
interest for the next 12 months?
Hmmmmmm, I'll betcha think you can break the casino
on your next trip to the tables too, don't ya? Read
about the hidden credit card trip-wires that
increase the bank's bottom line...not
yours.
Is getting right
with the IRS on your list of New Year's Resolutions
for '04? Don't even think about trying to make
a deal with them on your own! Lousy
advice could not only cost you dearly, it could
really jack up your total tax bill...late fees,
interest and/or fines can jump to levels that'll
make you think about heading south of the border. If
you've got some tax-related challenges, make 2004 your
year to tie down those loose-ends on your
terms and get a deal worked out before it's too
late. Non-filers...innocent spouses...941
(payroll taxes) for the entrepreneurs amongst us:
Know all your options and learn why hiring an
Enrolled Agent probably makes the most sense.
Here's a medical
news flash-busy doctors/busy hospitals may actually
mean lower mortality rates for their
patients: A study just released by
the New
England Journal of Medicine suggests that
higher volume equals lower death rates...at least
that's what a nationwide sampling of almost 475,000
Medicare patients indicates. Don't
turn your head and cough until you've read this
article, first.
