| The best little deal in banking
If you belonged to a credit union in the past, it was probably because a volunteer at work or church approached you to let you know about the good deal you could get on a car loan. Credit unions still offer car loans, they're still tied to affiliation groups, and they still have friendly members looking to let you know about a good deal. But today these not-for-profits are in a pitched battle with big retail banks for all your banking business. .
A Viable Alternative to Bankruptcy
(ARA) - If you're carrying thousands of dollars in credit card debt, struggling to pay the rent every month and getting calls from collections agencies, you might be considering bankruptcy. Yet for almost all circumstances, a good financial advisor will tell you that's the last thing you should do.Once you declare bankruptcy, there are many unpleasant implications. Not only do you lose control of your assets and have your dignity taken away, but when the debt is finally paid off, it will be very difficult to obtain credit again. Bankruptcies remain on your credit report for 10 years.Despite the negatives, there were 2,078,415 filings last year --- 2,039,214 among individuals, 39,201 by businesses according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. The numbers are expected to be a lot lower this year as a result of The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, signed into law last year.
Letters to the Editor
Reval would establish fairness To the Editor, Question 2 on the Nov. 6 ballot in Kennebunkport will ask voters to approve revaluation. This question should be approved because it will establish fairness and equity among all property owners. Recent sales data show that the overall average of total assessed property value in Kennebunkport is about 40 percent of their average market value. The range of assessed value to market value varies from as low as 15 percent to as high as 65 percent. This means that if the assessed value of your property is below 40 percent of market value, you are paying less than your fair share of taxes. If the assessed value of your property is above 40 percent of market value, you are paying more than your fair share. Data also suggest that about 45 percent of property owners are paying considerably more than they should while about 25 percent are paying considerably less than they should.
The agony of love? It’ll just have to wait
Plai-sir . . . d’amour," (you have to imagine me singing at this point. I’ve been told that I have quite a pretty voice – a sort of pleasing low alto. At any rate, my son’s impersonations of me warbling Christmas carols in church in the manner of Dame Clara Butt are quite uncalled-for. On we go . . .) "ne dure qu’un moment. Chagrin d’amour dure toute la vie. J’ai tout quitté pour l’ingrate Harry . . ." Honestly, did you ever see such a picture of woe as the face of poor Chelsy Davy in Monday’s papers? It was the authentic phiz of a girl who has flown all the way from Cape Town to Leeds, only to discover that someone has fitted a dimmer switch to the sun, there’s no beach and the clothes in Leeds don’t do that thing they do in Cape Town, of picking themselves up off the floor, going away and returning clean and ironed to stack themselves tidily in the wardrobe.
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