Trump Credit Card

Let’s be honest, the economy is a nightmare. No one’s job is safe, people are losing their homes, and relying on their credit cards to make ends meet. Credit card companies are feeling the pinch too, and are responding by settling delinquent accounts for a fraction of what is owed.

Why would they do this? Simple: collection activities cost credit card company’s money. They have to pay the person calling you to nag about payments, they have to pay for all the letters and notices. And they may never recover all the money you owe. So, when a customer offers a lump sum payment to settle the entire debt, many companies are jumping at the chance. Moreover, whatever balance is not covered by the lump sum, the credit card company just forgives. Which is great for consumers… in the short-term.

Aside from the damage to your credit (though the delinquent payments certainly are not any better), there is a problem laying in wait for you next tax season. If your credit card company forgave your debt, the IRS calls that taxable income, reported to the IRS on a 1099-C. Oh yes, if you settle your $25,000 Visa bill for only $5,000, the “forgiven” twenty grand is now considered income. So, if you are taxed at 15%, your tax bill will increase by $3,000. The increased “income” can even bump you up into a higher tax bracket!

(It is important to note that if your debt is mortgage-related and is forgiven, this may NOT qualify as taxable income, thanks to the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act of 2007.)

You get your credit card debt handled, only to find a brand new tax debt waiting for you. What a trade off, eh? Of course there are some ways to get around this. A title 11 bankruptcy can relieve you of the tax debt. Or you can claim insolvency (i.e. your total debts are higher than the fair market value of your assets). Neither option sounds very appealing.

One would hope that the government would see this problem as a major issue, given the large numbers of people currently dealing with overwhelming credit card debts. However, to date, no legislation on par with the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act of 2007 has been introduced. And with the inherent inefficiency of Congress, any new legislation would likely be too late to help the millions of struggling Americans with debt today.

Debt is a problem when you are alive and it is still a problem when you die. A number of factors such as where you live and who applied for card can affect whether or not the debt follows you to the grave or if one of the living will have to pay for it. The sentence “Till death do us part” might not apply here, so if you do not want to put your family through a hard time after you die, then you should always be on top of your credit card payments. As if losing you was not painful enough, now they would have to deal with the harassment from collection agencies too.

When you owe money to a business, they will do anything to get it back, so here is where you must be careful. Rather than absorbing the debt and writing it off as a loss, credit card companies will go after who ever are listed on the card. If you had opened a joint account with your spouse, then upon your death they will be responsible in paying back the debt. If you and your company jointly owned the account, then your company will have to make payments upon your death. So as long as the account was co-signed (is a joint account) with a (still) living person, then they will have to pay on your behalf.

Normally, upon your death, the executor of your will be responsible in making sure that your assets are first used to pay off any debts that you might have before the assets gets divided among your loved ones as per your requirements. If you do not have a will then the state law will divide your assets however they see fit.

You should know that each state has different laws when it comes to debt collection after death, so approaching a lawyer and enquiring these matters would definitely help.

Philadelphia Phillies fans are cheering over the new  Major League Baseball™ Extra Bases™ Credit Card from Bank of America. (www.philliescreditcard.com).  The official Phillies team logo (or the MLB baseball team of your choice) can be featured on the face of the card.   This rewards credit card has proven to be a great hit with both avid  Phillies fans and consumers alike in the rewards credit card industry.  Like many airlines, retailers and universities have done for decades, rewards credit cards featuring baseball teams like the Philadelphia Phillies are rapidly growing in popularity and proving to be a real hit with baseball fans throughout the country.

 

The Major League Baseball® Extra Bases™ Credit Card from Bank of America offers no annual fee and a 0% introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on balance transfers and cash advance checks during the first 12 months.  Other incentives include exciting offers like an official MLB™ licensed jersey for the team of your choice after the first qualifying transaction using the card.  In addition to the no annual fee and 0% introductory APR, card holders can quickly earns points (at a rate of 1 point for every net retail dollar spent) that can be redeemed for MLB™ autographed memorabilia, exclusive experiences with the Philadelphia Phillies, travel rewards and cash bonuses.

 

Historically, baseball has given the public something to believe in and something to hope for, particularly in tough economic times.  With this sports rewards credit card, consumers can be reminded of their favorite team every time they open their wallets.  The Major League Baseball™ Extra Bases™ Credit Card from Bank of America is cornering the market.  Websites offering the card include www.majorleaguecreditcard.com and http://www.collegecreditbuilder.com/mlbcards.htm .  Bank of America has hit a home run with this offering.  True blue fans carry the card.