1. Do you think of an industry out there taking advantage of consumers?
2. Or, do you think about an industry providing people with relief and peace of mind during this financial crisis?

Most people would say answer a.  But is that true or do we need to educate ourselves regarding this part of the financial industry?  Who are the people that need these payday loans and do they have other options?

According to www.census.gov the official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent, which was up from 14.3 percent in 2009.  In 2010, 46.2 million people were in poverty, which was up from 43.6 million in 2009.

Those are staggering numbers.  People are having a hard time making ends meet. From 2009 to 2010 an additional 2.6 million people were at poverty level.  Where did they come from?  Middle Class families?  Low Income families?   Who is out there helping them get back on their feet?  The banks?  With the foreclosures on homes, the increased account fees, overdraft fees and high credit guidelines… what do you think?

What sort of monthly expenses do all of us face? Rent/Mortgage, utility bills, insurance, car payment, food allowance just to name a few.  If you are running out of money at the end of the month what would you sacrifice?  Your electric bill?  Your rent?  Your car loan?  Or just overdraft your bank account?  All of those choices involve late fees or overdraft fees and may incur being harassed by credit agencies or having your electricity turned off, being kicked out of your home or having your vehicle repossessed.  None of those sound like viable solutions to me.

According to www.wikipedia.org the definition for a payday loan is “a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower’s expenses until his or her next payday.”   That is truly what a payday loan is there for.  Many times you will hear payday opponents talk about high interest fees, but when you research these fees in comparison to bank charges and late fees of missing necessary payments and/or possible repossessions/foreclosures/losing electricity, going hungry etc. – which sounds better to you?

So before we judge the financial institutions giving payday loans or the people receiving such loans – let’s make sure that we look at the situation from all angles, and form an educated decision.

1. Get your credit score and report: Knowing your credit score can help you check for inaccuracies on your credit report. A higher credit score will get you lower rates on loans and credit cards.
2. Get Organized: Knowing where all your bills and bank statements are can help you keep track of your spending and saving.
3. Track spending: Track all spending for 30 days. Evaluate and see where you can cut spend, such as eating out less.
4. Do an insurance checkup: Meet with your current provider and see if the converge you have is really what you need. Find our about loyalty discounts and good driving perks.

These simple tips can help you get your finances back in order!

Leadpile offers many great financial offers such as Credit Score and Bankruptcy. Contact us today for info on our affiliate programs and offers!

1. How you pay your bills- your payment history on your credit cards and loans is the biggest factor in making up your score. This means if you have not paid your bills on time, now is the time to start.

2. What do you owe on your credit cards and loans- if you have your balances maxed out on all your creditors, this will negatively affect your credit score. Stopping charging immediately if the balances are close to their limits.

3. How long have you had each of your creditors-the newer the credit, the more it will negatively affect you. If you are applying for new credit cards, stop now to help your credit score. Keep a few creditors for a long period of time and that will help your score.

4. Do you have all sorts of creditors like car loans, credit cards, installment loans etc-the credit bureaus likes to see a diverse selection of creditors. This is not a major factor in your credit score, but something to think about if you are thinking about getting a new creditor.

Leadpile is currently working on generating this sort of lead and will welcome publishers that will eventually be interested in connecting those consumers that want to know their credit score, with the company that will be able to provide this service. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

1. Drafty Windows: Leaky window frames can account for 10-25% of your heating costs. Apply new latex to frame to decrease heat loss.
2. Mystifying Utility Bill: Most homeowners bill s down breakdown cost by category. You can hook up your appliances to smart plugs to monitor usage by type.
3. Damaged Fireplace: Up to 20% of warmed air can escape through your chimney flue. Hire a chimney sweep to clean and check the damper to seal.
4. “Phantom” appliance and electronics: Electronics that are always “on” can be adding up to 10% of your electric bill.
5. Old Water Heater: Old heaters are lined with fiberglass, not the foam used today. Some utility companies offer rebate on heater jackets, check yours today.
6. Under-the-door infiltration: Most homeowners neglect to weather strip under the door, see if you are missing this vital step.
7. Leaky Ductwork: Tape sealing your pipes joints can dry out over time. You can patch small holes or apply HVAC foil to re-seal joints.
8. Overworked Fridge: The door seal can build up dirt and lose its seal over the years. If you feel no resistance when opening the door then it’s time to clean the rubber gaskets.
9. Exterior Wall Openings: Holes for sewer, phone and exhaust vents are typically poorly or uninsulated. Fill gaps with silicone chalk or polyurethane foam.
10. Attic Hatch: A flimsy piece of plywood can suck out as much as an open fireplace chimney. Secure foam to the backside of the hatch to prevent leakage.
11. Uninsulated Switches: A thin metal plate will not prevent air leakage. Install a precut foam gasket to prevent air from escaping.
12. Outmoded furnace: Check the make date of your furnace, those made before 1992 are only up to 55-78% efficient.

Hopefully these tips will help you save money on your next Energy bill!

Stay tuned for Leadpile’s new Home Improvement offer when you can find local contractors to help you with these easy fixes.

According to the website, “We download, categorize and graph all of your finances automatically every day, so you know where you’re spending, without spending any effort.”  With consumers going through trying to manage their credit cards and really seeing where they are spending their money, this site will allow people to do that without the high cost of hiring someone.  I went through the process myself just to see how long it took, and I have to say it took only minutes and it is a secure site.  Making sure you are entering your account information on a secure website (HTTPS) is very important when working with personal information on the internet.  I have to say I am a little nervous of entering my personal information online, however I did proceed forward with it. Working at Leadpile Lead Exchange has helped to educate me on knowing what to pay attention to when surfing the net, and this website appears to be a great trusted site for EVERYONE to look into.  The other question I was wondering was, “how does this website make money, because this service is FREE?” After searching more and more, I found lead generation is what this company is doing.  They are offering “pertinent” financial services to consumers throughout the process.  Check it out… you might learn something about your own financial portfolio.

Help with repairing your credit is something pretty much everyone could use a little assistance on. With a tough economy, Americans are needing to worry about more important things like paying their next electric bill. However, when that time comes where they have the ability to get help, credit repair is a great option to look at. Credit repair assistance can be a very informative service, that once you learn what makes up your credit report, you will be able to use the valuable information in the future.
Leadpile Lead Exchange is currently generating a large volume of credit repair leads. These consumers need the help now and are looking for someone to provide that service. Knowledge is power when it comes to your credit report, unfortunately not everyone is in a position to have great credit. Knowing we have a large demand for this lead type, and the large amount of consumers wanting assistance, Leadpile has rolled out some text links/landing sites for lead sellers to use.

www.countrywidecreditfix.com
www.creditfixnationwide.com
www.mycreditjump.com
www.personalcreditassist.com
www.uscreditfix123.com

If you are currently not working with Leadpile to purchase or sell credit repair leads, I recommend it!

10 ways you can potentially save $500:

1. Drive less
*The cost of gas and maintaining a car can be very costly. Use carpooling or public transportation.
2. Buy your own coffee or energy drinks instead of stopping each day
*The cost of a Starbucks coffee is at least $3.00 and energy drinks at your local convenience store are about the same. Buy your own coffee and energy drinks in bulk from the grocery store.
3. Conserve energy at home
*Increase your temperature you keep your home at while not there and also while at home. Adjusting it just a degree or two saves a lot of money in your monthly electrical bill.
4. Do your own landscaping
* Pull your own weeds. It is a nice way to stay active and save a lot of money.
5. Think twice about getting that new pet
* Taking care of a pet requires a lot of time and also money to maintain. This is an added expense that should be done when discretionary income is higher.
6. Consider buying store brand products around the house
* All grocery stores have their own store brand products. Some are better than others. However, trying the different variations will save a whole lot of money.
7. Limit internet, cable, and other media costs you have in your home
* Do we all really need 100s of channels to watch. Most Americans watch the same channels on a regular basis. This can be very costly if you don’t keep it to a minimum.
8. Sign up for any reimbursement plans available at work
*Find out if your employer has any sort of carpool reimbursement, tuition reimbursement and other programs they offer for their employees. This could save a lot of money on things you already do.
9. Eat in
* This is one of the biggest expenses we all incur, and also a place where we can save a lot of money by limiting how much we are eating out.
10. Pay at least minimum payments on credit cards to avoid future credit card fees
*Not paying your minimum payment amount leads to added fees from the credit card company, but is also affects your credit which makes your credit score go down. When you credit score goes down, that causes you to either not be able to get a loan or have to pay more to get the loan.

It is easier said than done with these items, however making a good effort to save here and save there will allow consumers to cut back on their monthly costs.