Leadpile’s Blog

An old favorite turns 40! Sesame Street had it’s 40 anniversary this week and was celebrated all over including Google’s homepage which changed images daily from one Sesame Street resident to another. Sesame Street has been teaching and entertaining children for 4 decades now, and is probably to thank for a large percentage of the US population under 40 learning how to count to 10.
Sesame Street not only teaches the ABC’s and 123’s, but also teaches acceptance and sets examples for children to follow. According to Newsweek, Sesame Street is now in 16 countries across the world including South Africa were the show features an HIV positive Muppet and in the Palestinian where coexistence and cooperation were displayed. Topics such as death and 9/11 have also been acknowledged by Sesame Street and children with illnesses and conditions are often regularly included on the show as well.
Newsweek states that not only is “Sesame Street no ordinary nonprofit. It is, arguably, the most important children’s program in the history of television. No show has effected the way we think about education, parenting, childhood development and cultural diversity, both in the United States and abroad, more than Big Bird and friends. You might even say that Sesame Street changed the world, one letter at a time”.
It seems too simple that a children’s program created 40 years ago could still be one of the best, but it is and nothing I have seen comes close to comparing. Leadpile wishes Sesame Street a Happy Anniversary!!!!!

There are not many people these days that have not had some sort of interest in going back to school.  Online degree/online education is a very important subject consumers tend to research online.  Leadpile Lead Exchange realizes this, therefore we have rolled out some banners and a landing site for our publishers to use as a way to connect future students with educators.

Those looking to further their education have some common questions, and they tend to look for these answers on the internet.  Questions such as:

*  How long will it take for me to finish?

*  How much time do I need to dedicate to this schooling?

*  What type of degree program should I do?

*  How much does it cost to do online education?

*  Where do I get connected with people to get information?

Knowing these questions are being asked, Leadpile is trying to connect those interested people with some of the answers.  If you are a publisher interested in connecting this very important group of people, with those that can answer their questions, please contact us.

www.fastonlinedegrees.com is a site our publishers can drive traffic to, or utilize our Leadpile Microclick forms and banners.  Congratulations to all those looking to pursue their education!

Over and over I am bringing the attention to the payday loan industry, and really how it is not necessarily taking advantage of consumers.  I couldn’t resist a good post on the Payday Pundit, who brought up some good points about a payday loan.

“Let’s consider some alternatives for the working mom who is short $100 until payday, 14 days from now. She could get a $100 payday loan, pay $15, and the APR for that two week loan would be 391 percent..

She could also choose to write a bad check and pay an average of $48 in NSF and merchant fees. That would be a comparable APR of 1,251 percent!

Even if she has courtesy pay with her credit union, the average fee is $25, or an APR of 650 percent. Another option for her might be to not pay the $100 minimum balance due on her credit card, resulting in a $26 late fee—678 percent. If she chooses to not pay her $100 utility bill which may result in a $50 late or reconnect fee, that’s a comparable APR of 1,304 percent!

The argument can be made that by securing a payday loan to solve her cash flow needs, this woman is taking a proactive approach to her financial dilemma.

The Center for Responsible Lending indicates the 11 states that banned or limited payday lending saved consumers $1.4 billion in fees in 2006. But eliminating local payday lending activity does not eliminate the need for emergency cash loans. People still come up short prior to payday and the center does not address how these consumers managed their cash-flow problems. If they had to use one of the other alternatives, or had to drive to an adjoining state that made payday loans, or used the Internet to get an even higher priced loan, it is possible consumers in these states paid even more to solve their cashflow problems.”

This just keeps going back to the fact that there are bad with everything, and if you abuse the use of a payday loan you will NOT be in a better position.  However, as Credit Union National Association and the National Credit Union Foundation state there are other alternatives that could be worse for a consumer.  Education is key with payday loans and any other type of financial solution customers choose to take.

Question is, the holidays are now here and there are going to be families that need those gifts and food on their table. Is the payday loan the smartest solution for that consumer?  Leadpile Lead Exchange will be here no matter what the answer to that question is, to provide the service to the consumers that DO need this temporary loan.

In recent months with all the foreclosures happening around the world, there is unfortunately some that are trying to capitalize on this. According to MSNBC, one in eleven consumers are facing foreclosure or behind on their mortgage payments. Therefore, consumers are trying to get out of this situation in any way they can. However, there are those scam artist that are trying to take advantage of these consumers trying to get out of their tough situation.
There are two types of scams going on right now with home owners. There are the scams where the consumers are asked to put up some upfront fees to pay for the “assistance”, but then the scam artist disappear with their money. “But the more lucrative scam involves seducing homeowners into complicated transactions that allow con artists to steal equity in the house or walk away from the closing table after netting thousands in phony payouts,” according to MSNBC.
This is a huge problem for home owners that are already in a bad situation. Before allowing anyone to assist in “helping”, all consumers need to really know who it is that they are working with. Asking questions and checking out specifics of these companies/individuals can hopefully prevent some from getting scammed. Unfortunately, peoples hardship is another person’s gain. Our home is one of the largest investments we will ever have, and we can’t allow those criminals to take that away. This can not happen if we are all aware and educated on the different types of scams.

Leadpile Lead Exchange does not currently generate a lot of foreclosure leads, however if there is a company out there that is truly wanting to help consumers from going through this sort of situation, we are certainly able to look at generating more leads. Matching up consumers with legitimate companies to help them is also our goal.

In recent months the debt vertical has become a very popular, yet challenging vertical to work with. Understanding reasons consumers have gotten into debt and the specifics that the lead buyers are looking for, has been something we have worked on to fully understand.
According to Bankrate.com there are 10 main reasons why consumers get buried in debt. Understanding more about debt allows consumers to be more educated and ultimately try and avoid these types of situations.

1. Reduced income, but same monthly expenses
2. Divorce
3. Poor money management
4. Underemployment
5. Gambling
6. Medical expenses
7. Not saving money or not saving enough money
8. No money communication skills
9. Spending money you don’t have yet
10. No understanding of money

These are all scenarios any consumer can be faced with, including myself. With the economy being very tough right now, many lead generation companies are focusing on the debt vertical. Fortunately, there are various types of debt help that the consumers can get, but most consumers do not know the difference between one another.
The main details that debt consolidation and debt settlement companies are looking for is the amount of unsecured debt. What is unsecured debt?
Unsecured debt is debt that is not secured by any collateral. For instance, credit card debt, medical bills, cell phone bills and other collection accounts. Most debt companies do not work with secured debt such as mortgages, tax debt, student loans and auto loans.
Leadpile Lead Exchange generates a lot of debt leads. Lead types such as debt consolidation, debt settlement, and credit repair are all types of leads we are generating that are there to assist the consumers with the debt/credit. We are connecting the consumers that need help, with those companies that can help them get out of debt.

Ontario Payday did it right! Ohio should have followed their example.

And yes, The legendary Naigra Falls straddles the Niagara River between Ontario and New York.

According to Investment Executive,  “The Ontario government says that the new Payday Loans Act, 2008 will enhance consumer protection by licensing all payday lending industry operators and banning controversial lending practices.

 Payday Lenders will be required to include all charges consumers are required to pay, a cooling-off period; and, operators will contribute to a public education fund on payday lending”.Apparently, the Canadian Payday Loan Association (CPLA) welcomed the passage of the Ontario legislation. This looks to be a good compromise for the industry. Unlike the Ohio bill that appears to be overreaching.The Ohio Payday players should have looked to the Ohio bill as an example of a “good compromise”

Team LeadPile!

The universe is abundant, and the more we give, the more we will get in return!

Starting this month Mr. Andy Jacob and I would like to involve everyone at LeadPile into a project we feel is a great way to “give back”, make someone happy, and receive back the blessings of the universe, be it material or just matters of the soul.

For the next 12 months, LeadPile will make a donation at the beginning of every month to a project to be selected each month by one Leadpile’s members from www.DonorsChoose.org, a charitable organization that allows donors to choose from various projects listed by teachers and make a donation to it. These projects are mainly assisting kids from schools and families with limited financial resources. A relatively small contribution goes a long way for them, making a big difference in their learning experience, and most important of all, it makes them incredibly happy and excited. Giving the gift of knowledge and education is, we feel, one of the most valuable and empowering gifts children can receive, besides the love and care of their families and teachers.

So today we will start with our first (technically second) contribution to a project to be selected in the order of each member’s “seniority” at LeadPile, aside from Mr. Jacob and I.