Leadpile’s Blog

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.

Bankrate.com just released the top 10 selling cars for 2008.  The hottest and most popular automobiles: 

• #10 – The Chevrolet Cobalt.  Listing price $14,217. Sold to date 114,250 vehicles.  Runs at about 25-30 mpg.  
• #9  -  Ford Focus. Listing price $15,363. Sold to date 123,449 cars. Average 28mpg
• #8  -  Chevrolet Impala. Listing price $21,348. Sold to date 138,952.  MPG depends on the cylinder of the vehicle.  Your looking at anywhere between 17-23mpg depending on the version
• #7 – Chevrolet Silverado (light duty). First truck on the top ten.. Listing price$25,921. Sold to date 148,046. They average 11-16mpg. 
• #6  - Nissan Altima.   Listing price $22,798. Sold to date 158,006.  Average 22-26mpg.  
• #5  - We are half way down the list . Introducing the Ford F Series (light duty). Nice to see another truck on the board.  Listing price $22,798.  Sold to date 164,828.  10-16mpg.  Wow, get ready to spend your money on gas with this type of mpg!
• #4  - Toyota Corolla.  Listing price $17,122.  Sold to date 169,868.  25-30mpg.  Nice!
• #3  - And now the top three!  Honda Civic! I’m not surprised to see this bad boy on the list.  Listing price $19,114.  Sold to date 204,961.  The MPG is great with whopping 28-42mpg. 
• #2  - Honda Accord.  Listing price $25,859. Sold to date 227,874.  Save some cash with this beauty 25-34mpg.
• Finally, what we have all been waiting for .  #1 best selling auto for 2008!  You ready?  Announcing the most popular car around, the TOYOTA CAMRY.  Listing price $22,859.  Sold an amazing 228,874 cars this year.  Take a vacation with the money you will save on gas with 23-34mpg.

Surprised to only see 2 trucks in the top ten?  I think not.  Overall car sales are down 10% this year compared to last year.  Leadpile Lead Exchange deals a lot with the Auto Finance vertical and the volume of leads coming through our system is slightly down also, however we are expecting it to turn around any day now!
There you have it, the top 10 autos for 2008!

This tops the cake on articles I have read lately… some politicians are thinking about reducing the speed limit because of the higher gas prices. According to the Wall Street Journal, politicians are entertaining the idea to make some changes to our standard speed limit of 55 mph. The 55 mph speed limit has been around since 1974, so alot of us never saw the uproar that was caused when that speed limit was implemented years ago.
U.S. Energy Department is potentially calculating all these speed demons could save the equivalent of 29 cents to 94 cents a gallon if they slowed down just to 60 mph, but also reduce the fuel they burn by about 7% to 23%. It seems that some are talking about raising this as a potential vote, however it does not appear it will get to far. Most politicians don’t seem to want to admit that they would promote this sort of change.
Something else to think about with regards to the changes going on with the economy.
1. Go out and get a more fuel economy style of car, to save money on gas.
2. Drive slower to save gas.
What’s next for automobile drivers?

So good idea or bad?

The American way is to live beyond our means, however it is not the “right” way to live.
Think back to when you were in college and those credit card companies had tables set up to issue some new credit cards. Who didn’t want to get a NEW credit card to go shopping with. That is the problem, people don’t think past that initial “GREATNESS” about the credit card, and really this mentality helped to create the debt troubles we all face.

According to Investopedia.com there are signs to look for to determine if you are not in an ideal situation financially.
1. Your credit score is below 600.
2. You are currently saving less than 5% of your income.
3. Your credit card balances are just getting larger and larger.
4. More than 28% of your income goes towards paying for your home.
5. Your bills are just out of control (robbing Peter to pay Paul situations).

Overall, there are ways to prevent situations like this, however there are also situations in our lives that are out of our control. There are options out there to help educate consumers, help them get out these situations, and possibly teach consumers how to prevent them from happening again. Leadpile Lead Exchange generates a high volume of debt leads. These consumers are on the internet looking for this help, and want that help NOW!