New York SBDC Research Network

An advisor at one of our regional centers asked me to share some information he learned while working with a client last week. During the course of the counseling session, the client revealed she had signed up with a credit counseling service, Clear Your Debt LLC, from Austin, TX. The advisor was concerned when he read the contract the client signed, which prompted him to investigate the company. The Better Business Bureau in Austin told the advisor they had received numerous complaints against Clear Your Debt LLC. Though Clear Your Debt promised financing, counseling and other assistance, the advisor’s conclusion - after reading their confusing contract and talking to the BBB - was that the client would pay $15,000 for basically nothing. At that point, the advisor encouraged the client to return the contract she signed and cancel the agreement (this was within 3 days of the client signing the agreement). The advisor called me and asked that I share the information with other SBDC advi

I know that Darrin is the signage guru around here, but this week of staff training reminded me of a sign that I saw at a restaurant in Lake Placid when I was there for a meeting a few years ago: "We cook your food to order. Not responsible for overcooked meat." Then there's the Lake Placid bakery that had THE most annoying sign on its wall - 35 "stupid" things that their customers have asked, and their "clever" responses: "Do you bake everything here?" "No, we have it flown in from Chicago. The plane lands right on Main Street to deliver daily." "Aren't you hot in here?" "Yes, but we can eat what we want and sweat it off." "What's a Snickerdoodle?" "There is a sign in the showcase. It is in front of a Snickerdoodle." "Is that ALL you have?" "No, we keep the really good stuff for ourselves to eat later." And my personal favorite: "Do you have any water?" &

From BUSLIB: U.S. Census Bureau information from the Statistical Abstract (PDF) can be found here , especially pages 8, 10, 14, and 16. Summary from the American Bankers Asoociation (PDF) (2004) Article from MSN quoting data from Experian that 1 in 7 Americans carry 10 or more credit cards, with an expert calling that fact 'just plain nuts.'