Susie Skog knows Lake Norman Real Estate Inside Out

Reacting quickly is essential after youve been the victim of identity theft. It can lessen the damage by thieves and lower the stress of having your credit card lost or stolen.

You may notice when you get home that your credit card is missing. Or you may get an email from your credit card company that there is some suspicious activity on your account.

Whatever alerts you to identity theft, here are some steps to take immediately after realizing it:

Get on the phone

Depending on the circumstances, you may want to first call the police to report a crime. If someone just grabbed your purse and ran away, the police are obviously the first agency to contact.

Next, call your credit card company and ask that it cancel your credit card and send you a new one immediately. If any charges were made by the thieves, the credit card company should remove them.

With anyone you contact about this theft, be sure to take notes of the names, dates, times, phone numbers and badge numbers of people youve talked to. You may need the information later to track down a police report.

Ask for a fraud alert

Calling one of the three major credit bureaus and reporting an identity theft will allow the credit bureau to put a fraud alert on all three your credit reports within 24 hours. The credit reporting agency must alert the other agencies when a fraud alert is requested, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

A fraud alert requires creditors who check your credit report to verify your identity before opening a new account, issuing an additional card or approving a credit limit increase request.

An initial fraud alert lasts for 90 days. It requires creditors to confirm you are who you say you are, such as by calling you to verify a credit request. An extended fraud alert can be placed on your credit report for seven years, requiring the same alerts to verify who you are.

Consider a credit freeze

You can also request a freeze on your credit reports to stop identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name.

A security freeze prevents new creditors from accessing your credit report, which most businesses require to open credit accounts. A freeze wont stop thieves from taking over existing accounts.

Check credit reports

After youve taken the immediate steps needed to deal with identity theft, be sure to periodically check your credit reports, especially in the first year after you discovered the identity theft.

Youre entitled to three free credit reports per year, so take advantage of them and be on the lookout for erroneous information.

Hope you found these tips helpful! Contact me for more insights and info.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Everything old is new again, and that goes for decorating with color. While the last decade in home dcor has largely been defined by white and varying shades of beige and gray, todays designers are harking back to yesteryear with paint colors, furniture and even kitchen appliances.

Part art deco, part 50s suburban and part 60s mod, these awesome retro colors are fresh and refreshed to fit todays tastes, say the color mavens at Sherwin Williams, whose wall color faves this year include shades of pink, aqua and pale or mustard yellows with accents of slate or peppery coral"great ways to set off the stark white of baseboards, crown moldings and door frames.

Big Chill, a retro appliance company launched in 2001, is finding huge success with its growing line of refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers in pink, aqua, yellow and more that bring a spirit of nostalgia to todays kitchens, along with their high-tech efficiency.

Small kitchen appliances from crockpots to mixers and toasters are now available in a wide range of bold and retro colors, and look for pink velvet, pale blue and teal sofas from a variety of furniture design companies as vintage furnishings make a huge comeback.

You might also find bright orange and sage green shantung side chairs, shabby-chic and pastel-colored buffets and bookshelves and other accessories, and dont miss the lighting display in most home stores, where Tiffany lamps and vintage shades are gaining ground in sales.

A roomful of these vintage colors can make you feel a little nostalgic, a little happier and a little more optimistic. What more could anyone ask for?

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Adults aged 65 and older are at higher risk for dangerous falls.

Fall-related injuries can make it difficult for people to get around or live on their own.

If youre at risk, talk openly with your doctor and review all the medicines you take, especially if you feel woozy.

Have your eyes checked annually, and update your eyeglasses if necessary.

Stay active! Consider exercises to improve balance and strength, such as Tai Chi.

Wear well-fitting shoes with good support.

Many falls happen at home, so remove items you can trip over.

Have grab bars installed and put non-slip mats in the bathroom.

To stay safe, use caution at all times.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

When it comes to student loans, dealing with the lender can be more difficult than repaying the loan. Thats one of the top complaints by consumers in a report of the student loan ombudsman for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

For federal student loans, more than twice as many consumers (71 percent) reported difficulties dealing with their lender or service than the 28 percent who complained to the CFPB that they were struggling to repay their loan. Two percent of complaints were about a problem with a credit report or credit score.

Accessing Protections
Federal law provides protections for federal student loans. Many are designed to help borrowers avoid delinquency and default during economic distress, such as a job loss.

Servicing loan breakdowns “can delay, deter or deny access to federal benefits and protections, rendering them illusory for many student loan borrowers,” the report states.

Nearly all federal student loan borrowers should be eligible to make payments based on their income through an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan. The plan can help struggling borrowers avoid default.

Yet borrowers complained to the CFPB about servicing roadblocks in IDRs, such as obstacles when trying to enroll in an IDR plan. These include unexpected delays, lost paperwork, poor customer service and inconsistent application processing. They can lead to higher loan costs, reduced benefits and extended repayment terms.

Forbearance Instead of IDR
Others said that when telling their servicer that their standard monthly payment is unaffordable, theyre directed to options like forbearance or extended payment, which can be more expensive over the long-term than an IDR plan.

Borrowers in IDR plans are required each year to recertify their income and family size so they can qualify for an affordable monthly payment"a process that should take weeks but is longer, according to the CFPB. Federal law allows borrowers during that recertification time to continue paying their current monthly plan until their new IDR payment is recalculated.

However, borrowers complained that they either had to continue making the unaffordable monthly payment, or their loans were incorrectly placed into forbearance during this process, which prevented them from accessing loan forgiveness programs. Forbearance allows loan payments to be temporarily suspended, and a long delay in the IDR recertification can prevent borrowers from making progress toward loan forgiveness.

Consumer Action
While the CFPB takes legal action against some student loan providers, there are steps consumers can take to deal with student loan problems.

When contacting a student loan servicer, do it in writing so that theres a paper trail that may help solve problems later. Borrowers can also sign up for automatic payments, which can get them a slight interest rate reduction on their loans and will make sure their payment is made on time each month. They can also look into student loan options such as refinancing, consolidating loans, IDRs and student loan forgiveness.

To submit a complaint to the CFPB, go to consumerfinance.gov/complaint or call 855-411-2372.

Or submit by mail to:

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
P.O. Box 2900
Clinton, Iowa, 52733

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Published with permission from RISMedia.