Many people are drowning in debt. They must deal with this debt issue in order to move forward in quest to find financial freedom or to be able to have the choice of working or not. Consumer debt including mortgages, auto loans, credit cards & student loans has increased to over $13.51 trillion dollars in the US. You have to make tough decisions about your spending and possibly your income. The most important step is to take action vs hoping your debt will go away. Taking action will forward to financial freedom and avoid you having to experience the pain of hitting rock bottom. You may have to file bankruptcy in order to have the chance at financial freedom. In order to avoid bankruptcy, you must control your spending.

Have you ever worried that your low credit score will cause you to suffer the humiliation of being declined for credit cards, car loans, a mortgage, or even that rental apartment you fell in love with? What about getting turned down for your dream job? Having a better credit or credit score can improve: 1. Lower your interest rate on Loans and Credit Cards 2. Easier Approval for Credit 3. Higher Credit Limits that can increase your credit score 4. Easier to Get Approved as a Tenant 5. Easier Approval for Mortgage 6. Lower auto insurance 7. Easier Approval for Cell Phone contract 8. Save on Security Deposits for Utility Bills 9. Increase your odds of landing a job

Humans are prone to the herd instinct. Investors are often no exception. When everyone is buying, investors typically buy; when everyone is selling, they sell. In 2009, during the worst of the recession, a group of investors put under contract an apartment that had been foreclosed on by the lender. It took the investors 6 months to find a lender who would finance the property. Today the property is by far one of the best investments of the group. The value has shot up dramatically and the property has become a cash cow. Are all the bargains gone in a high priced market? We don’t believe so, but finding them is certainly more challenging. Anytime can be a good time to buy. But if you go along the crowd and sit on the sidelines with them, you may miss out on the best deals. Joining us for our discussion on Starting In Commercial Real Estate Investing is Doug Marshall who is calling in from his Portland Oregon office. After nearly four decades in the commercial real estate business – including financing, property management, and as an investor, Doug Marshall decided to write a book and share his secrets. He founded Marshall Commercial Funding, Inc., a commercial mortgage brokerage firm located in Portland, Oregon in 2003. Marshall helps clients secure the best possible financing for their rental properties but is most proud when client’s return for help with their next financing request. For the last decade, Marshall has become an investor in eleven commercial real estate properties valued at over $50 million around the Portland, Oregon-area. An Oregon native, Marshall earned his MBA at the University of Oregon. His latest book is “Mastering The Art of Commercial Real Estate Investing ” Welcome to Mastering Your Money, is Doug Marshall.

Investing For The Future is Lorenzo Newsome, Jr. who is in our Durham NC Studio. Lorenzo serves as Piedmont Investment Advisers’ Chief Investment Strategist and fixed income portfolio manager. Check Out This Interview On Investing For The Future http://masteringyourmoney.com/

Every year since 2005, 10 top Wall Street strategists are asked by Barron’s, the weekly financial magazine, to pick the best and worst sectors to invest in. Check Our Video Blog On Keeping 'Em Honest: Wall Street's Track Record Is Not Good. http://masteringyourmoney.com/

While venture capital isn’t a good fit for every business, there are plenty of better options out there that don’t require entrepreneurs to sacrifice their control or dreams. Investors aligned with goals and vision can be found by looking past the model of the venture capitalist. Check Our Interview Blog On Funding Your Business With Jenny Kassan http://masteringyourmoney.com/

As the impact of a bad hurricane season blew over, the index of leading economic indicators surged in October. Check Our Video Blog On Leading Economic Indicators Surge, Stocks Break Record High Again http://masteringyourmoney.com/

Seventy-one-year-old Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen, a Professor of Economics at Harvard and Berkeley for four decades before her appointment to lead the Fed in 2014, admitted at a press conference recently that the persistently low rate of inflation was a mystery. Check Our Video Blog On Despite Information Explosion, Inflation Confounds The Fed And Financial Press http://masteringyourmoney.com/

Conditions are “just right” because the Fed feels no pressure to hit the brakes on the economy any time soon, particularly with inflation slowing. Since growth is coming with almost no inflation, the Fed is nowhere even close to considering tightening credit. Check Our Video Blog On This Week’s News About Wealth Management. http://masteringyourmoney.com/

Equifax announced September 7th, 2017 that it suffered a data breach affecting 143 million U.S. consumers. We discuss the actions you should take to protect your credit. https://moneyful.com/