Today, I came across an article in the Ozarks local news that had a story based on what the journalist who wrote it heard from the two major people involved, a mother and a recovery agent.

The reporter gives quotes that seemed to be diametrically opposed to each other.

It seems that the mother of a three year child, who is out of work and behind on her car payments, claims that the recovery agent made her child cry when he repossessed her car that had her unattended child (that she left in the car) asleep under a blanket in the back seat. The mother admits to the journalist that she did do this then going inside her boyfriend’s residence.

I cannot help but wonder if this mother has been under a rock and missed all the recent local news coverage concerning the sex offender’s lists for Greene County. I checked before beginning this article and there are 506 people listed in Greene County on the sex offenders list. Of these 506, 4 are within a few blocks of this mother’s boyfriend’s house, 1 apparently is on the same street, South Kings Hwy. in Springfield. Sex offenders are not the only people who prey on children, but they are the ones who have been heavily covered in the Greene County media recently. Clearly it must have been very important to her to make this stop. Sometimes as parents we have to stop and ask ourselves what is of utmost importance. For those who have children, which would you leave in the car unobserved, your purse or your child.

What this reporter did not know or find out is how much training and experience some recovery agents go through to ensure the professionalism of themselves and their agency. The particular agent involved is certified through a program called Certified Asset Recovery Specialist or C.A.R.S. Joe Taylor of Matrix Education Systems who is a very well respected as founded this program and an expert witness in repossession related litigation. This certification-training course is rigorous and multi-faceted. It is dedicated to insuring physical safety for everyone involved as being the paramount goal. The recovery is secondary. The agent is taught how to recognize things that any “tow-truck driver” would not even think to check. The agent never wants to put anyone in harms way, the asset is never worth any physical injury to anyone. It is the responsibility of lenders to hire qualified repossession agencies. That is a challenge that repossession companies have stressed to smaller lenders for many years. Lenders are advised to hire only recovery agencies which are insured and certified anything less places your financial interests at risk. Clearly there are many repossession agencies operating on a daily basis who are not properly insured or certified, Midwest Adjusters, Inc. does not appear to be one of those companies.

The recovery agent states that he looked in the windows for a car seat and saw none. He states that the keys were left in the ignition. A spokesman for the local police department has said that the police don’t believe there was any wrongdoing on the recovery agency′s part.

The mother states she took the keys inside with her yet she admits that she left her child unattended and asleep. Society cannot police moral but clearly someone needs to.

About the author:

In addition to owning one of only a few female owned repo companies http://www.nsrecovery.com, Renee is also a licensed Private Investigator in South Carolina and the owner of http://www.procra.com which is an acronym for Professional Collateral Recovery Agents. Procra is a repossession community housing over 700 members. Procra has an online repo agent directory for lenders to use when searching for a repo agent

Written by: RC McAbee

When it comes to determining whether or not you should lower your expectations, when hunting for a job, there are a number of important factors that need to be taken into consideration. One of those factors is your need for a job. For instance, do you have a family to support? Do you have rent, mortgage, or car payments that need to be made? If you do , your need for a job may actually be quite high, especially if you are not receiving money from your states unemployment fund. If your survival depends on having a job, you may need to lower your expectations, even just temporarily.

Another factor that needs to be examined, when determining whether or not you should lower your expectations, when hunting for a job, is your expectations. For instance, are they reasonable? Are you interested in working as a doctor? If you are, do you have a degree in medicine? If not, you expectations are not only too high, but they are unreasonable. The first step in not being required to lower your expectations, when searching for a job, is making sure that your expectations are reasonable. For instance, if you worked as a retail cashier for a while and attended business school, you may want to think about trying to acquire a job as a retail store manager. This type of goal is one that is just right, as it isnt too unrealistic.

It is also advised that you examine the current job forecast for the industry that you would like to work in. In keeping with the above mentioned example of a retail store manager, if the retail industry isnt doing too well, there is a good chance that not as many new retail stores will open up in or around your area. This may limit the number of retail store manger jobs that are available. In this case, you may need to lower your expectations or just change them, to include something different.

Of course, what you need to remember is that if you do need to lower your expectations, when hunting for a job, especially if your survival depends on it, it doesnt have to be permanent. For instance, if you are required to take a job as a retail store cashier, but you are actually qualified to work as a school teacher, your retail store job doesnt have to last forever. When working and making a little bit of money, possibly enough to help your family or pay your bills, you can continue on by searching for teaching opportunities. If you keep after your goal long enough, you should be able to find an opportunity that you are more than qualified for. If and when that time comes, you could choose to give up the job that caused you to lower your expectations.

Although you may not necessarily want to take a job that you may consider to be beneath you, there may come a time in life when you have to. If you find yourself doing this, remember that it is a stepping stone to help you move forward.

If you dont want to lose your home like a lot of Americans have over the past year, you have to kill your debt first. You do that by calculating how much money you spend in a month and then see where the budgets can be made so there is money you can use to pay off those debts.

So you know you are reaching your goals, keep a record of all your expenses. To avoid confusion, write down each expense in a specific category like cable Bills, car insurance, car payments, entertainment, food, gas, phone Bill and rent. Keep it with you at all times and then balance it with every receipt.

But what if cutting down certain expenses is not enough to make you debt free? When this happens, you have to make bigger sacrifices like moving to a less expensive home, cancelling your land line or cable, not going out for some time and eating at home more often.

For those who are renting, try to invite someone to share the place with you so that you can share the rent.

Having a credit card or more than one is the reason why a lot of people are in trouble. This is because they only pay the minimum so whatever is left becomes higher because of interest. If you have a credit card, stop using it.

Right now, pay everything with cash that you have on hand. You can even do what some people practice at home and that is to bundle a certain amount and put a label on it or place this in a jar. That way, they know where to get it and be aware of how much is left since this should last for about a month.

There are even some who put a label on their wallets reminding themselves to save by writing on some tape that they have no money.

Saving money shouldnt only mean cutting expenses. It also means earning a little more with what is available and you can do that by opening an interest-bearing savings account. This is different from the regular savings account and the best part is that the interest rates are much higher. Your other options are CDs or money-market accounts for longer savings goals.

The keys to saving money are discipline and self-control especially when the country is in a recession. If you have a job, good for you but think about the millions of Americans who dont and have to live on unemployment checks until they are able to get a another job.

So set a goal and then stick to it. The objective here is to survive this crisis so you can keep a roof over your head and food on the table. If you need help, get a financial expert to help you plan how to budget things because it is their job to help you find answers when you are running out of options. You just have to do your share to make it happen since you know a few ways to save money.

So, how can you avoid debt after being laid off from your job?

Determine how much you have available to spend. After getting your first unemployment check, you will know how much you will get each week for the remainder of your allotted time. There are four weeks in each month. Therefore, if you receive $300 in unemployment, your monthly income is now $1,200. This is how much you have available to spend. Most laid off workers who fall into debt do not take the time to know how much money they have available each week or each month. Instead of trying to live within their means, they continue with their normal spending habits. Only, they arent brining home a normal paycheck.

Make a list of your monthly necessary expenses. These are limited only to things you need. They include rent or mortgage, car payments, auto insurance payments, gas, and food. As for your utilities, aside from heat, electricity, and water, only include your phone right now. Television and internet are nice, but should be looked at as extras. We will focus on these in a minute. Returning back, total your necessary expenses for each month. For example, rent is $400, electricity including heat is $150, auto insurance is $100, gas is $40, and food is an average of $200. Right there is $890. Subtract that from the above mentioned $1,200 a month and you have $400 left. Remember, this total will fluctuate based on your savings and unemployment benefits.

Eliminate impulse purchases by tracking your spending for one or two weeks. Above, you created a generalized monthly expense list. You based this on the necessities, such as rent or mortgage, utilities, car insurance, car payments, and food. Many Americans waste money on unnecessary purchases and impulse purchases without giving it any thought. You need to give it thought. Be aware of your spending. Buy a small pocket notebook from the dollar store and carry it and a pen with you everyday for one or two weeks. Each time you spend money, even on a coffee, write down the purchase. Review the list at the end of the week. What could you do without or make alternatives for? Instead of buying a coffee from Starbucks or the local gas station, make yours at home and so forth.

Cut back on extras at home. As previously stated, aside from heat, water, and electricity, you should only include your telephone as a necessary utility. Television and internet is nice, but not necessary. Luckily, you should still have money leftover. Unfortunately, it may not be enough to cover the current cost of your television, internet, or cell phone bills. If that is the case, try cutting back before doing without. Practice talking on your cell phone less and lower your minutes or replace your landline with your cell phone. Do without the movie channels and lower your cable or satellite bill. For internet, revert back to dialup or see if a lower and cheaper internet speed is available.

In short, the best way to avoid debt after being laid off from work is to live within your means. You have less financial resources, so you can no longer keep your former spending habits. As soon as you receive an exact dollar amount for your unemployment benefits, create a budget. If your expenses total more than the funds available, work on cutting costs. Do so and you will avoid debt.

Many laid off workers are given small severance packages, but no notices. They may arrive for work, work for two hours, and have a late morning meeting. After that meeting, they have one hour to clean out their offices or lockers and leave. On the other hand, you may be one of the lucky ones . Yes, you still got a layoff notice, but it is a pending layoff notice. You may still have a job for one month or one year, but the layoff is still coming.

Pending layoffs are different than immediate layoffs, so what should you do to prepare for them?

Estimate your unemployment. If you were laid off and do not have a second job, you should qualify for unemployment. Your state uses a specific formula to calculate your benefits. Find this formula on their website. Take your weekly unemployment benefits and create a monthly total. This is how much you have available to spend each month. If married or living with a romantic partner, add their income. This is now how much income your household as a whole has to survive on.

Determine if you can afford the basics. Unless you were already living above your means or had money management problems, you should be okay with the necessities. These include rent, mortgage, car payments, utility bills, food and so forth. Luckily, there are many ways to reduce the cost of utilities and food. If your car is too expensive, sell and buy a cheaper one. If you cannot afford the cost of your mortgage or rent and do not anticipate finding a new job right away, consider moving to a cheaper house or apartment.

Track your expenses to eliminate unnecessary purchases. There is a difference between paying your monthly rent or mortgage payment and buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks once a day. To eliminate unnecessary purchases, you must first know what they are. Track your expenses for one or two weeks. Write down everything you buy. Then, look at the list. Eliminate anything you can do without or make cheaper alternatives for. For example, instead of buying a Starbucks coffee once a day, make your own coffee at home.

Put forth extra effort at work. You received a pending layoff notice. That notice said that in X amount of days, whether it be 90 days or 300, you will be without a job. This might cause most people to slack off at work. You should do the exact opposite. Layoff notices are not 100% guarantees. Something may change in that time. Other employees may opt to leave on their own, the company may see an increase in profits, or get financial help from the government. Layoffs are still likely, but the number laid off can easily go from 100 to 75. Would you like to be one of those 25 who kept their jobs? Put forth extra effort at work and you may be.

Look for new jobs. This is tricky, as you are still working. Fortunately, your employer handed you an official layoff notice. There will be no awkwardness when your current employer gets a call asking about your work history. They anticipate this. Feel free to apply for new jobs. In fact, you should. On that same note, keep your estimated unemployment benefits in mind. Dont rush to find a lower paying job if your unemployment benefits will be more. If they are, take the time to find a steady and well-paying job.

First, know what areas of your life need to be organized. As previously stated, you need to apply for unemployment, update your resume, and work on reducing costs. Right there is three things. Go to your local dollar store and purchase three cheap folders. You can usually get two or three for $1. Label each folder. Have one folder for unemployment, another devoted to your resume and job searching, and one for reducing expenses.

As for reducing your expenses, there are many ways to get started. Create a list. Keep this list in your folder. Think of everything you spend money on and write it down. This includes rent or mortgage, car payments, car insurance payments, gas, utilities, food, clothes, and so forth. Next to each item, write a few moneysaving suggestions. For your television, reduce your package. Do you really need 200 channels? Not if you cant afford them. For food, shop at stores with low prices, opt for cheaper brands, and use grocery coupons. These are your goals. Over the next few months, make it your goal to accomplish each. In no time at all, you will start saving money. This money can compensate for the difference in your normal income to your lower unemployment checks.

As for your unemployment, keep anything related to your job layoff and benefits in this folder. Save your official layoff notice, documents from your severance package, and so forth. If you can copy your unemployment application, do so and keep a record. If you receive a paper check, as opposed to direct deposits in your checking account or on a bankcard, you should receive payment stub. This is similar to the one attached to your former paychecks. Save them. Also, place a calendar in this folder. Mark the date in which your unemployment benefits will cease. Look at this calendar daily. Make it your goal to have a new job before this date.

As for your job search tools, have an updated copy of your resume in this folder. In fact, have many copies available. Have them ready to send out. Make notes and keep them in your folder. You should make note of any job you are interested in applying for, jobs you have applied to, job interviews you have scheduled and so forth. After attending a job interview, make note of jobs you did not get. This will save you time, as you arent mistakenly applying for the same job repeatedly.

Outlined above were a few suggestions for getting organized after receiving a job layoff notice. Whether you received your layoff notice yesterday or three months ago, it is never too late to get organized. Organization will make it easier to deal with the change, overcome it, and get back on your feet. Dont let poor organization cost you your unemployment benefits, lead to debt, or delay the process of finding a new job.