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3 big reasons to consider debt relief this June
The start of a new month is always an opportune time to reflect on what’s been working and adjust what hasn’t. This sort of reflection can take many forms but is particularly helpful when viewed through a financial lens. With inflation persistent – if significantly cooled – and interest rates the highest they’ve been in years, it’s critical to make the best and most well-informed financial decisions possible right now.
Unfortunately for some, that may mean exploring their debt relief options. From debt management to debt consolidation loans to bankruptcy, there’s no shortage of options to choose from. But for those hesitant to do so, it may help to consider some timely reasons why this month may be a smart time to act.
See what debt relief option could work best for you here.
3 big reasons to consider debt relief this June
Here are three reasons why you may want to seriously consider turning to a debt relief service this month:
Inflation is persistent
Hope was high on January 1, 2024, that inflation was heading straight downhill. But the reports that have been released since that point have shown a shakier path, with inflation running hotter than expected in the first few months of the year. In April, the rate barely moved, dropping to 3.4% (from March’s 3.5%). That means prices are still increasing on many goods and services, which can easily result in growing credit card bills and debts. With much work left to get the inflation rate to the Federal Reserve’s target 2% goal, then, borrowers may want to consider their debt relief options now before they add any more to their growing debt pile.
Get started with debt relief services online now.
Rates could be hiked again
Even though inflation has dramatically cooled from its decades-high in June 2022, as demonstrated, it’s still problematic. And if the Fed feels that the current federal funds rate isn’t working to cool it quickly enough, it could raise it again (it’s already at a 23-year high at a range between 5.25% and 5.50%).
While that doesn’t mean lenders will automatically raise the rates they charge borrowers, they almost always do. That means the rates you’re paying on unsecured debt like credit cards and personal loans — and secured options like home equity — will likely rise once again, making them even more difficult to pay down than they already are.
You may not be making progress
Against today’s economic background, you simply may not be making the progress you need to be making to make any dent in your debt. And if you’re making minimum payments on high-interest debts, it could take you years to clear up what you owe — and that’s assuming you don’t add any more debt to cover emergencies or other expenses. If you feel like your progress is limited or not nearly as quick as you need it to be, it could be a sign that debt relief is right for you.
Learn more about your options here.
The bottom line
It’s never too early to tackle the problem of growing debt. But this June is arguably an ideal time to do so. Thanks to a stubbornly elevated inflation rate, the potential for the federal funds rate to increase once again (and, with it, rates on many borrowing products) and a lack of solo progress toward eliminating debt, this month may be the time to enlist the services of a top debt relief company. So start researching your options and services now so that you don’t find yourself in the same position in July.
CBS News
Trump taps Herschel Walker for ambassador to the Bahamas
President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Herschel Walker, the former football player whose 2022 Senate run was plagued by controversy, to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas.
“Herschel has spent decades serving as an Ambassador to our Nation’s youth, our men and women in the Military, and athletes at home and abroad,” Trump said on social media Tuesday night.
Walker would need to be confirmed by the Senate to assume the role. The Senate has not confirmed a U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas in over a decade. Former President Barack Obama had nominated Cassandra Butts for the role in 2014, but the Senate never even brought her nomination up for a vote, according to The Associated Press. She died in 2016.
Trump in his first term nominated Doug Manchester in 2017 for the ambassador role, but his nomination stalled for over two years. CBS News in 2019 also uncovered evidence of a possible pay-to-play scheme for the role. He eventually withdrew and Trump went on to nominate William Douglass in 2020. Douglass’ nomination was withdrawn by President Biden when he took office, and Mr. Biden in turn nominated Calvin Smyre, who has not been confirmed by the Senate.
Absent an official ambassador to the Bahamas, Kimberly Furnish currently serves in the role of Chargé d’Affaires.
Walker rose to national prominence as a star running back for the Georgia Bulldogs, winning the Heisman trophy in 1982. He spent his first few years of professional ball in the United States Football League before it folded, and then moved on to the NFL.
Walker reentered the national spotlight when, at Trump’s urging, he challenged Georgia’s Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock for his seat in 2022. The race featured several controversies, including two women claiming that Walker — who was running as an anti-abortion candidate — had paid for them to get abortions.
Walker denied both allegations.
In one instance, Walker admitted to writing a check for a woman who said he paid for her to get an abortion in 2009, but he said he hadn’t known what the money was for.
Another woman claimed Walker paid her to get an abortion while the two carried out a six-year relationship while he was married to another woman and playing in the NFL. During a news conference back in 2022, she said she couldn’t go through with the procedure when she went to get it herself, so Walker took her to a clinic in the Dallas area the next day and waited for her while she got the abortion.
“This was a lie a week ago and it is a lie today,” Walker said at the time following an interview the woman gave a week after the initial news conference.
Warnock would go on to win the election in a runoff after neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote on election day.
Aaron Navarro and
contributed to this report.
CBS News
1 killed, 9 injured in mass shooting in Baltimore suburb of Towson, police say
BALTIMORE — One person was killed and nine others injured in a mass shooting in the Baltimore suburb of Towson Tuesday night, authorities said.
Law enforcement responded at around 7:15 p.m. in the 8500 block of Loch Raven Boulevard, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said in a news briefing.
“It appears to be a mass shooting incident,” Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough told reporters. “We have multiple persons who were shot. Right now, we are determining the circumstances and the conditions in this case.”
The first arriving officer found a vehicle on its side in flames, McCullough said, and then several gunshot victims were found in the area. The name of the person killed was not released, and the conditions of the nine people injured was unknown.
At this time, investigators believe this was an isolated and targeted incident, with no further threat to community at this point, he added. It’s unclear if any suspects have been arrested.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is at the scene assisting police, as was the Baltimore County Fire Department.
Anyone with information is asked to call Baltimore County Police at 410-887-4636.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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