Managing Debt for DUMmIES.pdf

Debt

FOR

DUMmIES

‰

by John Ventura and Mary Reed

Managing

2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006939511

ISBN: 978-0-470-08486-1

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Managing Debt For Dummies ®

Published by

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About the Authors

John Ventura: John is a best-selling author and a nationally board-

certified bankruptcy attorney. He is also an adjunct professor at the

University of Houston Law School and the director of the Texas

Consumer Complaint Center at the Law School.

As a young boy, John dreamed of becoming a Catholic priest so he

could help everyday people, and he spent his high school years in a

Catholic seminary. After graduating, however, John decided to

achieve his dream by combining journalism with the law. Therefore,

he earned an undergraduate degree in journalism and a law degree

from the University of Houston Law School. Later, he and a partner

established a law firm in Texas, building it into one of the most suc-

cessful consumer bankruptcy firms in the state. He subsequently

began a successful consumer law firm in South Texas.

Today, as Director of the Texas Consumer Complaint Center, he

supervises law students as they help consumers with their legal

problems. He is also a regular speaker at law conferences around

the country and serves on the Bankruptcy Council for the Texas

Bar Association.

John is the author of 13 books on consumer and small business legal

matters, including Law For Dummies, 2nd edition; The Everyday Law

Kit For Dummies; Divorce For Dummies, 2nd edition; and Good Advice

for a Bad Economy (Berkeley Books). John has been interviewed

about consumer money matters by numerous national media includ-

ing CNN, NBC, NPR, Bloomberg Television & Radio, The Wall Street

Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Money,

Inc. Martha Stewart’s Living, Bottomline, Entrepreneur, Bankrate.com,

CBSMarketWatch.com, and MSNMoney.com. In addition, his com-

ments and advice have appeared in major newspapers around the

country, and he has been a frequent guest on local radio programs.

Mary Reed: Mary Reed is a personal finance writer who has

coauthored or ghostwritten numerous books on topics related to

consumer money matters and legal rights. The books she has

coauthored with John Ventura include The Everyday Law Kit

for Dummies, Divorce For Dummies, and Good Advice for a Bad

Economy (Berkeley Books). Mary has also written for the magazines

Good Housekeeping, Home Office Computing, and Small Business

Computing, and she has ghostwritten numerous articles that have

appeared in national and local publications.

Mary is also the owner of Mary Reed Public Relations (MR•PR), an

Austin, Texas-based firm that provides public relations services to a

wide variety of clients, including authors, publishers, attorneys,

financial planners, healthcare professionals, retailers, hotels,

restaurants, and nonprofits.

Prior to starting her public relations business and writing career

20 years ago, she was vice president of marketing for a national

market research firm, marketing director for a women’s healthcare

organization, and public relations manager for Texas Monthly, a

national award-winning magazine. She received her MBA from

Boston University and her BA from Trinity University in

Washington, DC.

In her free time, Mary serves on the board of a community develop-

ment corporation in her neighborhood. She also enjoys long morn-

ing bike rides, road trips with her husband, gardening, working her

way through the stack of books by her bed, taking care of her six

cats, and spending time with her family and many friends.

Dedication

From John: To Mary Reed, my writing partner and friend.

From Mary: To my friend Ellen, who is always there for me. Your

love and affection mean more than words can say.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

Thanks to Joan Friedman, the editor for this book. Despite relocat-

ing to Texas from Indiana with her family in the middle of this pro-

ject and having to get her family settled before the start of school,

Joan made the editing process a breeze and was a pleasure to work

with. This book is a far better product because of her. A big thanks

as well to Kathryn Perron, our technical reviewer, for her queries

and comments.

Mary would also like to thank her husband, Rodney Root, for his

constant support while she toiled away for endless hours this

summer in front of her computer and for his willingness to do more

than his share of the housework and errand-running so she could

enjoy her down time.

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