How have you been doing in November? I have been great, thanks to God. ^.^

It’s the Weekly Money Check-Up by My Pretty Pennies again! Wow, it’s been a month since I wrote the last Weekly Money Check-Up.

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on a baby money gift which had me chip in RM34.

2. Today I am thankful for God’s watching over hubby yesterday.

Last night after hubby came back from the shopping mall, he told me he nearly fainted in a watch store while he was browsing some watches.

Fortunately, he quickly closed his eyes and had a few deep breaths. After a minute, he felt better and in a dash, he rushed to have some food.

Phew, thank God for always watching over hubby! May Lord Jesus heal hubby’s frequent dizziness and low blood sugar level. Amen.

Photo Credit

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was saying a prayer for hubby’s former student whose mom would undergo a surgery this week.

4. I will consider this week a success if I finish closing the company’s October account.

5. I am looking forward to my last day in the office. My last day falls on the 3rd of December instead of the 30th of November because I will be going for a 2D 1N trip with hubby on the 28th and 29th. I need a day’s break, that is the 30th, before I go back to work.

Happy 3rd Anniversary in AKPK Debt Management Programme, Vedis the DMP Blogger!

Mmmm, do I have any plan/goal to speed up paying off my credit card debt? Honestly, yes. But it can only be carried out after I buff up my joint emergency fund to RM10,000.

Okay, it’s the Weekly Money Check-Up by My Pretty Pennies again! ^.^

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on a 2D 1N stay in Kuala Lumpur. It’s not a holiday trip, noop. Hubby and I went to visit his brother who is currently in the hospital due to infection.

2. Today I am thankful for having a half-day off. I could have taken a day’s off to rest, but I felt compelled to complete some work in the morning.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was having an evening stroll at the nearby lake with hubby.

4. I will consider this week a success if I can bring this blog back to Page 1 with the ‘AKPK‘ term. If it doesn’t, well, maybe next week, the following week, a few weeks later, or …

Ha, actually it’s more practical to get ranked on Page 1 with keywords like ‘debt management program‘ or ‘debt management plan‘ rather than ‘AKPK‘, right?

5. I like my husband because he loves doing the laundry! ^.^

Do you deal with your credit card debt all by yourself or through a credit counseling agency? As for me, I use AKPK (Agensi Kauseling dan Pengurusan Kredit) to manage my credit card debt. In fact, I have been in the debt management program since October 2008.

Read: AKPK Debt Management Program – Part 1.

Read: AKPK Debt Management Program Part 2.

Read: Back Then in 2008 and Now 2010 for AKPK Debt Management Program Application.

There can be various reasons why people choose to go for a credit counseling and debt management agency.

Some feel that they are not comfortable in dealing with credit card debt by themselves, so they let a credit counselor handle it for them. Some go for a credit counselling and debt management agency because they lack of time to do the research and evaluate options for credit card debt settlement. Others just want professional advice and hence they contact credit card debt management agency.

Whatever be the reason for using a credit counseling agency, a good credit card debt management agency would surely be of help.

However, it’s important that you select a good credit counseling and debt settlement agency.

Never Fall for Ads of Credit Card Debt Management Agencies That Promise to Wipe Off Your Debt Overnight!

No Credit Card Debt Settlement Agency or Anyone Else Can Do That!

You should select a credit counseling and debt settlement agency which has verifiable credentials or a company that you know has a good reputation. If some friends have been through this process previously, they might be able to recommend a reliable credit counseling and debt management  agency to you.

Once you find a reputable credit card debt management agency, be honest with your credit counselor about your debt or/and debt-related information no matter how bad your debt is.

It is important to note that no credit counseling and debt management agency will be able to help you if you are not ready to help yourself. So, follow the advice given by your credit card debt counselor and practice good spending habits.

Nowadays, your financial possibilities in terms of getting loans are determined by your credit score. If you have bad spending habits then you would have done more harm than good and your score would be lower.

It even seems almost impossible to bring back to that score, to a good enough number if you have such a mountain of debt. Even when you have paid off your debt, you would have been labeled a ‘high risk’ borrower and you would have forever forfeited the chance of accessing loans with low interest.

It is best if you can find time to DIY credit repair to get rid of bad debt. If you see that there are mistakes, handle them quickly and have them resolved as well; follow up to make sure that every error is rectified. If you are to access any rental agreements, mortgages or loans in the future you have to follow these steps.

However, you might have to choose to get help from a professional credit repair company if you lack of time to DIY for credit repair.

A professional credit repair company like Sky Blue will work with you to get rid of your debt and fix your credit history. The work a credit repair counselor assigned to you will make lenders have more faith in you in the future when you are ready to borrow again.

The Sky Blue Credit Repair company has been operating with almost twenty years of experience behind them; within the credit business.

They deliver strategies that work very quickly and are effective as well. This is simply great news for anyone who has a bad credit score and needs to have it fixed.

To access their services you have to be in agreement to pay $49 and there is also an initial payment of $49. This takes care of all the admin costs to open your Sky Blue Credit Repair Account.

Their process is simple and easy, even if you want to close out your account with them; there is no hassle or fees to pay.

There are several areas of service that they offer: a) unlimited credit report disputes, b) unlimited creditor and collection intervention and c) couples discounts.

a) Unlimited Credit Report Disputes. The unlimited credit report dispute has to do with Sky Blue Credit Repair company conducting a full credit report analysis.

If there are any anomalies they will show up and you can contest them being on your credit report. If all goes well your report will be adjusted to show the changes and their removal.

b) Unlimited Creditor and Collection Intervention. The unlimited creditor and collection intervention allows you to give Sky Blue Credit Repair the permission to represent you with your creditors.

You will have professional leverage and less stress to deal with. You will see that they work very quickly to handle your case.

c) Couples Discounts. The couples discounts are simply being able to pay one cost to open an account for both you and your spouse. They also have a 100% service guarantee.

Sky Blue Credit Repair Customer Testimonials:

“An absolutely fantastic experience from the start, brilliant and friendly. I recommend Sky Blue to anyone with credit issues.” – Robert B.

“The bad marks are gone, my scores are up, and I was just told that my report is “solid gold”. I feel like a new person! Thank you so much!” – David W.

“The entire experience was a pleasure, the price was right, and the results were amazing. Thank you!” – Mary R.

For your information, Sky Blue Credit Repair company has NO single complaint on record against them, talk about being a master in their craft!

Sky Blue Credit Repair: Our Top Choice among Credit Repair Companies!

Sky Blue Credit Repair has our vote for the best credit repair program available. It is our opinion that they have taken the business to a whole new level. This is far more than just a dispute factory.

Sky Blue focuses on making sure you are left with truly usable credit – credit that meets prospective lender guidelines so you can really benefit in a tangible way.

We especially appreciate the Sky Blue Credit Repair focus on personalized customer service. The one-on-one attention is part of a comprehensive approach that makes them so attractive.

They include unlimited credit bureau disputes, debt validations, credit score consultation, guidance with building new credit, and even assist with rehabilitation of student loans if needed.

We also really like the fact that Sky Blue Credit Repair only charges a single low monthly fee without requiring any upgrades. One price covers everything needed to clean up and restore your credit. They also offer a great 50% discount for spouses if you sign up together.

Sky Blue Highlights:

• Credit repair services offered since 1989
• A focus on the highest ethical standards
• One-on-one customer service
• A unique approach designed to build truly usable credit
• $49 setup fee followed by $49 per month – half price for spouse
• All inclusive – No confusing program options or costly upgrades needed

Mmm, don’t believe all you have read here! Just check them out at Sky Blue Credit Repair and see if you are interested to increase credit score through credit repair! ^.^

Note: Fellow Malaysians, Sky Blue is a credit repair company in the US, okay? Mmm, is there any credit repair company in Malaysia? Let me check out if AKPK offers credit repair advice as well!

I am so grateful to God for the approval of hubby’s standalone medical card application. It came into effect right after hubby signed the condition acceptance letter two days ago.

Yes, hubby has had NO insurance coverage since being in deep credit card debt and even after enrolling in AKPK debt repayment plan!

He still doesn’t have life insurance or term life insurance coverage as of today. No coverage for Natural Death/TPD and 36 Dread Diseases.

But it’s still a relief that hubby at least has a medical card. A standalone medical card.

Although there are NO benefits for Natural Death/TPD, 36 Dread Diseases and Cash Return for this year, it’s fine.

With hubby’s recent 50% pay cut and my inconsistent online income, hubby doesn’t want to commit to paying RM300 every month for his insurance premium.

Being 51 years old this year, it’s understandable that the insurance premium for hubby is not cheap, at least RM300/month. RM12,000 Natural Death/TPD benefit. No benefit for 36 Dread Diseases. Cash Return of RM38,377 at 15th year.

He doesn’t want to commit RM300 per month for now, but it doesn’t mean he won’t next year. When things get better, he will surely upgrade to a more comprehensive life insurance plan.

You may be shocked why the insurance agent would recommend such a standalone medical card without insurance coverage for Natural Death/TPD and 36 Dread Diseases. Don’t!

Don’t be shocked because it’s what my hubby wants. It’s also what I want for myself too; my medical card application is pending for approval for the time being. ^.^

My cousin, who is an insurance agent with Great Eastern, is the ONLY agent who REALLY listened and gave hubby and me what we wanted.

Sigh, the many insurance agents I asked for standalone medical card proposals kept pushing me and hubby medical card plans with at least RM300/month’s (mine RM180/month’s) premium even though they had been told ahead that we wanted standalone medical card quotes/proposals! ==

Updated on 01.10.2011: Woohoo, my standalone medical card was approved as well! Both hubby and my cards will be couriered to us in a few days’ time!

A Letter to Maybank, Malaysia from the Hubby of Vedis Teh the AKPK Debt Management Plan Blogger.

Attn: Y. Bhg. Dato Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, President & Chief Executive Officer and Encik B. Ravintharan of Head, Credit & Consumer Service. Address: Malayan Banking Berhad, Menara Maybank, 100 Jalan Tun Perak, 50050 Kuala Lumpur.

Hi, I am Vedis Teh from KL but am currently living in Ipoh, Perak.

My hubby has been in AKPK debt management plan for more than 2 1/2 years. Yes, it’s going to be 3 years he is in the debt repayment plan!

However, until today, he hasn’t received any annual statement from your bank, that is Maybank.

What he has been receiving so far is the same monthly credit card statement with retail interest rate of 17.50%, that is more than RM65 while his AKPK monthly repayment distributed to your bank is RM50.

Isn’t it ridiculous? His monthly repayment to your bank is RM50, but there is a RM65 plus finance charge. In other words, his credit card balance remains the same as 2 1/2 years ago?!

Also, late payment charge of RM50 appears occasionally in his monthly credit card statement.

According to AKPK, your bank is supposed to send out annual statements to AKPK fellows like me and hubby.

Okay, maybe your bank prefers to send out monthly statement rather than yearly statement! But, aren’t you supposed to mail the correct monthly statement to my hubby?

So far, Citibank and HSBC are the only 2 banks that post annual statements to hubby. In other words, they keep him updated with the exact amount of balance he still owes them.

From the yearly statements these banks send out, there are NO late payment charges or/and 17.50% retail interest charge.

Besides your bank, Hong Leong Bank Berhad and RHB do the same. I have already written a similar letter to Hong Leong Bank Berhad and will write one to RHB in a few days’ time.

Disclaimer: I call myself Vedis the AKPK Debt Management Plan Blogger, but I absolutely have no connection with the agency. Please do not mistake me for working in AKPK, though many have thought so. :-P

O, my, I love the three-day weekend! Besides being able to spend plenty of time updating my niche blogs, I have been able to replace the WordPress themes for some of the blogs.

Yup, I have changed the WP theme for www.FreeDebtManagementProgram.com too! It looks as plain as the previous Thesis theme, right? Mmmm, maybe a bit uglier! Argh, who cares? It’s the ctr that I am concerned about now. ^.^

Why can’t I be like my blogging pals who can stick to their same WordPress themes year after year? You know, I have to change the theme whenever I feel bored with it. I am kind of more motivated to blog after seeing a new/fresh look. >.<

In addition, I have also had time to check and file in some newly-arrived bank statements from Hong Leong Bank Berhad, RHB, MayBank and Public Bank.

Speaking of credit card statements, I wrote an online letter to Hong Leong Bank Berhad titled, ‘A Letter to Hong Leong Bank Berhad Malaysia from Vedis the AKPK DMP Blogger‘ on Friday requesting the bank to send out correctly-charged annual/monthly statements to me and others who are in AKPK debt management plan.

I will also write a similar online letter to RHB and MayBank respectively in a few days’ time in the hope that they can be more ethical like Public Bank, Citibank, HSBC and Standard & Chartered Bank to send out correctly-charged annual/monthly statements to me and others who are in AKPK debt management plan.

In the post I mentioned, “How I wish I could make $108.00 monthly! And then $108.00 weekly! And then, $108.00 daily! I would be happy to death if I could make $108.00 weekly.”

Ha, I have already achieved the $108-monthly goal! I am still in the midst of working to achieve the $108-weekly goal.

Normally after I withdraw my Google AdSense via Western Union at CIMB, I will head to RHB to deposit my home loan installment of RM650 (actual amount is RM605) and overdraft facility interest charge of RM200 (actual amount varies from RM150 to RM180, depending on the remaining balance).

Why don’t I cash out my Google AdSense earnings at RHB as well since I make my home loan and overdraft facility payments there? Urgh, slow service and troublesome procedure!

You see, RHB wants me to tell them how much of the earnings in RM before they can proceed with the process. In actual fact, I don’t know because the RM amount is nowhere to be found in my Google AdSense account at all.

I tried TWO times at different branches of RHB, enough! Even though I had told them I had cashed out at Bank Simpanan Nasional, CIMB and Pejabat Pos a dozen times and was not asked about the RM amount at all, they still wanted to know the exact amount in RM. >.<

Of course, I did have an awful AdSense cashout at CIMB Ipoh branch once. But with all the nice experiences I have had from other CIMB outlets throughout the years, I forgive this incident that happened in CIMB Ipoh Garden.

Attn: Ms Yvonne Chia, the Group Managing Director/CEO and Ms Elaine Lee Yin Ling, the Manager. Address: Hong Leong Bank Berhad, Level 2, Tower A, PJ City Development, 15A, Jalan 219, Section 51A, 46100 Petaling Jaya.

Hi, I am Vedis Teh from Kuala Lumpur but currently residing in Ipoh, Perak.

I have been in AKPK debt management program since October 2008. Yes, it’s going to be 3 years since I enrolled in the debt repayment plan!

However, until today, I haven’t received any annual statement from your bank, that is Hong Leong Bank Berhad.

What I have received month after month is still the same credit card statement with late charges of RM50 being charged to it every month! Besides late charges of RM50, there is also this cash advance interest fee.

Isn’t it ridiculous? My monthly repayment to your bank is RM40, but there is a RM50 late charge fee and a few ringgit cash advance interest fee. In other words, my credit card balance is still the same as 3 years ago??

I have been told by AKPK that banks are to post annual statements to me.

Okay, maybe your bank prefers to send out monthly statement rather than yearly statement! But, aren’t you supposed to mail the correct monthly statement to me?

Public Bank, Citibank, HSBC and Standard & Chartered Bank are by far the only 3 banks that post annual statements to me. In other words, they keep me updated with the exact amount of balance I still owe them.

From the yearly statements these banks send out, there are NO late charge fees at all.

Besides your bank, RHB and MayBank do the same. I am going to write a similar letter to RHB and MayBank respectively in a few days’ time.

Disclaimer: I call myself Vedis the AKPK Debt Management Program Blogger, but I absolutely have no connection with the agency. Please do not mistake me for working in AKPK, though many have thought so. :-P

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on Vemma Nutritional Drink which cost RM342. Hubby is going to finish his 4th bottle of Vemma in a few days, so the auto delivery has come at the right time.

2. Today I am thankful for the Amazon Associates Program‘s check that I received a few days ago. It’s US$237.24! The US dollar is weakening but I am still grateful after the currency conversion.

How long did it take me to reach US$237.24? Ha, 4 months! How nice if it’s EVERY month! ^.^ll

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was, well, packing MORE clothes, unused items and household appliances into boxes. Yay, go minimal! ^.^

4. I will consider this week a success if I get to refer people to join JustAFive.com. If you know how Fiverr.com works, then it’s the same as JustAFive.com.

Outsourcing through Fiverr.com and JustAFive.com is simply inexpensive, man. I believe it will bring better and quicker results if compared to doing all the article writing and submission on my own.

I love both places because I get to order gigs/jobs people are willing to do for $5, $10 or $20. So far, I have ordered gigs like articles, videos and article submission to directories which I have been very satisfied with.

The reason I am only promoting JustAFive.com is simply because I get paid when you sign up using my link here. Wuahaha!

To be honest, this referral program pays me 25% of revenue for each successful transaction that you as a Buyer make. If you sign up as a Seller, I will earn 25% of money for each of your transaction.

5. This time last year I was waiting for job employment confirmation. It’s been almost a year since I started working full time!