Author: Glen
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ALWAYS Avoid THIS Type of Client in Credit Repair
Sign up for our brand new 14-day Credit Hero Challenge: http://creditherochallenge.com/ Should you ever turn away credit repair business? Is it ever OK to say no to a new client? Should you really reject potential prospects when they approach you? These are the questions that we are going to analyze in today’s episode, and the answers might not be what you would expect! We’re going to talk about some of the situations in which you should accept a prospect… and when you should tell them that your credit repair services aren’t for them. At the end of the day, you’re out here to change lives, so when you meet someone and you’re not sure if you can help them, it can be a tough choice to make. But thankfully for you… everything you possibly need to know about whether you should turn away credit repair clients is right here. Make sure to check it out! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) How one credit hero was making six figures in one year (01:26) Should you really turn down clients (05:03) Some of the situations you should turn a prospect away (05:04) What to know about people who want immediate results (08:29) Episode wrap-up (10:48) #CreditRepair #CreditHeroes #DanielRosen Be sure to subscribe to the podcast at: https://www.creditrepaircloud.com/podcast – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creditrepaircloud/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creditrepaircloud/ – Get your FREE trial of the Credit Repair Cloud software at: https://www.creditrepaircloud.com/freetrial #businesscoachonline #creditrepair #fixmycredit -
The SIMPLE Steps to Removing Medical Collections from Credit Reports
Medical debt is the most common collection item on American credit reports — and the most fixable. Between HIPAA-based disputes and major reporting changes the bureaus adopted in 2022–2023, most medical collections can come off or never appear at all. The video covers the HIPAA angle; here is the complete playbook.
First: The Rules Changed in Your Favor
Before disputing anything, know what the three bureaus already agreed to stop reporting:
- Paid medical collections come off entirely. If you have paid it, it should no longer appear. Check your reports — a paid medical collection still showing is by itself grounds for deletion.
- Medical collections under $500 are no longer reported.
- Unpaid medical debt gets a one-year waiting period before it can appear, giving insurance time to do its job.
A huge share of medical collections on reports today violate one of those three rules. Start there — it is the easiest win in credit repair.
The HIPAA Angle
HIPAA limits who can hold and share your medical information. When a provider sells your account to a collection agency, a validation dispute forces the collector to prove it legally holds the debt with accurate records — billing detail it often cannot produce without exposing protected health information it should not have. Collectors frequently delete rather than fight it.
Step by Step
- Pull all three reports and list every medical collection: agency, amount, date, status.
- Apply the new rules first. Paid? Under $500? Less than a year old? Dispute with the bureau citing the current medical-debt reporting policies. These deletions are nearly automatic.
- Request itemized billing from the original provider. Errors in medical billing are rampant — duplicate charges, insurance that was never billed, wrong patient. Any discrepancy is dispute ammunition.
- Send a validation letter to the collector demanding proof they own the debt and an itemized accounting. No timely, complete validation? Demand deletion.
- If it is legitimate and over $500, negotiate pay-for-delete in writing, or simply pay it — because paid medical collections must now come off, payment itself has become a deletion strategy.
What This Does to Your Score
Collections suppress scores severely. Newer scoring models ignore medical collections entirely — but most mortgage lenders still use older FICO versions where they hurt. Clearing a single medical collection commonly moves a score 20–60 points, sometimes more when it is the only major negative.
The Bigger Picture
Clean credit is a means to an end — the mortgage, the refinance, the business loan. If you are clearing medical collections because you need financing, visit Funding-Advisor.com and I will tell you what you can qualify for and what to fix first.
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How to Start a Credit Repair Business (Even if You’re Not a Credit Expert Yet)
You do not need to be a credit expert to start a credit repair business — every one of the success stories I have covered started as a beginner. What they shared was a willingness to learn one process well and repeat it. The video below explains the mindset; this article gives you the practical roadmap.
Why Credit Repair Is a Real Business
Demand is structural: tens of millions of Americans have collections, charge-offs, or errors on their reports, and every one of them wants a mortgage, a car, or a business loan someday. The work is process-driven — audit, dispute, follow up, repeat — which means it can be learned, systematized, and staffed. And it is a recurring-revenue model: clients pay monthly while their file is worked.
The Roadmap
1. Learn the law before the tactics
Two laws define this industry. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives consumers the dispute rights you will use every day. The Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) regulates you: written contracts, a 3-day cancellation right, no charging before work is performed, and no guaranteeing outcomes. Some states add bonding or registration requirements — check yours before taking a dollar.
2. Do five files free
Fix credit for friends and family first. You will learn the dispute cycle on real files, and their score improvements become your first testimonials — the single most valuable marketing asset in this industry.
3. Set up the machine
You need dispute-management software to track letters and deadlines across three bureaus per client, a simple onboarding flow (credit monitoring access, contract, ID documents), and a calendar discipline for the 30-day investigation windows. The tooling matters less than actually working every file every month.
4. Price for recurring revenue
The standard model is a modest setup fee plus a monthly fee while you work the file (typical range $79–$149/month). CROA timing rules matter here: bill after work is performed, not before.
5. Market with proof
Before-and-after score screenshots, deletion letters, and client stories outperform any ad copy. Post them consistently where your audience already is — and ask every satisfied client for two referrals. Realtors and mortgage loan officers are the best referral partners in the business: they lose deals to bad credit every week and will happily send those buyers to you.
6. Systematize, then staff
Once you pass roughly 30–50 active clients, document your process and hire your first dispute processor. The owners who hit seven figures all made the same transition: from doing disputes to owning a pipeline and a team.
The Honest Caveats
You cannot remove accurate, verifiable, timely negatives, and you should never promise to. Results take 45–120 days to show. Churn is real if you do not communicate — monthly update calls retain clients better than any contract clause.
Your Unfair Advantage
Credit repair pairs naturally with funding. A client whose score you just raised 80 points is now fundable — and helping them get capital is a second service most competitors never offer. If you want to add business funding to your offer (or fund your own startup costs), start at Funding-Advisor.com.
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Try This SIMPLE Method to Delete Negative Items from a Credit Report
Deletion is the fastest way to move a credit score — one removed collection can do more than a year of on-time payments. Yet most people never use it, because nobody teaches how. The video below covers the tip of the month; this article lays out every deletion method that works and when to use each one.
Why Deletion Beats Everything Else
Your score is calculated from what is on the report. When a negative item comes off, the model simply never sees it again — there is no “recovering” period. That is why deletion is instant while rebuilding is slow. The law that makes it possible is the Fair Credit Reporting Act: every item must be accurate, verifiable, and timely, and the burden of proof sits with the bureau and the furnisher, not with you.
The Five Deletion Methods
1. The factual dispute
Find something wrong — balance, date opened, date of first delinquency, account status, duplicate entry — and dispute it in writing with the bureau. They have roughly 30 days to verify. Wrong or unverifiable? It must come off. With one in five reports containing an error, always audit before anything else.
2. The verification demand
Even when an item looks right, the furnisher must be able to prove it. Debts that have been sold and resold often arrive at collection agencies with nothing but a spreadsheet row — no contract, no statements, no chain of ownership. A validation letter forces the question. No proof, no tradeline.
3. Pay-for-delete
For legitimate collection debts, negotiate: payment in exchange for removal, agreed in writing before you pay a dollar. Collection agencies bought the debt for pennies; a partial payment with deletion is often a win for them. Never pay first and hope.
4. The goodwill letter
For late payments with an otherwise solid history, write to the original creditor and ask for a goodwill removal. It works more often than people expect — especially with credit unions and when the late was tied to a one-time event you can explain.
5. The age-off audit
Most negatives must fall off after seven years from the date of first delinquency (ten for Chapter 7 bankruptcy). Furnishers sometimes re-age debts — illegally resetting the clock when an account is sold. Check the dates; a re-aged account is a slam-dunk dispute.
What Not to Do
- Do not dispute everything as “not mine” — frivolous blanket disputes get flagged and ignored.
- Do not pay a collection without a written deletion agreement (outside of medical, where paid collections must now come off).
- Do not believe anyone guaranteeing removal of accurate, verifiable items.
Where This Leads
Every deletion raises the ceiling on what you qualify for — mortgages, auto loans, and especially business funding, where personal credit decides your starting limits. If you are cleaning your report because you need capital for a business, start at Funding-Advisor.com and I will map your fastest route to funding.
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Secrets to Making a Million Dollars in Credit Repair with Bobby Richardson
Sign up for our brand new 14-day Credit Hero Challenge: http://creditherochallenge.com/ How important is credit repair? Listen to this story… Imagine you’re working 9-5 with a wife and a son to take care of. One day, driving home from work your car breaks down. You gotta head to the dealership to get a new car for you and your wife. They run through your credit score TWENTY times before coming back to you. So once you get the offer, you find that you’re going to have to pay double the original value of the car. That’s how bad your credit score is. This is the story of Bobby Richardson. But the happy ending for him is that he fixed his credit score, started his own business to help others do the same, and within just a matter of months he had made a million dollars from it. Isn’t that crazy? He’s gone through our program and is now a proud member of our Millionaires Club. So in today’s episode, he’s gonna share with us everything he has learned on his rollercoaster ride of starting a credit repair business. Everything from when he hit breaking point, to how he turned his life around so quickly will be covered in this episode. Make sure to check it out! Key Takeaways: Intro (00:00) Bobby’s amazing story in credit repair (03:34) How credit repair has changed Bobby’s life (07:53) How he has scaled so quickly (09:39) The importance of trial and error (12:43) The optimal follow-up strategy (13:41) The best way to grow a team (16:32) How to avoid Bobby’s mistakes (19:56) Rapid-fire questions (21:03) Episode wrap-up (23:05) #CreditRepair #CreditRepairBusiness #DanielRosen Be sure to subscribe to the podcast at: https://www.creditrepaircloud.com/podcast – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creditrepaircloud/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creditrepaircloud/ – Get your FREE trial of the Credit Repair Cloud software at: https://www.creditrepaircloud.com/freetrial #businesscoachonline #creditrepair #fixmycreditRelated Reading
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How Credit Repair Works: The Secrets to Credit Repair Made Easy
Most people pay their bills, glance at their mortgage statement, and never think about their credit report until a lender says no. This post explains what credit repair actually is — the legal mechanics, what is realistically fixable, and how the process works step by step. The video below is a great primer; the article adds the detail.
The Legal Foundation: You Have the Right to an Accurate Report
Credit repair is not a trick. It rests on the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which says everything on your credit report must be accurate, verifiable, and timely. If an item fails any of those three tests, you have the legal right to dispute it — and the bureau generally has 30 days to investigate and either verify it or delete it.
What Can Come Off a Report
- Errors: accounts that are not yours, wrong balances, wrong dates, duplicate collections. Roughly one in five reports has a material error.
- Unverifiable items: if the furnisher cannot produce records proving the debt within the investigation window, it must come off — even if it was real.
- Out-of-date items: most negatives must fall off after seven years (bankruptcies ten). Items sometimes linger past their date.
- Goodwill adjustments: a paid late payment can sometimes come off just by asking the creditor in writing, especially with an otherwise clean history.
What stays: accurate, verifiable, current negative information. Anyone who guarantees they can make a legitimate repossession disappear is lying to you — that is a red flag under the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA).
The Process, Step by Step
- Pull all three reports (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) — free at annualcreditreport.com. The bureaus do not share data; an error can live on one and not the others.
- Audit line by line. Flag every account, balance, date, and status that looks wrong or unfamiliar.
- Dispute in writing with each bureau reporting the item. Be specific: which item, what is wrong, what you want done. Attach proof when you have it.
- Track the 30-day clock. No verification in time means deletion. Verified? You can escalate to the furnisher directly, add a consumer statement, or re-dispute with new documentation.
- Rebuild while you repair. Deletions raise the ceiling; on-time payments and low utilization raise the score. Do both at once.
DIY or Hire It Out?
Everything above can be done yourself with patience and a filing system. A good credit repair company earns its fee through volume, follow-up discipline, and knowing the escalation paths — not through any special access. If you hire one, CROA gives you protections: written contracts, no upfront fees before work is performed, and a right to cancel.
Why It Is Worth It
The payoff is not the number — it is access. Better mortgage rates, approved car loans, and for business owners, real funding. Lenders read your personal credit before they fund your business. If you are cleaning up your credit because you need capital, check Funding-Advisor.com to see what your profile can qualify for as the score climbs.
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The Secret To Getting An 850 Credit Score
Put 100 Americans in a room and on average just one of them has a credit score of 850. Not because the other 99 are irresponsible — most simply never learned how the scoring model actually works. The video below digs into what separates that one person, and this article breaks the habits down step by step.
What Actually Makes Up Your Score
FICO weights five factors: payment history (35%), amounts owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%), and credit mix (10%). Every habit below maps to one of those five numbers — there is no magic beyond them.
The Six Habits of 850 Scorers
1. They never miss a payment — ever
Payment history is the single biggest factor. One 30-day late can drop an excellent score by 80+ points and stays on the report for seven years. 850 scorers put every account on autopay for at least the minimum, then pay the balance manually.
2. They keep utilization under 10%
Most advice says stay under 30% of your credit limits. The people at the top keep it in the single digits — and they know utilization has no memory. Pay the balance down before the statement closes and the bureaus see a low number that same month.
3. They keep old accounts open
The age of your oldest account and the average age across accounts both matter. Closing a 15-year-old card because you rarely use it shortens your history and shrinks your available credit at the same time — two hits from one decision. Put a small recurring charge on old cards and leave them alone.
4. They apply for credit rarely and deliberately
Hard inquiries cost a few points each and cluster on reports as a risk signal. High scorers apply when there is a strategic reason, not because a cashier offered 10% off.
5. They carry a mix of account types
A mortgage, an auto loan, and a few revolving cards demonstrate you can manage different kinds of debt. Nobody should borrow just for mix — but it explains why scores often peak in the years when a mortgage and cards are reporting together.
6. They check their reports and dispute errors fast
Roughly one in five credit reports contains an error. 850 scorers pull all three bureaus regularly (annualcreditreport.com is free) and dispute anything inaccurate immediately under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Do You Actually Need an 850?
No — and this is the part most people miss. Lenders top-tier you around 760–780. Past that, a higher number is bragging rights, not better terms. The real goal is a score that unlocks what you want to do: buy the house, get the business funded, qualify for the 0% card.
Turn the Score Into Capital
A strong personal score is the foundation for business funding — 0% APR business cards, credit lines, and loans all key off it. If you want to know what your current profile qualifies for, start at Funding-Advisor.com and I will tell you straight.
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A Clubhouse competitor you haven’t heard of
Clubhouse is trying to make a getaway from a growing list of big competitors.
We recently talked about how Twitter, Slack, and LinkedIn are all working on audio features. Then yesterday, news broke that Twitter was reportedly in talks to acquire #Clubhouse for $4B. Meanwhile, Facebook launched Hotline into beta testing — their audio experiment that looks like a cross between Instagram Live and #Clubhouse with a more formal Q&A and recording features.
Perhaps in a well-timed move to gain loyalty from the creator community early, Clubhouse introduced direct payments this week à la a new partnership with Stripe.
Clubhouse may have its first monetization feature but there have been skeptics. One of the biggest flaws they see — really in social audio in general — is lack of curation.
Yesterday Angle Audio launched and a few early adopters chimed applauding the product’s quality conversations:
“It’s one of the best ways to learn and discuss hot topics with experts – gotta love some quality curation AND chit chat…” – Mingle Padegimaite
“… it felt like much more intimate, curated, premium content and people were present… – Nick Ryde
Maker Matthias Strodtkoetter explained that Angle is a social audio app focused on intimate and intentional conversations. Unlike Clubhouse, Angle has no stage and includes text-chat, screen-sharing, and time-capped conversations.
One commenter mentioned she doesn’t see Clubhouse as a competitor and she makes a good point. On one hand, Clubhouse is good for contributors—ideal even for lurkers. Listeners can hear thought leaders dive into topics of interest. On the other hand, Angle is inclusive. You’re not on permanent mute when you enter a room because you’re welcome, perhaps expected, to contribute.
This is Angle’s second launch after rebranding and improving its core features since its beta launch. There’s more to come.
Social audio seems like anyone’s game at this point.
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Holiday Shopping Statistics: What to Expect in 2020
As the holiday shopping season approaches, there’s a sense of both opportunity and uncertainty on how the next weeks will unfold.
On one hand, sellers expect to receive more online shoppers than ever before. And, they’re looking to find creative ways to stand out among their competition. But, they also face uncertainty when it comes to inventory forecasting, supply chain challenges, and the ability to guarantee delivery dates during the current circumstances.
Here’s what we know so far to expect from this year’s shopping season.
Total Spend During the 2020 Holiday Season
Despite the pandemic, experts still forecast an increase in total retail sales, with a steep rise in online shopping as consumers avoid in-store shopping.
- Total US retail sales will rise 0.9% to $1.013 trillion.
- US retail eCommerce sales will jump 35.8% to $190.47 billion, accounting for 18.8% of total retail sales.
- US brick-and-mortar retail will decline 4.7% to $822.79 billion.
Unfortunately, many consumers are dealing with serious hardships this year with the pandemic, high unemployment, and ongoing economic uncertainty. Recognizing this, experts only see a modest increase in overall sales.
Holiday Shopping Has Already Started
This year’s shoppers have also already started their holiday spending.
The majority of consumers (38%) indicated that they are most likely to begin holiday shopping before the end of October. Next, 23% will start before Thanksgiving, followed by 22% who plan to start on/after Thanksgiving, and 15% waiting until December. [Statista]
For many, they’re shopping earlier to take advantage of sales or promotions. And unlike years past, Amazon Prime Day happened in October, which kicked off many deals from Amazon and others that rivaled Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
The top three reasons for consumers to shop earlier than usual are:
- Sale or promotion — 53%
- Avoiding crowds — 37%
- Avoiding the stress of last-minute shopping -— 31%
- Worried that items I wanted were going to sell out — 26%
Surge of eCommerce
As indicated above, most experts expected an unprecedented amount of online shopping, even as double digit growth has been normal over the past few years.
46% of shoppers will buy most of their holiday purchases online, and 77% intend to buy more than half of total purchases online.[Digital Commerce 360]
The Majority of Shoppers Plan to Buy from Marketplaces
When shopping online, most consumers (61%) also intend to turn to marketplaces like Amazon to make their purchases, which significantly outpaces the (21%) that will purchase directly from a brand itself. [Digital Commerce 360]
With this large difference, it’s important to know why many shoppers prefer marketplaces over buying direct from retailers. Their top reasons are:
- Better Prices — 67%
- Free and discounted shipping — 63%
- Speed of delivery — 45%
- In-stock products — 41%
- Finding very specific items — 40%
If you’re selling on marketplaces like Amazon, make sure you avoid these common seller mistakes this year that could get your account suspended.
A Note on DTC: Since the start of the pandemic, 52% of DTC brands experienced surges in demand. This trend is likely to remain well into the holiday shopping season as consumers and brands alike move toward the direct-to-consumer model.
Top Shopping Days
This year experts still predict Cyber Monday and Black Friday to be the biggest sales days of the year.
Cyber Monday will be the biggest online spending day in US history with sales of $12.89 billion, up 38.3% from last year.
Black Friday will follow with anticipated sales of $10.20 billion, an increase by 39.4%.
The biggest increase in sales from last year will be on Thanksgiving Day, predicted to increase 49.5% to $6.18 billion.
Small Business Saturday
During the holidays, Small Business Saturday tends to be an in-store event rather than online.
In 2019, Small Business Saturday sales reached $34.4 billion, and even surpassed Black Friday’s haul of $31.2 billion. [Retail Wire]
Even as consumers indicate that they’re not as likely to shop in-person this year, experts still see overall sales increasing year over year for Small Business Saturday to $4.76 billion. While this is a 35.6% increase, it does not rival Black Friday as closely as 2019. [eMarketer]
During the pandemic, there’s been a call to support small businesses as they face their own financial challenges. Sellers that revamped their online storefronts and upped their customer service over the past few months have put themselves in good position to perform well this holiday season.
Delivery Remains Biggest Uncertainty
One challenge of unprecedented online shopping is its impact on delivery. There’s already volume concerns, and it will only get worse.
At USPS, shipping and package revenue in Q3 increased by $2.9 billion, on a volume increase of 708 million pieces, or 49.9%, compared to the same quarter last year. [USPS]
And, the stakes are high for retailers. Despite these backend challenges, consumers still demand and expect on-time delivery. And when you don’t deliver, they may not buy from you ever again.
Foreseeing issues with delivery, most retailers are encouraging early shopping to help spread out deliveries over the entire shopping season.
Luckily, 42% of shoppers will shop earlier knowing that delivery times could be delayed this holiday season. [Digital Commerce 360]
Nonetheless, sellers do know that they will have to pay more with carriers this season.
Expected holiday shipping surcharges:
- FedEx and UPS: Between 5 cents and $5 per parcel
- USPS: Between $1 and $5 per package
These surcharges will cut into margins as sellers face intense pressure to offer free and fast shipping to win over more customers.
Here’s what consumers say are the most important factors when choosing an online retailer this holiday:
- Free shipping — 71%
- Competitive prices — 63%
- Product in stock and ready to ship — 53%
- Speed of delivery — 48%
With surcharges to think about, retailers have to be thoughtful when setting their shipping thresholds and prices. Otherwise, they risk draining their profits. Read more on why shipping is so expensive, and what you can do to lower your overall costs.
Alternative to Delivery: Curbside Pickup
Fortunately, some holiday shoppers will opt for curbside pickup during the shopping season, which helps alleviate some pressure from the significant increase in shipping online orders.
29% of consumers intend to place an order online and pick up in store this season, which was the second highest category after shopping on marketplaces (61%). [Digital Commerce 360]
This is good news for small neighborhood shops and big box retailers alike who already spent time this year promoting and revamping their curbside pickup to offer hassle-free and safe experiences during the pandemic. Now, they’ll see if their processes still hold up under holiday traffic.
Holiday Returns
A reality of online shopping, especially during the holidays, is the volume of returns that come during and after. And returns are another area where shoppers are more likely to ship versus heading in-store due to the pandemic.
67% of shoppers prefer to ship their holiday returns this year rather than return in stores because of the perceived risk of COVID-19 exposure. [Inmar Intelligence Survey]
Many retailers will likely see a higher volume of returns this year, and will need to adjust their processes and capacity to handle them. For more on this topic, here are some tips for how to improve your online return process and information on how to reduce chargebacks.
Last-Minute Prep for Holiday Marketing
While overall sales look positive, especially for an unprecedented amount of online shopping, there’s still a lot of uncertainty of how sellers will hold up under these tough circumstances.
Sources and Citation Info:
To be clear, none of the statistics above are based on research by Payability. This post is a compilation of statistics from various web sources that are cited throughout the article. We hope to give you one, convenient place to find data about 2020 holiday shopping trends.
For any formal or academic purposes, please cite the original source of the data.
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You Only Get One Life – Gary Vaynerchuk
You Only Get One Life… Make it Count! This is one of the most anticipated and most requested interviews of all time! I’ve been asking you all who you would like to see next on the Ed Mylett Show and I heard you! My guest today has become one of the MOST influential entrepreneurs and marketing minds in the world! Most recently he helped start the popular “All In Challenge” and has raised over $13M to help feed those in need during this unprecedented pandemic. Get ready for a mind-blowing interview with Gary Vaynerchuk! Make sure you are ready to take notes as this interview is FULL of golden nuggets that you can use to increase your productivity and optimize the quality of your entire life! Gary and I dive deep into how to create a life that leads to happiness AND financial success. We talk about how to create and optimize your MOMENTUM and break down what it REALLY means to hustle! We share tips on how to overcome DOUBT, lack of MOTIVATION and how to truly LOVE the life you live. For the business people out there, Gary drops his forecast on what he thinks will be the next big wave in technology and where marketers and entrepreneurs should be focusing their energy. I’ve never met anyone who loves life the way this man does. His life isn’t just about him or the money but it’s about HAPPINESS, KINDNESS, and COMPASSION for others! In this interview, Gary breaks down how you can be selfish and selfLESS at the same time and achieve beyond your wildest dreams AND how you can use this COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst to create the greatest force for GOOD in the world! This interview is PACKED with so much wisdom I can’t even explain it all in this caption. It will fill you with hope and empower you to TAKE ACTION despite anything standing in your way!Related Reading