“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of hot babes.”

Happy Independence Day!

It seems fitting that my credit card balance would be cleared in time for today’s celebration, and hopefully by this time next year my car and college loans will be paid off as well. Hard to believe my credit card debt was as high as $8,000 only a few months earlier, partly because I had to pay for the costs of new hearing aids, but I just kept furiously paying it down as much as I could, until by some sheer miracle the balance finally read zero for the first time in 4 years.

Once my car and college loans are taken care of as well, I’ll be completely debt free and enjoying a near perfect credit rating, especially since I will have paid off the car loan at least a year and a half ahead of schedule. So, debt-free, no ugly history with exes, no kids to complicate things, stable job with superb medical benefits, and I drive a sleek black fully loaded SUV. Girls should be lining up the door here, and yet nobody wants me. At least nobody sane that is, and just that one criteria seems to eliminate a good portion of the female populace.

*Sigh*

That’s part of the reason why I want to travel, and once my debts are cleared I’ll have to decide then whether to throw caution to the wind and quit my job so I can roam the country as a working nomad. I’d like to believe that there’s a place in this vast nation of ours where I can truly feel like I belong, a place I could finally call home, because it sure as #@$%ing hell isn’t this sewage dump of a New York town. I’m never gonna know for sure though until I start putting myself out there.

At the very least I’d be free from the shackles of a dead-end office job, with no ties to anything and the freedom to pursue any course I desire, and embark on any adventure I wish. Maybe then I’ll finally find…. her, and by then I wouldn’t have to worry about the trials of a long distance relationship, because I’ll be able to go to wherever she is. Unless of course, she’s in Australia.

Ah well, for now I’ll just celebrate this little victory over VISA, in the hopes that this will signify the beginning of my very own personal independence.

Tags: alone, balance, credit card, credit rating, debt, fireworks, fourth of july, home, independence day, loans, loneliness, nomad, payoff, travel, visa, women, women suck
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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Oddly enough, lawsuits cost money. Usually lots and lots of money, and for many people it may be difficult, if not impossible to cover the expenses of litigation so you can see it to its conclusion. As a result, an entire industry has formed around this need, providing litigation funding to clients who want to keep their lawsuits going. Any Lawsuits is one of the newer loan services offering funding for various types of lawsuits, and is the subject of this review.

A division of Alpine Funding, AnyLawsuits.com is currently in the process of a redesign, but so far their site has been easy to read and navigate, complete with a FAQ section that offers more details on how their funding service works. They also accurately explain that “lawsuit loans” aren’t actually loans, but are really cash advances, so the terms of agreement for this type of funding will be different from what you would expect from a typical bank loan.

Unfortunately, it was hard to garner how good the reputation of this lending company was. The site offers no testimonials from previous clients, and a search inquiry at the Better Business Bureau was unable to turn up any more information. In addition, there was little information as to what the terms of their cash advances might be, other than that you would be required to pay some type of flat fee once you receive a settlement. While this fee is sure to vary from case to case, it would help to give the visitor some general idea of how much he or she might be expected to pay in order to receive litigation funding, and outline what the typical conditions of their contract would be. Such disclosure should go far in establishing trust with current and potentially new clients.

A word to the wise though: litigation funding as a whole is not cheap, and according to financials experts should only be seen as a last recourse. How much you will pay back for such cash advances will depend on the provider, but usually there is either a recurring interest fee you will pay per month, based on the amount of the cash advance, or you will pay a flat fee once the lawsuit is settled. The interest rates can often be high, and since this type of lending is not subject to usury laws, the propensity for abuse is enormous. Say you were to receive $10,000 in funding, with a recurring fee of 10% per month. That’s a $1,000 you’ll pay out of pocket every month until your lawsuit is concluded. And if a lender is particularly shady, you may get hit with all types of unexpected fees while your lawsuit is ongoing.

Not all it’s cracked up to be is it?

As always, exercise due diligence and research before commiting to any one funding service. For more helpful information, check out these articles:

• 10 Rules of Lawsuits Loans
• Lawsuit Loans – Caveat Emptor
• Questions For Your Lawsuit Financing Company

Tags: alpine, bank loan, better business bureau, borrowing, cash advances, conclusion, disclosure, general idea, guide, lawsuit, lawsuits, legal, litigation, litigation funding, loans, recourse, reputation, review, testimonials
Categories: Legally Speaking
 
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I usually start making plans for my vacation around this time of year, and unlike those who usually have their main vacations during the summer, mine takes place in October, which is by far my absolute favorite month out of the year.

This time though, I’m breaking with tradition for a few reasons. One, I’ve grudgingly accepted the fact that I desperately need to save money to pay off my loans so I’m more financially prepared for law school. Two, taking vacations by myself seems to have run its course. In the beginning I used to really enjoy vacationing by myself, being only slightly peeved by that ever omnipresent young couple that always seemed to find me wherever I went, holding hands and playing suck face while I did my darnedest best to try to ignore them.

Now though, it’s gotten tiresome. I’m tired of going back to an empty motel room at the end of the day. I’m tired of visiting a fascinating tourist attraction while having no one to share that experience with. I’m tired of using a tripod just so I can take pictures of myself. I’m tired of walking around by myself while the rest of the world walks in pairs. I’m @#$%-ing sick and tired of it all. So the last time I came back from vacation, I resolved that I would never do it again until I met the girl of my dreams. Yeah yeah, I can hear the critics now: “You’re gonna be a lonely mother for a long, long time, Linkie.” But I can’t do it anymore. Ironically enough it’s made me more anti-social as a result, because now I’m losing the desire to even leave the apartment, much less take a vacation somewhere. It simply pains me too much to put myself out there these days. I have to get over it though, especially considering that I’m not gonna be meeting anybody any time soon if I continue to hide under the bed all the time. *sigh*

Ah well, worse comes to worse, there’s always escort services.

Tags: apartment, dating, desire, escort services, friendships, holding hands, last time, law school, loans, loneliness, lonely, long long time, pairs, rest of the world, single, smile, soulmate, time of year, tourist attraction, tripod, vacation, vacations
Categories: Romance and Relationships
 
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