What To Do If You Can't Pay Your Debts
This week, Maggie chats with Leslie H. Tayne, the founder and head attorney of Tayne Law Group, about what to do if you need help managing your debts.
Related Links:
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Leslie’s book, Life & Debt
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Leslie H. Tayne, Esq. is an award-winning financial attorney and author of the book Life & Debt. She has over 20 years of experience in consumer and business financial debt solutions through the management of the Tayne Law Group her award-winning debt solutions law firms. She regularly negotiates with large international banks and credit agencies for loans, lines of credit, credit cards, and student loans. Leslie is a frequently sought-out for her expertise on financial, credit and debt topics in the media and as a speaker where she regularly provides insight and strategies regarding all areas of debt and credit-related solutions to outlets like the Huffington Post, Yahoo Finance, US News and World Report, MSN, market watch among many others. Leslie is the go-to expert on debt resolution.
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To learn more about Maggie and her coaching and speaking services, visit www.maggiegermano.com.
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The theme music is called Escaping Light by Aaron Sprinkle. The podcast artwork design is by Maggie’s dear husband, Dan Rader.
TRANSCRIPTION
Maggie Germano 0:05
Welcome to the money circle podcast, a safe space where women can learn about and better understand money so that they can take control of their finances and create a better financial future for themselves and their families. Hey there and thanks for listening. I am your host Maggie Germano, and today I’m chatting with Leslie h tayne who is the founder and head attorney at the tayne Law Group. Her mission is to reshape the debt relief industry by giving clients a supportive and reliable environment built on experience trust and results that will not only relieve clients of the stress from debts, but also the burden of the never ending debt cycle. We talked about the work that Leslie does to help people get out of debt when someone might want to turn to her for help and what some of the other options out there are when it comes to resolving debt. If you find yourself struggling to pay your debts, this episode is for you.
Okay, welcome Leslie, thanks so much for being here today.
Leslie H. Tayne 1:05
Thank you for having me today.
Maggie Germano 1:07
So why don’t we start off by just having you tell us a little bit about you and the work that you do?
Leslie H. Tayne 1:13
Sure. So I’m a financial attorney, and I have been an attorney and practicing in this particular area for over 20 years. And what that means is that I help people with debt related issues. So I work with consumers, businesses, individuals, couples, families, resolve debt related issues, and that could be student loan, it could be credit card debt, it could be business lines of credit, it could be budgeting, it could be just financial management. It can be mortgages, all different kinds of personal loans, and anything that falls under the realm of debt.
Maggie Germano 1:47
Yeah, so it’s a wide net of the different issues that you help people with.
Leslie H. Tayne 1:52
It is a wide net, but it’s actually somewhat narrow. There’s a lot of common denominators when it comes to debt issues. So yeah, and I absolutely love what I do, I’ve been doing it. Like I said, for over 20 years, I started out as in House counsel to a national debt company. I left that and I started my own practice 20 years ago, and I have never looked back. And it has been a great ride. And like I said, I mean, you could tell that I’m super enthusiastic about my work. I just love it.
Maggie Germano 2:19
That’s great. That’s always good to hear too. And so it sounds like you kind of your first job was starting at a related kind of financial company. But what made you want to go off on your own and start your own thing in this field?
Leslie H. Tayne 2:36
So that’s a great question. You know, when I first started out as in House Counsel, I was really in the early stages of the debt settlement industry. So it was a great starting place to really learn about the industry. But what I noticed and what I felt was that the personalization the one on one, the making sure that the individual was taken care of was missing. And I felt that from a legal perspective, I could provide a level up in service and in trust, and also in the availability of resources as an attorney versus just a regular company. So I said, this is a great opportunity for me to take advantage of opening my own farm. And I did. And that’s why I took the leap.
Maggie Germano 3:19
That’s great. And I feel like I hear that a lot from other people in that kind of money realm, myself included, where it was, like you saw something that was missing that you felt was really important and really necessary. And so the only real solution there was to create that space yourself.
Leslie H. Tayne 3:39
Totally. And you know what it was, it was like a feeling of frustration that I had, and I was feeling frustrated when I was dealing with clients of the company and feeling you know, what more could I do and why could I not get to the next level and what was it that these people were feeling? I’m a super empathetic person. So I feel a lot for my clients and other people and there was definitely A feeling of frustration. And I said, You know what, you know, I, if I could do this on my own, I can then create an opportunity to give what it was I felt that was needed. So in the debt settlement industry, it you know, many years ago, there was a lot of unscrupulous companies, the trust was completely bottomed out as a result of these companies taking advantage of consumers. And that was it was rampant, and it continued for a very long time until the laws changed and, you know, things and the cycle kind of changed. But that piece of the puzzle too, I felt that as an attorney, people would come to me and say, Alright, you know, there’s a higher level of ethical responsibility on my part, I’m not just a corporation owner, you know, I’m not a bit just a business person, you know, I have a law license, I have to report in I could be disbarred. You know, there’s an ethical responsibility that comes with my work and my job. So elevating that trust and elevating the experience for the consumer was, was definitely at the forefront of my thought process. There.
Maggie Germano 5:00
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I’m sure that makes a big difference for the individuals who are looking for help. And how do you kind of make that clear to potential clients that you do have that ethical responsibility and that they can trust you in what you’re doing to help them.
Leslie H. Tayne 5:17
The first step really is overcoming the fear of working with an attorney. So people get super fearful of Oh my God, I’m gonna work with an attorney, it’s gonna cost me more and, and it’s and people tend to be a little frightened. And it took an understanding of that. So I really had to take it from a different perspective of, you know, what is the consumer? What does my client feeling when they call me and when they come to me? So once I could kind of understand what they were feeling, I could then convey to them Okay, I understand how you’re feeling. I understand it was a difficult decision to to even seek out help. And it was a difficult phone call to make. And so I understand that and the difference really is here I am, I’m in your community, and I’m a part of it. These are my ethical responsibilities. And I’m not, I’m not just a fly by night company, I’m here. And I’m here to stay. And I’ll be with you through the whole process. And if you’re concerned, not only with who I am, you can look me up, I’m licensed by, obviously, I have a law license in the state of New York. So you can look that up and verify who I am. And also, when I hold your money, I’m holding it in a special kind of account that’s only for attorneys. So those two factors in and of themselves gives peace of mind for clients to feel that, you know, there’s an elevation of trust.
Maggie Germano 6:31
Yeah, no, that’s great. And, and I think you’re totally right around how difficult it is for people to ask for help in the first place, let alone actually move forward with accepting the help and creating that relationship. And so understanding that you really do need to build that trust and make people feel more comfortable. I think that that’s probably really key to what you do.
Leslie H. Tayne 6:53
No doubt, it’s all about the relationship building. You know, you know, my clients are not just a number to me. You know, it’s they’re important. To me, their situations are important. They, you know, they rely on me for not only to do the best work I do for them, but also there’s an emotional component to the money in the financial issues, you know, and it’s sometimes it takes a lot of pride to put aside to come seek help. Sometimes, you know, people are feeling ashamed or embarrassed, you know, they’re used to managing their money, they’re used to taking care of their bills, they haven’t been in these kind of situations before. So it’s a relationship between myself, my staff and my clients, and I want them to know that we are there for them. And that’s why we structure a lot of our policies, you know, where we have open door policies, they can call as often as they like, that’s another piece to the trust part, you know, accessibility. So making myself and my staff accessible to clients, so they don’t feel deterred in contacting us. They don’t have to worry if I pick up the phone, am I going to be billed? You know, am I not going to get somebody Am I going to get a robot Am I going to talk to the same person over and over again, again, you know, being a consumer myself and somebody who’s used lawyers and has been on the opposite side of the situations I really wanted to place myself in my clients situation and feel like what is it that they wanted. And today I feel like the relationship building is super key, you know, everything is done through the internet and there’s a lot of is is in personal and the relationship part is missing in a lot of the transactions that we do now especially money wise, everything’s electronic. So what could I do to make people feel like they have support? That’s non, you know, computerized?
Maggie Germano 8:32
Yeah, that’s so important. And and you’re, I totally agree with how everything is automated, everything’s online. And that’s great in a lot of ways, and it makes things a lot easier, makes things more accessible for people, but it can remove a lot of that human aspect and make people feel kind of alone in those scenarios too.
Leslie H. Tayne 8:51
Absolutely. And the reality is you it’s your money and your finances, this is not in personnel. It’s not a transaction, you know, you’re not writing a check. You are dealing with your credit, you’re dealing with your taxes, you’re dealing with your assets, you’re dealing with your relationships related to money, your spouse’s, your children, how are you going to pay bills? You know, it’s like the number one thing that people like, keeps people up at night and stresses them. So why make it? Why make it personal, it should be something that you feel that, you know, you can call on me and I really do tell my clients that it’s not just about resolving your debt. If you have a money question, you’re concerned, you’re starting a business, whatever is your situation, call me. Let me help you. Let’s, let’s bounce some ideas off of people. It’s the lifeline that’s available for people while they’re going through this kind of process. So they feel like there’s a flotation device not just Okay, so, you know, I pay this money every month and I don’t really know what’s happening with my debt. And you know, how does this really impact me and, you know, there’s a lot of unknown and it’s not an area that people are well versed in. So even though you might be sophisticated and you understand how to pay your bills and budget and manage and maybe you made some mistakes, or you had a life event that caused you to have some debt related issues, the truth Is that there’s a lot of information that I know that an average individual doesn’t. And it’s an opportunity to take advantage of a resource. And that’s what I want to be.
Maggie Germano 10:11
Yeah. I love that. That’s really great. And do you work with you said, you mentioned you’re a licensed attorney in the state of New York. Do you only work with people in New York? Or can you work with people outside of New York?
Leslie H. Tayne 10:23
Nope. I have clients all over the country and even internationally.
Maggie Germano 10:26
Okay. That’s great. And once you you know, talk to people and get them to feel comfortable and they decide to work with you. What do you enjoy most about the work that you do with clients?
Leslie H. Tayne 10:41
So my favorite part is really the settlement process. So getting the accounts resolved, and you know, if you could take a little peek behind the scenes here, you know, the the work that we’re doing behind the scenes and getting these accounts resolved quickly, but also in the clients best interest, how is it going to fit into their budget? How is it going to impact their Life, you know, is their, you know, what is it going to do with their credit, there’s so much thought that goes beyond like what’s behind the curtain here. And it’s super satisfying and exciting when we get the paperwork and we get a great settlement for a client. And we resolve the accounts and they call us up and say their credit scores are coming up or they’re feeling less stressed, or there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, we can give them a payoff amount and tell them that you could be done. You know, that is just incredibly gratifying. It’s, it’s like I like to fix things. And this is fixing, it’s the fixing part really excites me.
Maggie Germano 11:32
Yeah, that makes sense. Because I’m sure a lot of the people who are coming to our feeling, at least initially that you know, they’re kind of lost that there’s no way out of this, that they’re just going to be stuck forever. And so seeing those kinds of results and outcomes that are positive and getting your clients to a better position must feel really great for everybody.
Leslie H. Tayne 11:52
It definitely does. And honestly I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The moment they make the phone call to my office, the client necessarily does care. don’t necessarily see that and I understand why and but the moment they can see the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s super gratifying because they’ve come over to, you know, a whole different world of feeling relieved. And, you know, look, this actually worked. And listen, I understand that there’s some doubt in the beginning of the process. Again, there’s a lot of information out there that makes what I do, difficult to swallow, meaning like, do I really need an attorney? Or do I really want to do debt settlement or debt consolidation? You know, what does that gonna mean for me? Is it gonna make me a bad person? So there’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle that that are negative when we start out. So you know, when I can flip the switch and get somebody over to the positive side and say, See, you know, I told you, you could trust me, and I was there with you every step of the way. And we did get everything resolved. And you’re, you’re on a different place. I think that’s really the the goal and the key. Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Maggie Germano 12:57
And you know, you used And kind of touching on this and I’m sure that since you do work with people all over the place that they’re the reasons for them coming to you vary a lot, but what are some of the typical things that kind of lead plot your clients to end up needing your help?
Leslie H. Tayne 13:17
So there’s a number of reasons. You know, as I said earlier, there’s a number of common denominators for the need for for my type of services. One, they’re taking a look at bills and the balances are just not going down every month. So you’re making payments, maybe you’re making the minimum payment or a little bit more, but the balances don’t go anywhere to you are, there’s no cash flow. So even though you’re paying your bills, you might be paying them on time. You might even be paying a little bit more than the minimum balances. There’s no money leftover. There’s absolutely no cash flow. So it’s a little living from paycheck to paycheck. You’re also looking maybe to balance transfers or personal loans. You’re saying all right, I don’t have enough cash flow. I have too many bills. That’s that’s a common issue. Maybe you had a life event a divorce, a death. You know, a loss of something or a loss of your job. Those are life events, they do happen. And that causes people to get backed up and a little jammed when it comes financially. And there’s just a willingness. So the most important piece of the puzzle is the willingness on the individual to say, Hey, you know what? I’m looking at my finances, it doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t look like I want it to look, I don’t understand why or I can’t seem to get ahead, and what can I do? So it’s not necessarily that you’re even behind most of my clients come to you. They’re not even behind on their bills. But there’s a lot of them. There’s a lot of bills, there’s a lot of debt. And the question is, what can you do to help yourself? And that’s where that willingness comes in to say, Hey, you know, there’s an issue here and I need to seek out some additional help. Sometimes it’s a little more urgent than that where somebody has a lien or a judgment, or they found out that they had received an income execution or their bank account got frozen. There’s more urgency, obviously, when there’s litigation involved. So I would encourage obviously Somebody with any type of litigation paperwork, don’t ignore that come seek, seek help. Because the longer you wait, the more complex the the solutions will be there earlier, it gives us my obviously much more time to strategize and create those solutions. But again, it’s really about finding solutions to make your money work for you. And yeah, that happens. It’s part of life. I’m not judgmental in any way. None of us in my office are it happens, you know, here, we’re like the debt doctors, you can come in and, you know, let it all hang out. And it is what it is. And we’re here to try to not only fix it, but come up with strategies that one can use to have better financial and money management skills. I mean, let’s face it, we all didn’t grow up where our parents like myself, like talk to my children on a regular basis about money and finances and dealing with it. And even if you’re a business person, or you’re sophisticated, it’s not maybe it’s not something that you do every single day all day so it’s not coming to you naturally. And that’s understandable. But there is the idea that you can come to me and fix that.
Maggie Germano 16:08
Yeah, totally. And, and that’s something I tell my clients too, where it’s like you were not innately born with the understanding of how to manage money. That’s not something that was drilled into our brains from birth. Because it’s something that is created in our society. It’s not innate. And so if you weren’t given the education you needed, or you didn’t teach yourself along the way, in a way that made sense, then you can’t expect yourself to know exactly what you’re doing. And I feel like that expectations ends up making people be too hard on themselves or not seeking help when they actually need it. And then that gets them in a worse position.
Leslie H. Tayne 16:45
People are hard on themselves and in the financial world in my world, I try to take that down a couple notches. People are super hard there they feel disappointed, ashamed. embarrassed. They are either hiding it from a spouse or significant other or from other family members. They don’t want to face the reality the bills calm, they can’t pay them. There’s so many pieces of that it’s totally a whole psychological side to this. And no. And again, while I’m not a therapist, from that perspective, I do have a really good understanding of why people feel the way they do under the circumstances. Listen, you know, when I first graduated from law school, I had huge student loan debt. And I remember the feeling that I had of people when I would go into a store, they would say, we want to give you a credit card and I would say you’re not gonna give me a credit card, trust me, because I just had so much student loan debt. So there’s this like, you know, feeling all right, well, maybe I’m not a good person, because good people have good credit scores and pay their bills and have, but that’s not it at all. There’s no good and bad life happens. And you know what, if you make a mistake, we there’s a do over and that’s what I’m about what I’m about to do over and it’s okay to restart and do over what you started and the next time the key is to learn something from it and say, okay, so I made this mistake, or I have this blip up On the screen, or maybe it wasn’t a mistake, maybe I just didn’t know. And that’s okay. So that’s why I said, from my perspective, I never judgmental about it, it happens. What I love is that people empower themselves and stand up and then say, Okay, I’m calling Leslie teen and I’m going to get myself some help. That is, you should be so proud of yourself, I tell my clients because that’s empowerment, that’s standing up for yourself, that’s taking care of yourself, that’s moving yourself in a different direction, making different decisions that will place you in a in a different, not only mindset, but also a different space. And once you shift, everything else will shift with it. And it’s, you know, staying in kind of a rut. And I sometimes I see that though, even though people come to me, I could see that they, you know, there’s a cycle of being in the same place, they can’t make a decision. They’ve talked to me over the course of months, you know, they’ve come in to see me or they’ve Skyped with me or whatever it is, and they still can’t make a decision about what to do. You know, Those are the situations that are not as healthy as they could be financially because when you can’t make a decision and you’re sitting on the fence, you know what I do? I’m pretty straightforward person. So I will say, listen, at some point, you have to make a decision. Because if you don’t make a decision sitting on the fence is what’s going to keep you stuck in the place that you’re in, it’s just going to perpetuate it. It’s not like you’re waiting for, you know, the gates to open up, and there’s going to be a floodgate of money and all of a sudden, your problems are going to go away. In fact, I have clients with lots of money clients who make, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year into the millions of dollars a year and they have debt, they just add zeros to the end of it. So it’s not a you know, it’s not one particular socio economic statuses issue. It debt runs across the board. The issue the sticking point is the decision making process. So once you recognize and you become aware awareness is the first step. That’s the first step that there’s some sort of issue. The question is what are you going to do about it and then you have to make a decision to Go forward with that and trust your instinct and you’re good that you’ve made the right decision to work in the right environment, whatever that might be, to get the get things done.
Maggie Germano 20:10
Yeah, I love that approach too. Because I think for a lot of people, it can feel like admitting defeat when you’re asking someone for help or going to someone like you and being like, yeah, I have these debts. I have these issues that I need help with. It can feel like you’re admitting defeat. But really, the truth is, you’re making a decision to like you said, stand up for yourself, move forward, go in the right direction, and then hopefully learn something from that so you don’tend up in that position again.
Leslie H. Tayne 20:37
It is far from defeat. It is empowerment that you’ve asked for help asking for help is totally normal. And it’s like teamwork. I you know, I’m always a big athlete as a kid and I’m totally into the whole sports metaphors. And I believe that teamwork you know, teamwork, is it it’s, there’s no individual sport and even the individual sports have helped. They have trainers, they have people who work with them. They have mental coaches, they have physical coaches, there is there is opportunity for you to help yourself. And you don’t have to be in it alone and it’s far from defeat. In fact, it’s a victory you’ve won because you’ve you’ve reached out to help yourself. If you were sick, you would go to a doctor, if your finances are sick, you need to take a look at a doctor who can help your finances and there’s no shame in asking for help. In fact, it’ll it’ll help you achieve that much faster. So if you’re goal oriented and your dream oriented and you believe in what you put out is what you you give back then put out that you know, I need to find the right help and the universal bring it to you. If you have the right mindset. You know, if you sit there with the thought process, oh, you know, look at all these bills and these debts and how am I going to do this and I don’t want to tell anybody and I’m just a mess and you know, my life. My life is terrible. And this is the worst thing. It is not it is not at all. It is it you it is though not far from the worst thing in the world. It’s resolved. That’s the most beautiful piece of the puzzle is that the way I see it at least is that there is an answer. You don’t have a terminal illness where you there is no answer. You have an illness in your finances where there are strategies that you can employ to resolve and fix them. So when you have solutions, listen, not every solution is ideal. You know, not every road is the one that you want to go down at that moment, you might say, you know what, out, you know, it hurts to rip the band aid off, or maybe I’m taking one step back in two steps forward, but we’re looking at short and long term goals here. We’re not just looking at, you know, oh, all these bills came, how am I going to pay this bill? No, we want to, we not only want to pay bills, but we want to be able to pay the future bills, because every month are going to come anyway. So it’s a matter of what your mindsets gonna be about getting them resolved and where you want to be with it. You know, for me, personally, I don’t like to be stuck in a moment. So even though it’s funny, I want it I try to be mindful and being in the moment, but I don’t want to be stuck in a moment. So stuck, meaning I’m looking at something and saying there’s no way out. There are solutions or ways out my training, my background, my career, my business is all about finding solutions and ways out of a situation that might seem to other people as a dead end. But it isn’t these you know, having financial difficulties having money problems, having budgeting problems is not a terminal illness. It is a temporary setback. But again, it’s the mindset of who you reach out to. And for me, I always like to find the best people to work with, I want to find the best doctors to help me get better. When there’s an issue. I want to find the best people that have the most knowledge that I can work with and feel comfortable working with and trust that are going to understand my goals and help me get to the next level. So if the level that you’re on is debt, Okay, I understand your debt level right now. So you’re on level negative one, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not a one and a zero and a 10. There are but how do you get there? You know, you can’t wish for the lottery and even then I’ve had clients win the lottery, believe it or not, and that that isn’t the solution. The solution is, you know, listen, this is life, it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint, we have to pace it, and we have to figure it out. And life is gonna throw you all kinds of curveballs all the time. And many of them may be financial related. It’s how you look at it, resolve it, work with it, run with it, and the solutions that you find for those that that make the most sense. And listen, maybe you tried one solution, maybe you took a personal loan, and that didn’t work out. Okay. So you try and that didn’t work, or you were turned down for a loan. And that that’s one way but that doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person, or it’s the end of the world, or maybe your credit score is low. So what if your credit score is 600? Is it low? Yes. Is it a problem? If you want to buy things that you need credit for? Yes, it’s going to be a problem. Can it be fixed? Absolutely. Again, it’s just a matter of what are you going to do to take steps to manage that so you can reach your financial goals. And let’s face it today, we have to have financial goals because it can’t be that we just live life. haphazardly and we don’t have financial goals, because obviously one of our goals innately is that we have to pay the bills, you’re gonna have to pay your taxes, and you’re gonna have to pay for things that you need. So, obviously, the number one goal, maybe you don’t even realize it, but your number one goal is to buy things that you need. So start right there with something so simple as that, that I need to be able to buy food today. So my goal would be to find ways to buy that food. So that’s, that’s a financial goal. So it’s not that you don’t have any, it’s a matter of having somebody help you find what they are, and how does it fit into your life. So again, like your financial goals, and my financial goals may be two totally different things. And you may have debt with American Express and I may have debt with American Express, but that doesn’t mean that your solution and my solution is going to be identical. Because your financial DNA is different than mine and your personal background is different than mine. But that’s why the key is when you work with somebody like myself, who understands you and your needs. Just like I would understand my needs, that person can create the strategy that works for your financial goals so that you can be successful in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of damage to things like your credit and assets.
Maggie Germano 26:12
Right? So it sounds like it’s a very individualized process, which is really important, because like you said, everyone’s different. Everyone has different circumstances. And so the solution is going to be different.
Leslie H. Tayne 26:24
Absolutely, it is. And I always tell people that because sometimes they’ll come to me and say, Well, my cousin, my friend, my coworker got this done. And that done. And I say, I totally understand that and I respect that. But that doesn’t mean that’s going to be what’s right for you in your best interest. And that doesn’t mean that that option or solution is actually even available to you. So I try not to look at what other people have done for themselves. And it’s great the way things work but what’s going to work for you. You mean is your goal to travel the world is you I mean I have clients that do so I have a lot of clients that want to buy a house want to get married Why? have children want to change jobs want to work for themselves want to pay for their children’s colleges or want to go back to school? So those are all, every single one of those things requires a financial goal. You know, some people want to live with a lot of money in the bank, some people don’t care about that. Some people don’t want to own a home some people do. Some people just want to pay their bills. So again, you know, and everybody’s situation is different. So, again, from my perspective, certainly we are like I said, non judgmental, but as far as the goals go, those are your goals and more power to you to have them and, you know, these days, it’s a lot about figuring out what your goals are, you know, what is it that you want, and finding like a little bit of inner peace with those goals. And if we can bring that to clients, and we can help them along the way to achieve their successes, then it’s so gratifying.
Maggie Germano 27:52
Yeah, it really sounds like it and I really loved what you said earlier about how a financial goal could be as simple as wanting to be able to pay the bills every month or being able to just buy the things that you need without struggling. And I think that that’s just as valid as saving a million dollars or traveling the world or whatever it might be whatever is your goal that you want to reach is just as valid as someone else’s.
Leslie H. Tayne 28:20
Right. It’s about your inner peace and your, your, your inner need. So, like I said, there are people who are just satisfied with that there’s other people that want to save, you know, they want to drive fancy cars, and I understand that and there’s people who want to live in big houses with no furniture in them. And I understand that too. And there’s people who don’t want to own anything, and they just want to have tons of money in the bank because to them lots of money in the bank makes them sleep better. So it’s really about you know, what it is that you what you feel, and sometimes that’s where the challenge comes in. Sometimes the challenge comes in for people when it comes to managing money about, you know, what is it that I want and your wants and needs are going to change. So you want to need that 18 to 24 are going to be different than from 25 to 35. You know, my goals when I was younger, were I had a young family very young I had three children by the time I was 28. So I wanted my goals were I went to college, I wanted to go to law school, and then I wanted to have get married and have children and I did all that. And then I was like, Okay, now what? Now what I want now. Now, I have a lot of responsibilities. So now I want to be able to earn enough to take care of my children. You know, being financially independent was super important to me. And then I got divorced when my children were only five and seven. So my financial goals changed at that point in time to where I said, Okay, I’m on my, I’m on my own. I want to be able to make sure that you’re uncomfortable that I that the income that comes in more than covers my expenses and my children were young and what can I do for them and being creating a stable home environment for them and then Now my children are all in college. So, you know, getting through college is another financial goal. I’m super excited that I only have two years left. But, you know, that’s another goal of mine. And then I started thinking about my future. So once the kids are out of college, I started to think about my financial goals again, and I’m thinking okay, so I’m at a point in my life where I’m still young, and I’m working I’m going to work for a long time and what is it that I want now I’m thinking about my future being able to take care of myself in the future so that you know I have a comfortable what I’m going to call adult life, because now that my kids are older, I’m calling it my adult life, my child free part of my life where I am, you know, where my goals are not know how to pay for all the children’s needs. The goals are, how can I set myself up where I am in a place of comfort, as I get older, where others maybe, maybe at some point, I want to cut my hours back in 10 or 1520 years from now but I want to be able to have options that makes sense to me and not a lot of pressure, like I had when the kids were young, you know, when you have children and you have a family, there’s tremendous amounts of pressure, to earn money to be able to support the kids and support your family. And that’s the pressure that I personally felt financially. And now, you know, that pressure isn’t there as much because one my businesses super successful, and I’m thankful and but my children are getting older. So they’re getting to a place where they’re going to graduate from their programs, and they’re going to have their own independence. You know, an easing back from from supporting them is one of my goals, too, because I really feel strongly that the kids should be financially independent. So pulling back from that perspective, too. And again, thinking about myself, and it’s not it’s not a selfish perspective. And you know, just because you’re thinking about yourself and your financial goals doesn’t make you a selfish person. It makes you aware of what your needs are so that you could better take care of yourself. And that’s not selfish. That’s not narcissistic. That’s self care. So those are so again, as I’ve aged out, As my life has changed, and as people’s lives change, you know, their goals are going to change too. And that’s okay. And you can reevaluate them every couple of years as your circumstances change, I got remarried, and I, my husband has two children. So we have five children in college at the same time. So my needs changed now that I have, you know, a spouse. So again, you know, as as you take on different challenges in life and getting married and having children or getting divorced or new jobs, those are challenges, moving changing houses, you know, for different needs, you know, I’ve moved to change my needs at times. So those are all financial goals. Every single one of those things that I just discussed, are financially related. They have a common denominator of that financial underpinning. So what can I do to be in those positions and for me, security has always been super important and safety and security and being able to know that, you know, I’m comfortable, okay. So if those are, that may not be your goal. I mean, some people again, do different things and that’s totally totally okay. It’s just a matter of, you know how it gets worked through so that you’re comfortable and you can sleep, and it’s not causing you pain, because the one thing about money and finances and debt is that it could really impact your health. And it could impact your health so badly that you end up with some sort of a disease at some point later on. So one of the things that I’m very mindful of and one of the things that I try to talk to my clients about is illness, and healthy mindset and healthy thinking so that when you’re dealing with your finances, it doesn’t start to eat you up from the inside out and cause disease because it will and I tell my clients that if you’re up at night, if you’re fighting with your spouse, if you are completely stressed out and you’re starting to have medical things, that’s your body telling you that the pressure of the the financial pressure is getting to you. And that’s not that’s when you need to become a little bit more aware of what can I do now to make those changes so that I don’t let this negatively impact me later on. I’ve been very mindful of that over the years I take on, I take on a lot of people’s stuff, because obviously I’m dealing with so many clients issues. So I take it on, but I’m also super mindful of my own, you know, is this something is this purchase I’m going to make How is it going to make me feel to make this purchase? Is the house too expensive, is the car payment plus insurance, not something I’m comfortable with? Is it you know, and again, there’s a comfort level there. So that comfort level has to translate into my mental and physical and emotional well being. And that’s why I talk to clients about money and financial management. Because again, when you’re looking at making good financial decisions that impact not just your money, but it impacts your health and your well being and your relationships as well. And your ability to go to your job every day and do a good job because your mind is clear your ability to be a good parent, because you’re in the moment and you can be mindful in the moment. But again, once it starts to impact that that’s the catalyst that should get you to a point of Oh, You know, I’m in a place where this doesn’t feel good, or I’m not comfortable and I need to seek out help.
Maggie Germano 35:05
I totally agree. Because it’s not just about the finances, it’s the stress that affects everything else. So I definitely agree with that. And so we you’ve touched on a little bit about, you know, the reasons that people are coming to you and whether there’s judgments or liens or things like that. What are some of the actual issues that you’re helping your clients with? through the process of actually working with them? Like, are you going to court for them? Are you calling up their creditors and asking for settlements, like how does that actually work?
Leslie H. Tayne 35:41
Okay, so we do both. We do go to court on certain certain circumstances, but we also do call creditors and renegotiate the debt. So depending on the type of debt you have, and the stage of your debt, if you have, you know, normally the way the process works is that once you become a client, we contact your creditor regardless if we’re going into court or not, we contact the creditor on Let them know that you’re working with us to resolve the accountants, you know, we open the lines of communication to the to the creditor and say, Hey, we’re here we want to work this out, then we obviously we’ve gone through a whole process with you as the client to ascertain, you know, your personal background, your financial background, all your other things that are going on that might impact the decision making process, and also impact the information that I’m providing to the creditor. Because, again, one of the skills and one of the pieces of knowledge that I have is how much information I’m giving to a creditor. So and that’s when people always ask, as a side note, can I do this on my own? Sure, you can. But the question is, what are you filtering? And how do you know what to filter and and how do you know the information you’re giving is going to help you or not? So from our perspective, when we’re going through that process with a client, we do spend an enormous amount of time going through the information with the client so that we can get good background information and we understand your goals and we understand your financial ability to get things resolved. We work on a budget so we know how much money we have available every month. We’re holding the money we withdraw it from your bank account. So it’s in my attorney escrow account, and therefore I have it available. And I can assure the creditor, which comes to the credibility piece that I have the funds available. And the credibility piece is super important, because that’s the relationship building that I’ve done over the years with the creditors to allow my clients the opportunities that they have, which is to settle accounts for less than what’s owed. So depending on our goal, if you’ve been sued, if there’s a lien or an income execution or a frozen bank account, then we Our first step is really to try to get it settled, and many times we can, if we can’t, then we could end up in court if you were sued, and depending on the timing of that, because once you’re in litigation, there’s timing restraints, so depending on the timing, we might file an answer, we might end up in court, the client generally doesn’t appear in court. It’s pretty rare that the client has to go to court, but most of the time, it’s just us appearing or a paper appearance. With the creditor though we’re negotiating all the time. So our ultimate goal is to reduce the principal balance and the principal balance as well. It’s mainly owed and in reduce the interest, whatever the interest rate may be at zero. And that’s our totally our main goals and then to structure it, where it’s affordable based on the client’s budget. So it’s not that we throw out haphazard settlement numbers. And we don’t offer things like five cents on the dollar or 10 cents on the dollar, because those are just not realistic numbers anymore, you know, back in the day, and there’s still information on the internet about this about how you could settle your debts for 510 20 30%. It’s just, it’s super rare. And it’s pretty much unlikely that that’s going to be the case, it’s more likely than not, that won’t be the number, but again, providing clients realistic expectations. So sitting down and saying, okay, you know, this is who your creditor is, this is your situation, this is where you live, this is your background, this is what you can expect from each one of these creditors is the key in the relationship building also and also managing expectations for clients. So, you know, we want clients to understand what it is that they can expect, so there’s no surprises, one of the pieces of the puzzle that we feel is super important in a real relationship building with clients is that there are no surprises. You know, we don’t want you to call us up in the middle of the process and be like Leslie didn’t tell me this was gonna happen. No, we tell clients the same thing up front all the time. And we’re super clear about that. And we, like I said, make ourselves very accessible. So if there’s questions and thoughts or concerns about the process and procedure that clients are aware, obviously, if we’re in court, things are a little more expedited. So, you know, that’s in our legal department here. And we have to be more communicative about what’s happening from that perspective. And clients are much more nervous and, and worried about things when they’re in court. I mean, that is super scary to have legal documents. So I understand that. But most of the time, you know, it’s a slow process. Unfortunately, resolving that doesn’t happen overnight. It’s pretty rare that you can see something resolved in 24 to 48 hours depends on the creditor. Sometimes I can pull up Grab it out of my hat. But the most of the time we tell clients that, especially in litigation situations, that it does take time. But it’s not like it’s not a TV program. So it’s not like, you know, we’re going into court and it’s this long drawn out litigation process. It’s that’s not how it works at all. Most of the time, the judges really want to push these cases to settlement. So with that said, they’re going to encourage the parties to work things out. And both myself and my opposing counsel, we always know that that’s our end goal. The question is what’s manageable, not everybody is in a position where the settlement numbers are affordable, and sometimes we need to buy time. And that happens a lot with my business clients, they, you know, the cash flow, there’s a jam and the cash flow, we need to buy some time. And that we are we can do with some very creative strategic moves to buy some time to get accounts settled, maybe not this month, but maybe we’re looking to settle them in six months or a year from now, when the cash flow is more readily available. So again, all That really comes down to the information that we’re getting from our clients. And that’s the intake process with my staff and our clients and really understanding what’s going on. So we make the best moves for you. We don’t want to just accept the settlement. You know, that’s not what we’re about. We’re not just accepting settlements. I mean, anybody can do except settlements at ridiculous numbers, but we want to make sure that that settlement makes sense, you know, what’s gonna happen with your taxes? Also, because remember, there’s a potential tax implication on any settlements of debts. And you know, what’s gonna happen with your cash flow? Does that is it gonna work for you right now? What’s What about your credit? I mean, if your credit is low, how quickly do we want to push that credit up? So if you are okay, you know, buying a house or a car and the credits not that important in the short term, then maybe we structure it a little bit more easily where we could do multiple accounts at one time. So again, these are just some insights into you know, what our thinking process is when we’re strategizing and that’s a lot of behind the scenes work. You know, we don’t always have the client involved. than the strategizing process, more so than what do you think of option ABC? Because otherwise, you know, otherwise, it’s super overwhelming.
Maggie Germano 42:10
Oh, yeah, totally. Because it sounds like there’s just so much that comes into play and determines the actions that you take. And so there isn’t a one size fits all solution, even if it’s the same kind of debt or the same legal issue. It sounds like every single scenario is going to be different based on need.
Leslie H. Tayne 42:30
Every single scenario is different. I mean, I have done thousands and thousands of cases. And I could tell you that not no two are really ever the same. And the balances are not the same. The solutions aren’t the same either. creditors have parameters. So, you know, a collection agency has a guideline of what they can take. Sometimes that guideline is dictated by the original creditor. Sometimes it’s dictated by the agency themselves. Sometimes it’s dictated by the collector on the phone who earns commission and they need to Get their numbers in for that month. So, you know, knowing, knowing that and understanding the ins and outs of the industry are really important because there’s a lot of nuances settling dead. Yeah, you could read a handbook, I probably could write the handbook on settling debt, no problem. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily be successful because doing this on your own this shutdown emotional component as soon as you get a collector or an attorney or somebody on the other side who starts to push your buttons, you’re gonna have a hard time making really good decisions. And that’s where I’m a fan of allowing people who are skilled to make decisions. Listen, I’ve hired attorneys do I’m an attorney. I don’t need that. I honestly don’t need Dyer, an attorney for most things that I do, but I do because I appreciate that disconnect from my emotional attachment to whatever it is I’m working on. And when I when you’re emotionally attached to something, it’s very difficult to make good decisions.
Maggie Germano 43:54
Yeah, that makes a ton of sense to me. And so kind of related To You know, people trying to go off and do this on their own. I’ve heard of a lot of different organizations out there. A lot of them are nonprofits that kind of that do things around credit counseling and things like that. What is the difference between what you’re doing and what an organization like that might be doing?
Leslie H. Tayne 44:20
So nonprofit consumer credit counseling agency, like a CCC offers a more of an educational opportunity to educate the consumer and provide them some insight and some assistance, that generally not settling debt. There was a big crackdown on these not for profits that were guises for for profit companies. So there are legitimate not for profits, obviously out there that provides some great services but they’re generally not debt settlement or debt resolution, their debt solutions, maybe a debt consolidation. So starting from the top, a debt consolidation is kind of a broad term. It encompasses a lot of different things. avenues it encompasses Consumer Credit Counseling, it compresses, loans and debt settlement. And, you know, so consolidation is the larger term. Underneath that umbrella. Of course, there are the like debt settlement where you’re reducing the principal balances and the interest. Consumer Credit Counseling usually looks at the interest and some educational pieces of the puzzle, but not the principal balance as a general rule, and, you know, debt settlement debt debt consolidation loans, which just means that you’re taking all your loans and you’re placing it into one single loan. You know, again, when you’re looking at that that may or may not make sense depending on the interest rate and your cashflow. Sometimes that’s robbing Peter to pay Paul because you’re not necessarily resolving the underlying issue, which is cashflow. If you think you can structure it and pay it off with a new consolidation or balance transfer. Then if you can structure it and stick to that structure and pay it off, then it works for you. Each one of these solutions are individualized solutions. The question is what is your goal is your goal to Get out of debt or to reduce the debt to increase your cash flow to fix your credit score, do you just need a little breathing room? You know, all of those pieces, all of those questions have to be answered before you decide which solution makes sense for you. And as far as the not for profits go, again, not for profits doesn’t mean that those who run those companies don’t make money they do they have salaries, they the companies pay pay salaries and all not for profits, most people running them are earning a salary and that the nice thing about most nonprofits is that it’s transparent and you should be able to see that information. But there that has the not for profit, at one point was synonymous with legitimacy. And I want to caution people that just because it’s labeled not for profit is a tax status election doesn’t mean that the organization is doing what’s best for you. So you need to take a look at that. They’re like I’m not saying that that industry, there’s something wrong with it in any way, shape, or form. And there are some very good companies out there and I have seen some terrific, not for profits that provide solutions, financial solutions like credit counseling and otherwise, but you need to be very aware of of that not just make the decision about working with one company over another because they’re not for profit versus for profit.
Maggie Germano 47:20
Yeah, that makes sense. And like you said, it is it’s mainly a tax status, not an ethical label. So that’s something that’s really important to keep in mind. What’s a situation where you might recommend something like bankruptcy to a client, because I know that that is a word that brings up a lot of fear and it feels like it’s the worst thing that could ever happen to you is the absolute last choice. And yeah, just tell us a little bit more about like, what bankruptcy actually means and when you might recommend it.
Leslie H. Tayne 47:54
Sure. So bankruptcy, what from my perspective, we try to look at bankruptcy as a last resort, and absolutely option. So there are a couple of times types of bankruptcy to be aware of. So just to ease the confusion, there’s a chapter seven, there’s a chapter 11 and a chapter 13, which generally apply to consumers, the two most common would be a seven or a 13. A seven is where you completely wipe out the debts, there’s no repayment of them. And they’re completely what’s called discharge at 13 as a repayment plan, and you have to produce a repayment plan for your creditors. And that payment plan is usually three to five years, and that is structured and approved by a bankruptcy trustee. So under both of those circumstances is obviously a cost of filing bankruptcy. There’s also what’s called a means test. So there is a factor that’s super important to know about was whether you qualify so it’s a pre qualification for bankruptcy. So you can’t just file bankruptcy anymore You have to qualify to file. So under the circumstances you look at that means test and that varies in different jurisdictions. So it varies by state income, family size. The like, so you would look at that to see what you qualify for in a chapter 13, like a repayment plan, they’re not always successful, and they do take a long time. And most people, there are other, there’s certainly other options to bankruptcy. So the litmus test that I use, and my recommendation on bankruptcy is, if you’re unable to put any food on the table, you simply have no money, or you’re gonna lose your home. And those are those are where bankruptcy should be more of an option when you’re looking at bankruptcy for 1020 $50,000 worth of debt. You know, those are what we would consider on the lower numbers and probably able to be restructured in a much more flexible solution that doesn’t impact you for the next 10 years. Because remember, bankruptcy stay on your credit report for quite a long time and it’s from the date of discharge. So if you discharge it five years out, but it’s on your credit reports, let’s say 10 years, so you’re actually showing up for 15 years, that’s going to impact certain licenses, your insurance rates certain job opportunities. So it’s an extreme form of debt resolution, it works. And we do recommend it and and we certainly work with a lot of very reputable bankruptcy attorneys that we refer out to when the circumstances are not right. But as a consumer, one should always explore their options and say, okay, bankruptcy may be one option. What are my other options? And why would this work or not work? Non bankruptcy options like debt settlement are definitely much more flexible. And again, you’re not you’re not in a federal court where you have a bankruptcy trustee or judge looking at your personal finances. If you borrow money from family, if you have a business, you know, all of that is impacted your home, your cars, your if you’re supporting children, adult children, and you’re giving money to family members, all of that is scrutinized during a bankruptcy process. You know, in the in my practice, because we don’t do bankruptcy, there’s a lot more flexibility and as long as the payment is made, what you decide to spend your money on and do is your decision and that’s what you have Have a lot more control over the bankruptcy or non bankruptcy process. But again, it’s it’s definitely a solution. It’s I’m not anti bankruptcy by any stretch of the imagination. I like I said, we refer out all the time. What I don’t like is where they people think bankruptcy is the only option. And it may be the only option. But it’s it’s the only option if you’ve looked at multiple different solutions, and that really doesn’t work for you.
Maggie Germano 51:25
Yeah, that makes sense. And what are some of those other options for people if you know, they do feel like there’s not enough cash flow, they are struggling to pay those bills every month? Yeah, tell us a little bit more about those more flexible options.
Leslie H. Tayne 51:40
So the debt consolidation debt settlement process like what we offer where we come up with a single monthly payment based on the total amount of debt and then we reduce the principal balances and then we change the interest to zero and we structure the repayment. That is a fantastic solution. It really actually will reduce the debt. Have, you’ll be able to save money, you’ll have less money that goes out every month and it does not trash your credit, people are so worried about their credit these days. So it does not trash your credit. In fact, most of my clients tell me that their credit scores come back over 700 while they’re still even in the process, so and we can be super mindful of that we have a lot more control over that process by prepaying the accounts and offering you know, payoffs on the settlements so that the credit score can change a lot faster. So it’s it is a fantastic solution. What I do want to warn people about is all the different companies that are out there that that offer this, the one some of the red flags really should be anybody who wants money upfront, any company or anybody who tells you they can guarantee anything, they can guarantee settlement numbers, they can guarantee timeframes, they can guarantee what you know what it is that you’ll pay out. And again, most importantly, that you’re taking money up front. Most of these companies will take money from you upfront and they shouldn’t they take a portion of your fees every single month. So if you make $100 a month payment to them $50 but maybe going to their fees for the first three years. That means that are you really getting your accounts resolved. And as quickly as possible, you want to make you want those accounts settled sooner rather than later want to wait two or three years? Because if you do, you’re more likely to be sued. Also, what happens if you’re sued, you know, a non law firm? And what are they going to offer you pro se information, which is just information that you could do it on your own? Are they going to say they can’t work with you now? Are they gonna, you know, who are the who are the lawyers, a lot of them will say we have lawyers on staff or we have a lawyer who can help you but you know, that’s that’s not the answer that you want. You don’t want to have an unknown in that area because a lot of the creditors are litigious and they can go to the attorney’s offices and you can be sued. And you definitely don’t want to be entering into agreements, under those circumstances that you’re not sure about location where they’re located, how long they’ve been in business. You know, I don’t always go off of reviews necessarily because reviews can be definitely skewed for a million different reasons but a referral go with somebody who’s really Work with another company, some reliability in the in the community and some accessibility, that’s super important. I mean, I’ve been in this business such a long time, almost nobody has been in as long as I have at this point. And that that’s important too. Because to really understand the business, you don’t want to be working with somebody who does this part time, or maybe they’ve just started or they don’t really have the relationships to understand and to get you where you need to go and to understand what’s gonna happen with your account. So be super aware of red flags, if you’ve got doesn’t feel good, don’t go with it. You know, if you’re not sure who the company is, or there’s multiple different companies, or they sent you a letter in the mail, and they told you information about you understand they can buy that information, you can buy it right from the credit bureaus. So they may have your debt amount, they may know who you are they may you they may say you’re going to be sued. So they got all that information. But that doesn’t mean that that company is a legitimate company to work with. And it doesn’t mean because they’re on television that they’re legitimate. They have a big advertising budget, but that doesn’t mean that that company is right for you either. So Do a little bit of research. Sometimes these 800 numbers that you call are just call centers, and they are representing five different companies and Your call will go to one, the next call goes to two, the third call goes to three. And so you’re not really dealing with the same people who’s holding your money, who’s paying the money out, you know, all of that should be done in one location. It shouldn’t be that one company is selling you one company holding your money, one company settling it, you know who you’re dealing with. I’ve seen contracts with people who have come to me and said, you know, they’ve done this and they’ve been out there and look at this contract and the contract that’s three or four different company names in it. So who was really helping you? And that’s, and that’s really important to know that, you know, again, you don’t want to mess around with your finances and your money and your budgeting but the solutions are out there. debt settlement, like I said, is super successful under the right circumstances with the right company in the right needs. Bankruptcy works for people to Consumer Credit Counseling can work, it is sometimes a prerequisite for bankruptcy to go through a Consumer Credit Counseling process. And if you’re just struggling a little bit and you need some hand holding there are some great companies out there that can provide you some support when it comes to understanding budgeting and financial decisions and needs like that, but be super careful again about taking the taking one legal advice from non attorneys and to financial advice from those who call themselves either coaches or guides or, or, you know, they’ve helped themselves but now they’re now they want to discuss how they can help you too. Because they’ve helped themselves successful as a wonderful accolade. And and they should definitely be proud of themselves. But that doesn’t mean that they have the skill set to help you as well. And they’re sort of entering into a realm of tax advice, legal advice, financial advice, that’s super could be super dangerous, and you want to be careful with that. So I want to caution people about the solutions that they do look at and make you aware that again, just because the marketing is super good, doesn’t make that the right fit for you.
Maggie Germano 56:58
That’s a really good point. I know that there is a lot out there now. And we might get swayed by a commercial or by a mailer. And especially when we’re in a position where we feel really freaked out and like, there’s no options. And I think that your, your points about the red flags to look out are really important.
Leslie H. Tayne 57:18
Yeah, and you’re super vulnerable. don’t discount the fact that you’re vulnerable, that you don’t, you know, there’s a piece of knowledge that’s missing and that, you know, when you’re emotional, you’re stressed, you’re overwhelmed, you know, financial stuff, you are vulnerable. And it’s an opportunity for people to really talk you into something that you weren’t really sure about. Listen, I look at it like this, like the barns on fire. Your barn is on fire, and you want to save not only the barn, but all the animals and you’re panicked and how are you? And somebody comes along and says I’ll put the whole thing out, no problem. We’ll save every animal, save the barn and it’ll be structurally sound. And you think, Oh, that sounds really great. They have the answer for me, but not necessarily so. Be careful of promises, definitive promises, I can tell you that in my industry. I am absolutely cannot tell you what any creditor will do unless I pick up the phone and have that conversation with them. And I cannot make any promises. I would be super Oprah rich. If I could have that crystal ball and say, I know what American Express discover Bank of America Chase, what everybody’s willing to do. Do I know what they’re willing to do today? Yes, of course, I know what they’re willing to do today. Is that their same policy tomorrow? Can I promise you that that’s going to be the case? No. And sometimes an account gets slated differently. So interestingly, sometimes I have clients with four chase accounts to go in one direction two will go in another direction and they completely different numbers. So it same thing with American Express, you know, that accounts can go in Super different directions for a lot of different reasons. And I, you know, those are internal decisions by the banks. And and we there’s no way for anybody to know why that’s the case. Even the collectors and the attorneys don’t know why they go in certain directions, but they do. And nobody can make that promise to you what they’re going to be able to do. So yeah, that we can come up with a payment that fits in your budget. And that’s different. IV, but the timeframe is never going to be definitive. And the only promise that I can make is I’m going to do the very best that I can, I will be with you every step of the way. Otherwise, the rest of it is going to we’re going to go with the flow. But my experience level allows me an opportunity to guide you in a way that we can make good decisions based on my experience, and I have a lot of experience. I mean, I am an expert in this area, so I can guide you, it’s those that don’t have those levels of experience and that you don’t really know who is negotiating your debt. I mean, who is handling your money, who is making sure that everything’s done right for you? And and you, you have to make sure everything’s done right for you. So that means making good decisions or being aware of some of the things that are said to you. That sound right, that actually just aren’t right? Yeah,
Maggie Germano 59:47
yeah, no, that makes a lot of sense. So is there anything else that you want to make sure that listeners take away from this conversation that we haven’t covered yet?
Leslie H. Tayne 59:58
No, I think we have covered a lot Lot of really important topics and being, you know, brave and proud of yourself and understand that, you know, it’s okay to go through ups and downs and financial ups and downs are normal, it’s part of life and find the right resources. And certainly I’m a resource. So, you know, there’s lots of ways to find me, of course, and I’m happy to provide resources.
Maggie Germano 1:00:22
That’s great to hear and bouncing off of that how can folks get in touch with you?
Leslie H. Tayne 1:00:28
Sure. So of course, you can visit our website at taynelaw.com. You can also find me on Twitter @Lesliehtayneesq. Of course, I’m on LinkedIn as well. Facebook, Instagram at Tayne Law Group and you can google me or put me into any search engine, I’ll certainly come up.
Maggie Germano 1:00:49
Wonderful and if folks are interested in learning more about how they could work with you, those are great avenues to contact you through.
Leslie H. Tayne 1:00:57
Absolutely, definitely contact us, you know, pick up the phone and give us a call at 866-890-7337 and at taynelaw.com. And certainly on any of our social media, it’s a great opportunity to learn a lot. We post a lot on social media, we’re super active and post a lot of great information out there. So we participate in Twitter chats, and, and lots of other online resources that one could find helpful.
Maggie Germano 1:01:25
Wonderful. And I will share all of that in the show notes so that people have easy access to it. I just wanted to thank you again for being here. This was super informative and helpful. I know that I learned a lot. So I know that listeners will take away a lot from this as well.
Leslie H. Tayne 1:01:40
Great. And thank you so much for having me,
Maggie Germano 1:01:42
of course.
Thank you so much for listening again this week. Don’t forget to rate review and subscribe in your podcasting app so that more people hear about the money circle podcast and listen. If you’d like to get more connected with money circle or with me There are lots of ways you can do that. To join the free Facebook group visit facebook.com slash groups slash money circle group. To stay informed of any upcoming events. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter at Maggie Germano comm slash subscribe to sign up to attend the next money circle meetup visit Maggie Germano comm slash money circle. To learn more about my financial coaching services, my speaking and workshop offerings or just to read my blog visit Maggie germano.com. You can also follow me on instagram and twitter at Maggie Germano. Thanks for listening and have a great week.
