Mary Reed

Mary Reed: Mary Reed is a personal finance writer who has coauthored or ghostwritten numerous books on topics related to consumer money matters and legal rights. The books she has coauthored with John Ventura include The Everyday Law Kit for Dummies, Divorce For Dummies, and Good Advice for a Bad Economy (Berkeley Books). Mary has also written for the magazines Good Housekeeping, Home Office Computing, and Small Business Computing, and she has ghostwritten numerous articles that have appeared in national and local publications.
Mary is also the owner of Mary Reed Public Relations (MR•PR), an Austin, Texas-based firm that provides public relations services to a wide variety of clients, including authors, publishers, attorneys, financial planners, healthcare professionals, retailers, hotels, restaurants, and nonprofits.
Prior to starting her public relations business and writing career 20 years ago, she was vice president of marketing for a national market research firm, marketing director for a women’s healthcare organization, and public relations manager for Texas Monthly, a national award-winning magazine. She received her MBA from Boston University and her BA from Trinity University in Washington, DC.
In her free time, Mary serves on the board of a community development corporation in her neighborhood. She also enjoys long morning bike rides, road trips with her husband, gardening, working her way through the stack of books by her bed, taking care of her six cats, and spending time with her family and many friends.

Articles & Books From Mary Reed

Article / Updated 05-03-2023
The federal Truth in Lending Act makes it easy to compare credit card offers, because it requires credit card companies to provide written information about the credit card terms. Do a comparison of credit cards fees, rates, APRs, and balance calculation methods before you accept even a preapproved credit card.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-23-2022
If you’re going through a divorce, basic decisions need to be made with your spouse. Interview divorce attorneys before you decide to hire one to help with your divorce and keep a list of national and local resources available in case you need divorce advice and support.Basic divorce decisionsImportant and difficult decisions have to be made when you’re working out the terms of your divorce, especially if minor children are involved.
Article / Updated 04-03-2017
A debt collector may agree to let you pay less than the total amount you owe on a debt. Although settling a debt shows up as negative information in your credit report, negotiating a settlement indicates that you took responsibility for paying as much as you could on the debt. Your credit report will show that the settled debt is not outstanding anymore.
Article / Updated 03-31-2017
Your credit report contains information your current creditors and potential future lenders review to make decisions about your creditworthiness. You are entitled to one free copy of each of your credit reports every 12 months. To order your free reports, go to AnnualCreditReport.com, or call 877-FACT-ACT. For a comprehensive picture of your creditworthiness, order a copy of your credit report from each of the national credit reporting agencies, not just from one.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
All credit is not created equal. There are many forms of credit available, and getting familiar with credit types can help you become a better credit consumer. Secured: With this kind of credit, the creditor guarantees that it will be paid back by putting a lien on an asset you own. The lien entitles the creditor to take the asset if you don’t live up to the terms of your credit agreement.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
A growing number of creditors, as well as insurance companies, employers, and landlords, use your credit score together with (or rather than) your credit history to make decisions about you. Your credit score is a numeric representation of your creditworthiness, and the number is derived from your credit history information.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Debt collectors who pursue old debts are not breaking any laws unless they violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) or your state’s debt collection laws. Beware fast-buck motives, though! Some debt collectors go so far as to Contact consumers about debts that have been charged off as uncollectible.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
When a debt collector contacts you about a debt, he must send a written statement of your right to request written verification of the debt and your right to dispute the debt. Request verification of the amount money you owe and to whom you owe it if the debt is not yours or you think that you owe less money than the debt collector wants you to pay.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
To ensure that your debt management plan helps you get out of debt, you must take an active role in overseeing it. Even when working with a reputable credit counseling agency, problems can develop if you participate in a debt management plan. Follow these tips to minimize the potential for problems: After your counselor tells you which of your unsecured creditors have agreed to participate in your debt management plan, contact them to confirm their participation before you send the counselor any money.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Knowing what debt collectors cannot do to collect a debt from you may help you deal with and protect you from their approaches to debt collection. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is the federal law that governs debt collection for personal, household, and family debts like your mortgage and car loan, other personal loans, your credit card debts, past-due utility bills, past-due student loans, medical and insurance debts, condo fees, unpaid legal judgments against you, and bounced checks.