Free Credit Counseling to Pier 66 and Beachcomber Workers

As reported in the Sun-Sentinel, two iconic Broward County properties are closing down and being redeveloped. The Beachcomber Resort and Villas in Pompano Beach and Pier 66 Hotel and Marina in Fort Lauderdale are laying off around 300 workers altogether, sending ripples across the South Florida economy. These classic properties hark back to an older, laid-back, family-friendly Florida vibe that is slowly being swallowed up by gentrification.

Pier 66 Management Steps Up

Part of Interstate Management Co. Pier 66 is contacting other properties under its umbrella and local companies to let them know of experienced staff looking for positions. However, the Beachcomber management has told staff that layoffs will be permanent as the property will be closed for six months or more, and they can’t forecast their hiring needs once reopened. Even in strong hiring environments and a good economy, being laid off even for a short period of time can devastate a paycheck-to-paycheck existence.

Being Laid Off: One Big Do and Don’t

The big Don’t is “Don’t Panic.”

When you’re looking at the loss of your livelihood, your paycheck, the money you depend on to live, it’s easy and common to freak out. So many things are spinning through your head such as keeping your home, buying food, paying your bills, and getting needed medications that it can feel overwhelming. You feel as if you are drowning, and panic.

This is what scammers live for.

Whether it’s a payday loan, or a debt settlement service, or a “make money fast” MLM scheme, scammers know that desperate people will grab the first thing that looks as if it can keep them afloat. Then, once they have you on the hook, you’re reeled in. You can get locked into a cycle of borrowing and repaying debt, shelling out for MLM products, or blow their credit scores to smithereens when they stop paying their bills – but paying the debt negotiators their fees up front.

The big Do is “Get some help.”

That help is from someone who can assess your current financial situation and offer legal and financial advice on the best way for you to proceed. Credit counseling at Van Horn Law Group is more than good financial advice, it’s legally sound advice as well. Whether you have credit card debts, student loans, medical bills, or an underwater mortgage, our experience and ethics mean that our advice is made in the best interests of our clients. You may not need to file for bankruptcy, but you might need help to get your student loans in hand, get to skip a payment on a credit card orfigure out how to keep your car when you can’t pay the note. Credit counseling is damage control, and once you have control of the situation, you can swim to shore instead of feeling that you’re drowning in panic.

Getting a Gig

One good thing to come out of the gig economy is that when someone is laid off, a gig can be enough to keep going until a good job comes along. It’s tempting to take the first job that comes along, but that job might offer lower pay, fewer hours, or be a longer commute that will eat more money. With a gig, you can earn, look for jobs on your own schedule, and still manage to live on a tight budget. You may even be able to assemble part-time paycheck jobs with gigs and make enough to finance a job search, retraining, education, or opening your own business.

And, Yes, You Do Need Credit Counseling

So, with all the other things on your mind, I know that credit counseling slipped off to the side as you Googled gigs, scams, MLM, and other things. Let’s come back around to this and start off with what credit counseling actually does. Credit counseling is about a lot more than credit, it’s about financial health instead of just dealing with credit card debts.

1. Learning general budgeting skills. Understanding income, expenses, and setting financial goals.
2. Creating a realistic debt management plan. Consolidating debts to pay them down and cut the amount of interest paid is one way to realistically manage debt. This works with student loans and consumer debts.
3. Student loan counseling. Consolidation, forbearance, deferment, forgiveness and even discharge are on the table. Learn tips and trick to deal with your loan servicer, and how to get fraudulent loans discharged.
4. Housing counseling. Whether you want to purchase a home, or are simply having trouble making your mortgage of rent payment, this counseling specialty can help you to stay housed or find the affordable home of your dreams.
5. Review of credit reports. An expert eye on your credit reports may catch errors that you might have missed. From paid debts still being shown as open to identity theft, a credit counselor can help you to find and correct errors and bring up your credit score.
6. Bankruptcy counseling. Credit counseling is required by the bankruptcy courts, but getting an expert opinion on whether or not to file for bankruptcy can stop you from making a costly mistake. You might not qualify under the means test for Chapter 7, or have other issues that need to be resolved before filing.

And It’s Free to Laid-Off Employees of Pier 66 and Beachcomber at Van Horn Law Group

Get in touch with us and make an appointment on our website, or you can even walk in! Our West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale offices are open Monday through Saturday, and we’ll even open on Sunday if you make an appointment. We are here to help and treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve. Our attorneys and staff understand debt in a way that only experience can bring. Check us out on Avvo.com and see what our clients have to say and how we earned our ratings. Again, we are here to help, and your credit counseling will be free. Come in and find out what we can do to help you get back on a sound financial footing now and for the future.