For many people who are in debt, dealing with a collection agency can become a daily dreaded dependency, differentiated by standard telemarketers in that the collection agency is calling because of legitimate debt owed. While no-one likes talking with a collection agency, it is important to keep in mind that they are calling for a reason, namely that you have not made good on a financial promise of some sort.With that said, this does not give the collection agency the right to harass or make false statements to a person. Often, this has been something that has been violated, but has been improving over time. Ultimately, it is not uncommon for a collection agency to lie or tell a selective truth to get a payment, which often serves to extend the Statute of Limitations on Debt. However, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act puts a great deal of limitations on what a debt recovery agent can say, as well as providing fines for agents that break these rules. Further, in some cases these violations may open the agency up to a lawsuit, so knowing and understanding ones rights is very important when dealing with a collection agency.One of the main restrictions provided by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act deals with preventing harassment. Harassment can refer to a number of things. This includes threats of physical violence or harm and using profanities when dealing with the customer. However, harassment can also involve making multiple phone calls to a person.In addition to preventing harassment, the FDCPA also prevents collection agencies from using false statements to debtors. This can include things like misrepresenting the papers they sent as legal court documents or threatening arrest for non-payment. These sorts of false statements are illigal and can result in fines for the agency in question.When dealing with collection agencies, it is very important to keep in mind that while they may in fact be able to act on some of the threats they present, it is generally not something that can happen over night. In fact, with most types of debt, excluding student loans and government debt, they generally must take you to court first, prior to any sort of action, such as garnished wages.Taking the Time to TalkWhile there are a lot of things that collection agencies are prohibited to do and dealing with them can be inconvenient, it is important to keep in mind that they are not just calling for no-reason. Instead, they are calling because you defaulted on a promised debt and they are trying to protect their assets and preform debt recovery.Ultimately, it is in their best interests, and often yours, to talk with the agency to negotiate a deal. Depending on the type of debt involved, it is not uncommon for the agency to work out a very attractive deal, greatly reducing the amount of debt owed.A good starting point is a quarter of what you owe. From there, you can further negotiate with the collection agency, keeping in mind that many get paid a percent of what is recovered, so their goal is to get as much money from you as possible. If after negotiating with the collection agency, you are unable to reach an agreement, do not be afraid to tell them you will call them back. It is also very important to make sure that you do not agree to something that you can not afford and that you get something in writing before making any payment to them.It is also a good idea to request that they remove any negative marks from your credit report that are a result of the debt collection agency or the debt itself.

As a coin collector or numismatist one of the big challenges can be managing your collection in an efficient and accurate way. There are multiple coin collecting software packages ranging from simple inventory systems for amateur collectors to full-fledged real time coin trading and valuation software. This is a short article discussing the pros and cons of different software features to help you decide what system is right for your needs.One thing to consider is how the coin collecting software identifies and sorts coins by their origin. Origin doesn’t necessarily mean the country it came from. In fact, many ancient coins have no country of origin at all like the Roman Empire or dynastic China. Being able to define and sort a large collection becomes important where your coins vary widely and you need to find groups of coins and track value trends. If you only collect modern struck coins then this is not an issue. Just match the coin to the country and you’re good. With ancient pre-struck coins you may need to define origin in different ways such as geographic region, empire name, material, etc. What you’re looking for in that case is coin collecting software that allows you to create multiple hierarchies and groups by defining characteristics.Do you collect both coins and notes? Or coins and other official items of exchange like arrow heads or trading beads? With a collection that includes struck coins versus old style coins versus paper notes, the complexities and software features go up. The one thing that can make different exchange currencies understandable in a common and uniform way is a photographic image. Modern coin collecting software has the ability to record and import images. Many applications can also reach out automatically to online databases, match the identifying information on your coins and notes, and capture relevant photos and images of your coin. If the history of your particular coin or is well-documented in industry databases the images could even be of your exact item, otherwise they will be standard images of a particular grade. In that case you will need to enhance your database with your own photos to capture the specific condition and identifying attributes of the items you own.Discerning grades and condition is another way coin collecting software can be extremely helpful. Different collecting groups may have different terminology or processes for grading coins and what characteristics and weights contribute to different grades. This causes confusion and is a potential source of error when pricing a coin collection. This is particularly problematic for commercial coin dealers who need to communicate accurately between buyers and sellers not just the condition or grade of a particular coin, but across groups of coins and entire collections. Good coin collecting software contains methods of matching and normalizing different grading systems and coin condition descriptors. This not only saves time, but can keep you from making a serious pricing error when buying, selling, or appraising parts of a collection.These are just a few considerations to enhance your coin collection success. What features you are willing to pay for depend on what you need, the complexity and size of your collection, whether it is made up of standard struck coins or obscure items, and how often you buy and sell. No tool will replace your knowledge and expertise, but there are many ways that coin collecting software can prove useful.