Problem: Article: Whether your earnings decrease with retirement or not, you remain responsible for making your payments on time. The credit agencies, which include both the credit card companies and the credit score reporting agencies, are less concerned with your income than with your ability to make your payments. Making your payments on time is the key, regardless of your income level. With decreased income in retirement, you may be tempted to use credit cards more. This is fine if you make your full payments each month. However, if you let the credit balance creep up, you will reduce your overall credit score. Carrying a minimal balance will not hurt you much. Credit agencies measure the ratio of your outstanding credit debt as compared to the amount of credit that you have available to you. Carrying a debt of $2,000 is less damaging if your total credit line is $25,000, for example, than if your credit line is only $5,000. Watch the balance and keep your ratio down as much as possible. You should try to keep the ratio to 25% or less. Thus, a $2,000 debt with $25,000 available credit is only 8%, which is strong, but $2,000 debt with only a $5,000 limit is a ratio of 40%, which is going to hurt your credit score. You may find that you need less credit as you enter retirement because you are buying less and your monthly expenses are lower. This may tempt you to close one or more credit card accounts that you might not be using. Don't. Keeping established credit card accounts open serves two good purposes that will help your overall credit score. First, your credit score is positively affected by the age on your accounts. An older account that you have had continuously for many years carries good, positive weight and helps boost your credit score. Second, keeping accounts open increases the amount of available credit that you have. As a result, the ratio of borrowing to credit is lower, and this helps increase your credit score. For example, if you owe $2,000 with total available credit of $20,000, the ratio is one-tenth. However, if you shut down an account, you may still owe the same $2,000 but only have available credit of $10,000. This ratio is one-fifth, and scores less for your credit report. Your credit score is affected not only by the credit that you have but also by your ongoing good use of credit. You should make a habit of using your credit cards at least for modest expenses each month. Then pay those bills on time and in full at the end of the month. This kind of practice will show that you can handle the credit cards and that you continue to be a good credit risk. The amount of your purchases is not as important as the fact that you continue using and paying off the credit cards. Periodically, you should ask your lender if you qualify for an increase in your credit limit. Especially if you have built up a good credit history by making payments on time, this request should be granted. You should continue to request this every few years, even as you enter retirement, if you believe you would qualify. The credit limit increase will help you keep a low debt to credit ratio and keep your credit score high.
Summary: Pay your credit card bills on time. Keep the credit balance low compared to the credit limit. Keep credit accounts open. Continue using your credit cards. Request credit limit increases.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Aim for something that is about 1 inch by 1 inch (2.54 centimeters by 2.54 centimeters). If necessary, resize the image using an image editing program or a photocopier. You will need this excess material to wrap around the back of your pin. The cardboard will make the base for your pin. The colored paper will make the back. The colored paper can be solid-colored, or it can have an interesting pattern. Turn the image over so that the back is facing you. Spread a thin layer of glue onto it. You can use a glue stick or school glue. If you are using school glue, you might want to apply it with a paintbrush. Try to center the cardboard as much as possible. You should have a inch (1.27 centimeters) border all around the cardboard. Start with the corners first. Once you have them glued down, fold all four side over onto the back of the cardboard. This will give you some nice, folded seams. Coat the paper with glue, then press it onto the back of the cardboard. You can use a glue stick or school glue for this. If you are using school glue, you might want to apply it using a paintbrush. You can use any sort of finish you like: matte or glossy; glossy, however, will look the best. Paint the front first, let it dry, then do the back. This will "seal" your pin and protect it. If you are using a decoupage glue, you may need to apply 3 to 4 layers. Let each layer dry before you apply the next one. Acrylic sealers come in brush-on and spray-on form. Draw a line of hot glue across the back of the pin. Quickly press the back of the pin down into the glue.

SUMMARY: Find a small, square-shaped image that you like. Cut the image out, but leave a inch (1.27 centimeters) border all around it. Cut a piece of colored paper and thin cardboard the same size as your image. Cover the back of the image with glue. Press the cardboard onto the back of the image. Wrap the edges of the image around the cardboard. Glue the colored paper onto the back of the cardboard and let the glue dry. Paint over the pin using an acrylic sealer or decoupage glue. Glue on the safety pin once the sealer dries.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: If you have an attorney, sit down together and review the contract to see if you are in breach. You will want to know if you did indeed violate the contract or if the other party is fabricating the claim. Be sure to be honest with your attorney about the situation, so that he or she can give you the best legal advice. It is quite possible that you breached the contract on purpose. It may be cheaper to pay the damages for breaching the contract than fulfilling its original terms. If you breached on purpose your primary goal will be to reduce the amount of damages you have to pay under the contract. Although it's possible that you only entered into an "oral contract," those are fairly rare today. Most states have now passed laws which require all contracts to be in writing when the goods or services involved are worth $500 or more. Written contracts are always preferable because they allow you to detail how each party must uphold its duties and how both sides should respond if any disagreements or disputes arise. This includes any discussion of the contract in question or an official "demand letter" from the other party. A demand letter sent from the other party's lawyer is simply a letter that outlines what they think your contractual obligation is. For instance, it could demand that you pay a specific amount for services already rendered. Once you get a demand letter, the ball is in your court. It's then up to you and your attorney to decide how to respond to it. Make sure that the demand letter, if you have received one, complies with state law. Many states require that a pre-lawsuit letter is sent, in order to increase the chance of out-of-court settlement. Although most demand letters sent out are legitimate, it's always important to carefully review the signature and the contents. Never just assume you're in business with someone if the name isn't readily familiar. There are scam artists who do send out such mail, in the hopes that you will accidentally provide critical personal or business information that can be used for identity theft purposes. If you don't know the individual or company contacting you, there's obviously no need to respond. If you're certain that the letter is legitimate, only provide the least amount of necessary information, in keeping with your lawyer's advice.
Summary:
Review the contract. Review all correspondence from the other party. Decide whether the claim is part of a scam.