John Ventura

John Ventura: John is a best-selling author and a nationally boardcertified bankruptcy attorney. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law School and the director of the Texas Consumer Complaint Center at the Law School.
As a young boy, John dreamed of becoming a Catholic priest so he could help everyday people, and he spent his high school years in a Catholic seminary. After graduating, however, John decided to achieve his dream by combining journalism with the law. Therefore, he earned an undergraduate degree in journalism and a law degree from the University of Houston Law School. Later, he and a partner established a law firm in Texas, building it into one of the most successful consumer bankruptcy firms in the state. He subsequently began a successful consumer law firm in South Texas.
Today, as Director of the Texas Consumer Complaint Center, he supervises law students as they help consumers with their legal problems. He is also a regular speaker at law conferences around the country and serves on the Bankruptcy Council for the Texas Bar Association.
John is the author of 13 books on consumer and small business legal matters, including Law For Dummies, 2nd edition; The Everyday Law Kit For Dummies; Divorce For Dummies, 2nd edition; and Good Advice for a Bad Economy (Berkeley Books). John has been interviewed about consumer money matters by numerous national media including CNN, NBC, NPR, Bloomberg Television & Radio, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Money, Inc. Martha Stewart’s Living, Bottomline, Entrepreneur, Bankrate.com, CBSMarketWatch.com, and MSNMoney.com. In addition, his comments and advice have appeared in major newspapers around the country, and he has been a frequent guest on local radio programs.

Articles & Books From John Ventura

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 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 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.
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.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Not paying unsecured debts can result in loss of assets. If you cut your budget to the bare bones and still can’t pay all your debts and living expenses, you have to decide what you will pay. Unsecured debts that deserve priority treatment include: Child support, especially if it’s court ordered. If your child support order was written after December 31, 2003, and you are employed, your child support payments can automatically be deducted from your paycheck.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
April 15 is the deadline for filing state and federal individual income tax returns. An extension to file your tax return is not an extension to pay your taxes. Taxes are due on April 15, and the IRS begins charging interest and penalties on your unpaid taxes on April 16. For this reason, paying some of your taxes on April 15 is better than paying nothing at all.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Your debt counselor may recommend a debt management plan to help you to pay off your obligations if reducing your expenses and making more money are not possible. Many creditors offer special concessions to consumers who pay off their bills through a debt management plan. When you participate in a debt management plan, the counselor tries to negotiate smaller monthly payments with your creditors.