Your Signature, Sign Here! Just Say "No" Like Nancy Reagan Said

Scams performed on my Girl Friends

I have many Girlfriends and you may say "so what?" Well I am writing to you about what many of them have done in the name of helping their children. Now I am not talking about just one of them. I am talking about most of them.

Let me give you some examples, they  may think that they are helping out their children or grand children by giving them money or signing legal documents for them. Then years later start complaining when things start going south for them. Not only that but their relatives are on the door step again for more help when the old ladies are fighting  to get from under their children's old mess.

I know a person who told his 18 year old daughter not to sign for her mother's financial things because it would cause her problems later in life. She did not listen and did it anyway without his knowledge. Years later after she got married, she was offered a very good job. But after checking her credit found out that she signed for a $17,000 van for her mother and the mother never made a payment. That meant no job. This one transaction destroyed her credit report. The girl went crying to her father who just said, "Sorry, nothing that I can do."

Two other  women  went to live with their children, signing the Apartment Lease.  Later the parents moved out and years later (5 or 10 years) the children walked away from the apartments. They came after the parents and put a serious "Ding" on their credit report.  Now they have to use their credit and cannot.

These parents have to use their credit today and can't do it because they had no idea that they damaged their credit because they thought they were being nice.

My advice to you is never sign any legal document for anyone unless you understand how it will affect you later in life.  Signing for someone to get a car, apartment, or anything else can be more damaging than turning over your bank account to them.  

My last advise to you is never sign that yearly increase in rent from your Apartment complex.  Just pay the increase with no signature.

Why?

Because many complexes will say that your signature for the increase also counts for causing you to pay for a full years rent even if the lease or the increase in rent document does not say that. 

No signing means that you never agreed to adding on a full years extra rent.  Keep that in mind when you prepare to leave your apartment. Your signature is very important. Just don't sign something because someone says so.

You can say "NO."