"Spending Hangover" Contest a Big Hit for Mint.com and InCharge® Debt Solutions

Posted on April 4, 2008
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(Orlando, FL) —Mint.com (http://www.mint.com) announced that winners have been selected for its 2008 “Holiday Spending Hangover Cure” contest. The competition was designed to help consumers who used their credit cards too frequently in December deal with the credit card bills that have now arrived. InCharge® Debt Solutions (www.InCharge.org), one of the country’s leading nonprofit credit counseling organizations, was a key supporter providing financial education and credit counseling for the winners as well as administrative support for the contest.

Entrants were invited to submit either a video or a written essay describing their “holiday debt-ache.” Submissions were judged on creativity, originality, humor and relevance. Daryl B. of San Francisco, California, was the winner in the video category with his entry entitled “Daddy Needs a New Pair of Shoes.” Mary B. of Somerville, Massachusetts, took the written prize with a story she called “All You Need is Love (and Lots of Money)!” Each will win the amount of their credit card balances as of December 31, 2007, up to $5,000 each and will receive credit counseling from InCharge Debt Solutions.

Credit counseling is a comprehensive review of an individual’s debt burden and is conducted by one of InCharge’s Certified Credit Counselors. These professionals examine clients’ debts, income and ability to repay their obligations without assistance. If help is needed, the counselors will explain each of the options available and then give the consumer the opportunity to select the best solution. One such option is a Debt Management Program in which InCharge works with creditors to lower interest rates and combine payments into one monthly amount that is manageable for the client’s budget

InCharge’s credit counseling service also includes an examination of the root cause of each client’s debt problem to ensure that steps are taken to help the consumer avoid similar situations in the future. Each person is helped to create a budget, and given access to interactive tools and educational materials found on (www.InCharge.org).

Mint.com (http://www.mint.com) is the fresh, easy and intelligent way for people to manage their money online. And it’s free. In the six months since its launch, Mint.com has quickly become the leading online personal finance service, already attracting more than 200,000 users, managing $10 billion in transactions, and uncovering $100 million in potential savings. By allowing users to view and categorize transaction data from their bank, credit cards, and now investment accounts, Mint.com gives an accurate view of a user’s finances. Users can set budgets based on spending trends and goals to get their finances on the right track

Mint.com has been awarded numerous industry accolades from The Motley Fool, PC Magazine, BusinessWeek, Lifehacker.com, Webware, and TechCrunch.com. PC World named Mint.com its top rated online financial service, and one of the Top 25 Innovations of 2007.

InCharge® Institute of America, Inc. (www.inchargeinstitute.org)
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, InCharge® Institute of America, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with affiliates specializing in personal finance education and credit counseling. InCharge® Education Foundation, Inc., publishes Military Money® magazine and offers financial literacy education to clients and the general public. InCharge® Debt Solutions provides professional credit counseling and financial education services to consumers and is a member of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies (AICCCA). Consumers can access InCharge Debt Solutions credit counseling services for free by calling 1-888-360-9694 or online at (www.InCharge.org).

About Mint.com (http://www.mint.com)
Mint.com is the leading online personal finance service, providing 200,000 users a fresh, easy and intelligent way to manage their money online. And it’s free. Mint is currently managing over $10 billion in transactions and has identified more than $100 million in potential savings for its users. Designed to be effortless, Mint.com takes less than five minutes to set up. Users register anonymously using only a valid email address. Mint then does the rest, securely downloading transaction data from more than 5,000 bank, credit card and investment accounts on a daily basis. Users never need to import or synch their data. Mint, rated top in its category by PC World, applies patent-pending technology and proprietary algorithms to categorize transactions; provide a unified view of all account activity; alert users to low balances, bank fees, upcoming bills, and even potentially suspicious account activity; and give users personalized suggestions for significant savings opportunities.

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