Right now Americans are deeper in debt than ever before in history. The water is rising, and man-eating sharks lurk below the surface, smelling blood in the water.

Have you ever seen a group of sharks in a feeding-frenzy? It’s an ugly sight. It’s so frightening, violent, and sudden that you only catch glimpses of jagged teeth, chomping jaws, and soulless eyes. The feeding frenzy lasts only about 30 seconds. When it’s over, the water quickly becomes calm, with nothing but shreds of the prey floating at the surface.

In this letter I’m going to tell you how to shark-proof your family’s finances and get on rock-solid ground financially.

Let me introduce myself to you. I’m Phil Lenahan, the founder and president of Veritas Financial Ministries – a Catholic organization that focuses 100 percent on helping Catholics like you get out of debt fast without resorting to such things as bankruptcy and debt consolidation. Our Catholic faith offers answers to this area of our lives.

I’d like to give you “the good, the bad, and the ugly” about the financial situation many if not most people are now facing. But there isn’t much good to say about it. It’s mostly bad and ugly:

• Bankruptcies have more than doubled in the last 20 years, and the rate hasn’t stopped climbing
• More people face foreclosure than ever before – many couples have literally been turned out on the street with their children as they struggle to put a roof over their heads
• Nearly half of American households don’t pay off their credit cards in full every month – a screaming red flag of financial danger!
• The average credit card debt is approaching $10,000, and some households are paying 15 percent, 20 percent, or even 30 percent on their balances when the late fees kick in
• Between 1970 and 2000, Americans saved seven percent of their pay. Today, our savings rate is one percent below zero and dropping – a recipe for financial ruin
• Because so many people have waded deep into debt, giving to church and charities has dropped. Americans overall give two percent of their income; Catholics give only one percent
• Divorces stand at an all time high, and financial stress is at the top of the list of causes for this disaster

Remember, not all sharks chomp with massive jaws like the great white shark, ripping away huge chunks of flesh. Some like to nip at you in such a way that you bleed to death slowly. That’s what lenders do when they give you “low, easy payments” that will bleed you for years.

The credit card companies and other lenders hope you’ll take as long as possible to pay off your debts. That’s because they’re gouging you with interest. The longer you take to pay, the more blood they get to suck out of you. I want to help you keep the credit card sharks and bloodsuckers at bay and bring your finances back into balance.

No matter how far in debt you are, I’m confident you can get out of debt in about half the time you think it’ll take. That’ll save you thousands of dollars in interest. And when you’re debt free with an emergency fund, you’ll be able to laugh at money worries. Your money worries will be a thing of the past.

Let me tell you John’s story. John (not his real name) is a good Catholic fireman who got deep in debt on credit cards. He was so ashamed of his credit card mess that he hid the bills from his wife. Instead of opening and paying his credit card bills at home, he did his bills at the firehouse.

John got sick and tired of being sick and tired about his money worries. So he joined one of my small groups, followed my simple steps, and turned his situation around. The small group gave John the encouragement and support he needed to shark-proof his finances.

John and his wife now open and pay their bills together on the kitchen table, and they can now laugh at money worries. Their marriage is 100 percent better.

A young couple from Vermilion, Ohio, reduced their huge debt by $22,000 (62%) in the first year of using my program. They wrote me this letter:

“There is a very good chance that our kids would not have a Mommy and a Daddy in the same home tonight if it was not for the work that the Lord is doing through you. Thank you for reaching out to a totally broke (and broken) family that had nowhere to go.”

Imagine for a moment how it would feel not to have any monthly payments: no payments on credit cards balances, no car payments, and no installment payments of any kind. Imagine how it would feel to actually be in control of your finances: to have a spending plan that lets you do exactly what you want with your money. Imagine how it would feel to be able to make big gifts to your loved ones, Church, or favorite charity in cash.

Well, imagine no longer. That’s because you’ll be able to actually enjoy and experience this feeling of financial freedom perhaps twice as fast as you think it’ll take.

Let me send you my new CD “How to be debt free.” In this new CD you’ll discover:

• The best and fastest way to get out of credit card debt without damaging or ruining your credit, even if you think your situation is beyond hope
• How many credit cards you should have – and which one NOT to cancel if you have too many
• Why your credit score is so important today
• How a bad credit score can cost you big money and even prevent you from getting a job or renting an apartment
• How to improve your credit score
• As long as you’re staying within your credit card limits, you’re fine, right? Wrong! Why you should avoid maxing out a card
• The single most dangerous way you can misuse credit cards
• How the amazing “debt accelerator” plan could save you thousands of dollars in interest payments – while improving your credit score!
• The crucial difference between productive and unproductive debt – and why you must avoid the unproductive kind at all cost
• How living your Catholic faith can help you avoid financial pitfalls
• The benefits of plugging into one of my small groups for Catholics who want to get on top of their finances – and how to find such a group
• How to say goodbye to money worries when you apply my simple steps to financial freedom

A FREE set of tools on the Internet to help you get on top of your finances, establish a spending plan, calculate your retirement, etc. You can find these FREE tools at my website (www.veritasfinancialministries.com). Doesn’t cost anything. Not even one thin dime.

• Why car loans keep you from financial freedom – and an easy strategy to avoid car loans forever
• Home equity loans are a good deal, right? Wrong! Why you should almost always avoid taking out a home equity loan
• Do you wonder where your money went? A simple technique to get on top of your spending once and for all
• How to reduce your spending and raise extra cash – ideas you probably haven’t even thought of that could give you more breathing space financially
• Two necessary steps that will help you snap the spine of debt and pay off your balances fast

I founded Veritas Financial Ministries as a non-profit ministry to help people discover what it means to be truly financially free, which includes being free from the bondage of unproductive debt.

As a token of thanks for your tax-deductible gift of $35 or more, I’ll be glad to send you a free copy of my new CD “How to be debt free.” Could you consider making a gift like that? Your gift will help us bring this life-changing message of true financial freedom to others who need it.

Let me send you two copies of my new CD as a token of thanks for your gift of $50 or more? Would a gift like that be possible?

To help your loved ones, you could probably use three copies of my new CD, and I’ll gladly send you three copies for a gift of $100 or more. You could keep one copy for yourself, loan out the second copy, and give the third copy to a loved one as a gift. Could you consider making a gift of $100 or more?

To reach more Catholics and help them avoid disasters like foreclosure, bankruptcy, and even divorce caused by severe financial stress, I also need tax-deductible gifts of $500, $1,000, or even more. If the Lord has blessed you financially, could you consider being a hero by sacrificing a gift in that range? A gift like that would enable me to reach and help a lot of suffering Catholics.

Please send whatever you can to help me reach Catholics with this urgent message. May God reward you, in His own best way.

Yours in Christ,

Phil Lenahan
Founder and President
Veritas Financial Ministries

P.S. Americans are struggling to keep their heads above water financially. Shark-proof your finances today and help me spread this message of true financial freedom. Please send your tax-deductible gift right now.