Halloween might not be the scariest thing this October.

This October, while all the kids will be going trick or treating, the adults will wonder just how much of their candy purchases should they put on the already full credit card. The scariest part about this holiday is that the fun must go on, but someone will have to pay.

In the past few weeks I actually heard consumers telling me that they cannot settle with their creditors because they must spend money on Halloween celebration. I cannot seem but to wonder, if this is what's happening in October, just what kind of a holiday season do we have to look forward to November and December?

Couple of days ago when mediating a Discover Bank case for over $19,000 I discovered that the creditors also use the same excuse. They did not want to cut the costs due to the approaching holiday, citing the need for more cash flow due to the exponential loss of settlement. Don't even ask about stipulated judgments, apperently no one trust each other anymore - period.

So, boo! And I hope your Halloween goes debt free.

HAPPY SAFE HALLOWEEN!

Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. ~From Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo is right, we really try not to go in anywhere where it is scary, spooky or forbidden, but then why do we always like to bring our matters into court? When asked, the majority of people is terrified of standing in front of the judge - terrified. And even so, we still end our major arguments with the simple phrase of , "I'll sue you!" Why not change that to, "Let's mediate?" I admit, it does not sound as cool or as threatening, but is being threatening to someone really our goal in a dispute. The goal is to settle our differences in a civilized and understanding manor. So if for one night of Halloween the dead and alive alike can roam in harmony, why can't we as humans resolve our everyday conflicts in a non-adversarial manner?

Happy Halloween everyone!