How to Avoid Contracts That Are Toxic

Are you about to sign a contract? Ann-Margaret Carrozza, author of “Love & Money,” joins The Doctors to share tips on how to spot and avoid contracts that are toxic.

Nursing home contracts: Ann-Margaret says one type of contract to watch out for is anything related to nursing homes. She explains that 29 states impose legal responsibility on an adult child to pay for nursing home costs. She recommends making sure your elders have made long-term care part of their estate planning and she also suggests to sign as your elder’s power of attorney and not to sign personally for anything related to their nursing home care.

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Consumer contracts: She says avoid contracts that ask for you to pay for an entire service upfront. She says paying before a job is completed will hinder your ability to negotiate if the work or service is not up to par.

Gym memberships: She tells The Doctors that when she went to end her membership that her gym asked her to send a written letter and required her to send the letter 3 months before to quitting. She suggests making sure you are aware of how to terminate your membership before joining.

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Co-signing a loan: When a loved one asks you to co-sign a loan, she reminds us that when you co-sign that amount goes on your credit score. She suggests asking the lender to notify you when payments are made on loans that you have co-signed.