Book excerpt: Financial Fresh Start sifts through the jargon of significant but little-understood changes to the US financial landscape--including the Dodd-Frank Act, the Making Home Affordable program, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau--to shed light on financial reforms and, ultimately, help you reach your financial goals. By taking a big-picture lens to a wide spectrum of money matters, the book provides answers to questions such as: How can you repair your credit quickly and avoid high costs? What are the safest places for saving and investing? Can you legally avoid repaying what you owe? Will your home ever be worth what you paid for it? Is there life after foreclosure? Are you missing out on programs that can put money in your pockets? And is it possible to make up for recent losses and still retire on time? By learning all this and more, and by gaining a deeper understanding of what the new rules and reforms really mean, readers will find the motivation to shake off their malaise and make significant financial changes. Through the application of Shari Olefson’s sound legal, financial, and real estate expertise, those changes will not only result in positive financial decisions--they’ll lead to greater financial freedom.Your credit, savings, employment benefits, real estate value, and investments can be complex and confusing. But successful navigation of financial systems isn’t just for major corporations and the mega-wealthy whose professionals keep them abreast of significant changes. The expert guidance and practical solutions found in Financial Fresh Start offer readers an unprecedented opportunity to right their finances today and improve their outlook for the future.