Jen Lee ~ Debt & Credit Attorney

 

 

Jen Grondahl Lee is a debt and credit strategy attorney. She helps her clients examine their financial situations and provide long-term solutions for reducing debt and stress in their lives. Sometimes, the solution is bankruptcy, but oftentimes, there are other solutions we can work through to get back on track. She has been featured in articles in Consumer Affairs, US News & World Report, and various websites relating to credit, debt, and bankruptcy. Jen’s former podcast on debt therapy reached thousands with her important message. ​She has two daughters who, along with her, are involved in several dog rescue organizations.

 

 

 

Most Popular Topics:

The Elephant in the Room: How Financial Stress is Destroying Productivity, Relationships, and Health

There is a problem that is taking over all generations in America. It’s the elephant in every room, on every social media page, and in every workplace. No one wants to talk about debt, credit, or financial problems and it’s creating problems in all areas of life. Jen, along with her elephant, Bernadebt (Burn-A-Debt), brings this topic to the forefront so that we can all understand why not talking about it is the biggest problem.

  • Productivity – did you know that employees spend over 150 hours a year of company time working on their own personal financial issues? Financial stress costs companies $7,000 per year, per employee.
  • Relationships – money is the leading cause of divorce and relationship problems. One of the biggest problems? No one talks about it. We’re going to talk about it!
  • Health – 70% of illnesses are caused by stress. Finances are the number one cause of stress. Your debt and credit problems are literally making you sick. Let’s talk about solutions.

This talk is an innovative approach that examines several typical financial situations and points out a glaring disconnect in our society. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.

Don’t Stress: Tips to Avoid Common Financial Mistakes and Scams during COVID-19 

All too often, there is misinformation (or worse, bad information) out there that people use to make financial decisions, especially in today’s world of COVID-19. Using misinformation results in financial mistakes that can take years to fix. In this talk, participants get an overview of several areas that can cause financial stress these days and how to avoid making costly mistakes: 

  • Credit scores: how they work, when someone should care, and misconceptions.
  • Debt: good and bad moves to make, identifying scams, and getting the right information.
  • Student loans: options for student loans, taking on student loans for children or other family members, and how to plan.

What’s My Number? Strategies for Understanding and Improving Credit Scores

Credit scores are often a mystery, with lots of misinformation circulating. During this talk, Jen covers intentional actions to take to improve your credit score, understand what affects the score (and what does not), along with strategies for improving common issues related to credit. Credit scores can play a large part in the interest rates you get on mortgages, car loans, even insurance premiums, so making the most of your credit score can save you thousands of dollars.

  • Information – credit reports and scoring. What are the best ways to get a credit report?
  • Actions – reading the report and understanding what goes into the score. Are you doing things that lower your score?
  • Future – planning for future needs. How long is this going to take?

This program busts the myths and common misconceptions out there with useful information that can immediately be applied to almost any situation.

Debt and Credit Issues: Am I Alone?

The Facebook phenomenon. You go on Facebook and everyone is talking about how great their lives are. Where they went on vacation, what new car they bought, where their kids are going to college. No one is posting about their financial problems. If they do, friends may try to cheer them up briefly, but people tend to hide “negativity” from their feeds. It can be very isolating to think that there is no one out there struggling with finances. In this talk, Jen shares several stories of common debt and credit problems people face and the types of solutions that are out there. Many of her clients would have been much better off getting advice a lot earlier, but they were scared and didn’t realize all the traps out there.

Stories include:

  • The senior citizen vs. the debt settlement company. Scams, fraud, and lies told to a 73-year-old woman to get her to sign the contract.
  • The working professional vs. the pennies on the dollar internet tax resolution company. Why people turn to late night TV and the internet to solve debt and tax problems.
  • The millennial (and her parents) vs. student loans. Really, what can you do with $150,000 in student loans and a bachelor’s degree in _____?

This is a frank talk designed to put the audience into the shoes of most Americans. The point of the discussion is to ultimately figure out that we’re not alone and that there are all kinds of solutions out there if you know where to look.

The Elephant in the Workplace: Employee Financial Stress

$7,000 per year per employee! That’s what the Department of Labor estimates that employers are losing every year due to employees’ financial stress. The elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about is the impact employee financial stress has on the company’s bottom line.

During this talk, we discuss:

  • The magnitude of the problem.
  • The real disconnect in the workplace.
  • How to identify when it’s happening in your company.
  • What to do to recapture $7,000/year/employee.


Conversation Starters:

  • What is the story behind your elephant, Bern-a-debt?
  • What are the mistakes that you see people make with their finances?
  • How can someone set themselves up for financial success, even if they have made mistakes in the past?
  • What kinds of scams are out there that people often fall for with finances?
  • When should someone start saving for retirement?
  • Do you see any differences in generations with finances and the stigma of financial issues?
  • What are some of the common misconceptions about credit scores?
  • Do you have a budgeting tool that you recommend for everyone?
  • What is debt settlement and is that better than bankruptcy?
  • What do you wish people understood more about bankruptcy?

 

Partial List of Previous Speaking Engagements:

  • Absolute Trust Roundtable
  • REAL (Real Estate Alliance of Livermore)
  • BNI (Business Network International)
  • ABWA/BABEN (Am Biz Women’s Assoc/Bay Area Biz Express Network)
  • Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce
  • San Mateo Chamber of Commerce
  • FENG (Financial Executives Networking Group) San Francisco
  • ProVisors San Ramon
  • Rotary Clubs (District 5130): Napa, Napa Sunrise, and Rohnert Park-Cotati
  • Rotary Clubs (District 5150):  Belmont, Mission San Rafael, and Mill Valley
  • Rotary Clubs (District 5160):  El Cerrito, Alamo, Benicia, Solano Sunset, Diablo View, Pleasanton North, Richmond, Vacaville, and Danville/Sycamore Valley
  • Rotary Clubs (District 5170):  Fremont, Alameda, San Leandro, Almaden Valley, Campbell, Santa Clara, Los Gatos Morning, Cupertino, Dublin, Niles Fremont, Hollister, Hayward, Mountain View, and Livermore Valley
  • Asian Business Alliance
  • VREN (Valley Real Estate Network)
  • Keller Williams Tri-Valley Real Estate
  • Solano Association of Realtors
  • AIMM (Alameda INFORUM & Marketing Meeting) Bay East
  • Experience Unlimited Contra Costa
  • Marin Professionals
  • Security Pacific Real Estate
  • GGBC (Golden Gate Breakfast Club)
  • Successful Thinkers Network – Alameda
  • Kiwanis Clubs: Petaluma, San Jose, Healdsburg, Napa, Greater Napa, and San Ramon Valley
  • CSIX Connect
  • SING (St. Isidore Networking Group)
  • SIR Branches: 76 Santa Rosa, 4 San Francisco, 68 San Rafael, 5 Mountain View, 38 Mt. Hamilton/San Jose, 62 Sunnyvale, 16 Redwood City, 39 Garden City/San Jose, and 32 San Jose
  • ​OBAOR (Oakland Berkeley Association of Realtors)
  • Silicon Valley Networking Group
  • Lawyer Business Advantage Client Summit
  • Virtue Realty Tracy
  • TCMC (Tri-Cities Marketing Council)

 

Partial List of Previous Podcasts:

Your Partner in Success Radio with Denise Griffitts
The Mark Struczewski Podcast
Real Estate Investing For Women with Moneeka Sawyer
The One Big Tip Podcast with Jeff Mendelson
Center Stage with John Hinson
The Business Power Hour with Deb Krier
Money Loves Women with Dr. Deborah Ekstrom
PROFIT With A Plan with Marcia Riner
Succeed Against the Odds with Francesca Anastasi
Savvy Business, Life Unscripted with Christina Rivera
Leadership and Business with Dr. Ken White
Absolute Trust Talk with Kirsten Howe
Health and Wellness University with Fernando Flores
I Know a Lawyer with Ryan Lockhart/McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP
Lawyer Business Advantage with Alay Yajnik
Get the Balance Right Podcast with Heather Zeitzwolfe
Divas, Diamonds, & Dollars with Larisa Troche

 

Rave Reviews:

“Jen makes a scary topic seem less scary. She shares a message of hope!”
~ Craig Adams, Speaker Chair, Golden Gate Breakfast Club

“I invited Jen Lee to present to a group of allied professionals on the topic “Are You or Your Employees Dealing with Financial Stress?” Jen’s expertise and perspective are unique and extend well beyond bankruptcy. The presentation was thorough, well-organized, and extremely engaging, generating a lively discussion among the participants. The emphasis on the range of alternatives to bankruptcy was extremely helpful for my audience and their clients, and I strongly recommend Jen Lee as a speaker.”
~ Kirsten Howe, Esq., Founder and Managing Partner,  Absolute Trust Counsel

“I have had the pleasure of hearing Jen speak in person and in virtual settings. She does not disappoint! She always shares current and relevant information vital to her audience – both personally and professionally. My clients always have questions about credit in the home buying process, and she equips me to offer them sound guidance to information and resources that will help them achieve their goals.”
~ Sharon Bohoman, Speaker Chair, ABWA/BABEN

“OUTSTANDING***** Professionalism + Knowledge + Expertise = Jen Lee”
~ John Rehnberg, Program Chair, Fremont Rotary

“Jen’s presentation was outstanding! Jen was very engaging and everyone was absolutely listening with interest to her presentation. She is truly a leading expert on debt, credit, and financial stress and gave us great ideas on how to rebuild after a financial disaster.”
~ Maria Mengotti, President, East Sacramento Rotary Club

“Our Rotary club very much enjoyed Jen Lee’s presentation on Identity Theft. Her approach is clear, concise and very much about empowering people to take specific steps to protect or clean up their personal information.”
~ Morgan Mack-Rose, Program Chair, San Leandro Rotary

“I believe she did an outstanding job! The handouts were very informative. Also, it was very obvious she was well versed in the subject matter of identity theft.”
~ Andre Lewis, Program Chair, Benicia Rotary

“Jen was very personable and shared her very interesting presentation about identity theft and other digital security threats. It was very topical. We’ve had experiences before where it felt like the speaker was trying to sell us something. No so with Jen, she ONLY added value!”
~ Brian Dodd, Program Chair, Rotary Napa Sunrise

“Jen is well versed in the area of fraud and provides excellent examples of how to safeguard financial transitions and well as Social Security number. She delivers her discussion very professionally with some humor as well.”
~ Bob Fox, Little Sir, SIR Branch 4 San Francisco

 

Website: www.JenLeeLaw.com

Whitepapers:

Employees Are Assets Program
The Elephant in the Room