United First Financial Helping People Get Ahead
by Bernie Smith
United First Financial is a company that provides a program to help the homeowners. The average person that is paying a mortgage payment that too high with an even higher interest rate. They are a company that has a goal to help the American homeowner reach their financial goals of getting out of debt. The company has a plan that will enable the homeowner to reduce interest and will pay their homes off at a much faster pace. They do this by utilizing banking strategies, which have been used for years.
The ways it works in brief summary is a qualified homeowner will use a Money Merge Account Sysytem that can pay off their 30-year mortgage within 1/3 to 1/2 the times of a traditional 30-year mortgage. And they do without the customers having to change their spending habits and they do it without increasing the monthly mortgage payment. I had a talk with Mr. Michael Watkins who is a representative from UFF in a interview.
GMM: Can you tell us how God has changed your life forever?
Michael: To me it's a miracle? I grew up in Richmond, VA as a little boy. My mother and father were alcoholics which lead to my father leaving when I was six. However, I always thought life was pretty normal. You know with kids, if you have food, shelter, and friends to play with the world is beautiful. It was in my early teens I found the taste of beer was better that anything I had ever tasted. Yes, I was an alcoholic too which led to smoking grass, and you name it. After high school I set out on my own working construction and was making a good living but the beer drinking and pot smoking followed me. It was a way of life to me and seemed pretty normal. In my early thirties I started wondering why I wasn't married with a family and why did life seem unfulfilled and difficult all the time.
Then a friend from work invited me to The Clearwater Christian Center and my life changed. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord a savior and was baptized. I stopped drinking and smoking (Which I never thought I would or could do). I started to hang out with new friends and my life and circumstances started to change little by little. I was shown favor in many areas of my life. The Lord sent me my wife who is a Preachers kid; (She has been a Rock for me) we have three beautiful daughters and five grandchildren. The Lord has provided not only a spiritual family but also a new earthly family. My new family name is "Grampy".
GMM: How did you get involved in United First Financial?
Michael: In June of 2007 a Christian brother from Orlando, FL called me about the program. He told me he and his wife had put the system to work on their house and what it was doing for them. I have to be honest, it was very hard to believe at first but after I was educated on banking math and studied my own personal analysis I quickly saw that this was what America has needed for the last 50 years. Still skeptical Annie and I drove from Florida to Atlanta, GA (9hrs) and stayed three days listening to the principles of the company talk about the company and their vision. Once Pastor Tony Pitman from Jubilee Ministries spoke about how he and some other independent agents were using the business model to bless the Church, Ministry, and Non-Profits I knew the Lord was leading me in this direction.
GMM: Can you tell us a brief history of UFF.
Michael: The two young principles of United First Financial have two things in common. They have been friends since 2 years of age and both of their families went through "Foreclosure". As you can imagine that leaves its mark on young folks, the embarrassment, shame, etc. After college they both thought a good way to help people was to become mortgage brokers. They soon found they were helping folks get into their homes but sometimes hurting them financially by creating too much debt.
In 2003 they began to search for something that would truly help the American home owners. After looking at a model that is still currently used by The Royal Bank of Scotland (The oldest bank in the world) they invested over 2 million dollars and acquired the services of GE aeronautical engineers to help develop a software system that would change forever how American's pay off their mortgage and consumer debt.
They launched the program to 400 home owners in February 2005 and after a year of testing, 96% of those participants were either on or ahead of their projected payoff in paying off their debt. That was the point when they new without a doubt this was a home run and started to market the product and service. Today, about every 18 minutes a new MMA (Money Merge Account) customer signs up. We have recently expanded our services into Canada and as you can imagine this program can be designed for any currency in the world since this is only math.
GMM: Why are so many Christians having a hard time with getting out of debt?
Michael: The Bible says we live in this world but are not of this world, meaning we do not conform to the world's habits and customs we just live here. Well? in this great country, in this time, we are all bombarded with commercials and advertising telling us we all need the newest and best of everything. Yes, there some very nice items to make life easier, and as technology advances we are sure to see even more amazing things to come but we have started to worship these (Earthly God's) to the point we are spending more than we make. Many Christians have no budget from which to make informed decisions about their spending habits and when the bill comes in the mail we say oh my gosh!, what have I done.
GMM: What are some ways to help the Church from getting members out of debt?
Michael: A good budget is the first step that needs to be taken. We need to understand how much is coming in and going out of our accounts every month. I have family planning budget software that I will be sending Grace and Mercy Magazine free to give to all of their readers. Once we have the budget under control I can help folks accelerate their debt pay off very rapidly.
GMM: How can this program benefit the Church?
Michael: Well I'll be real honest here and pull from my own personal experience. I have been faced with either keeping the electric on or giving to God that week and God got left out. The same thing goes for the car, food, medical expenses, etc. Yes, I have cheated God out of my first fruits. I say this with shame and regret for my trust in Him, but it's the truth.
So I don't think I was too different than other folks in debt and if we can get the Church members on financial track, that will Bless the Church with more consistent tithing not to mention create love offerings from every UFF agent involved with that particular Church, and possibly create income opportunities for the Church members.
GMM: What are your future plans for your Ministry?
Michael: I have a vision to create an army sold out for Jesus Christ to start helping God's people and ministry all over the USA and Canada with the Money Merge Account business model and to change thousands of lives in this generation and future generations. You see money management has now been made so easy that with a little discipline anyone can become debt free and retire with dignity and security.
Imagine what a church could do with $100k, $200k, $300k or more of interest they did not have to pay to a lender and the same can apply for the home owner. The point is there is a better way and I feel it is my calling to help to empower all of those who are willing to work on His behalf to create financial freedom for the Kingdom of God. We need to break the chains of debt binding our people and free ourselves from this bondage and stress that is wrecking marriages and families. I see this as a gift from God and a responsibility as well to spread the news.
Thank you Grace and Mercy Magazine for the opportunity to share this message with your readers and I look forward to helping many families, brothers and sisters, and Churches financially.
If you would like to try out the free software here: www.freebudgettips.info
Micheal Watkins
District Manager for United First Financial
www.DiscoverMoneyMerge.com/Watkins
1-(727)-785-3283 Office
1-(727)-243-6467 Cell
1-(727)-781-7656
Mailing Address:
1334 Tampa Road, Suite 502
Palm Harbor, Florida 34683