Hundreds of people have already taken Lending Club's DebtBuster challenge and are on their way to pay off their debt once and for all...  and we still have 2 more weeks to go!

Help us get the word out and win a nifty t-shirt or some of the other cool Lending Club merchandise we got.  We have hundreds to give away... so get yours now.

What's Lending Club's DebBuster Challenge?
Right before the Christmas break, Lending Club announced our DebtBuster Challenge, in partnership with 5 of the best "DebtBuster” bloggers, to offer advice and encourage those with credit card and personal debt to commit to getting rid of it.  And this is the perfect time: most Americans turn their attention to their finances during the aftermath of the holiday season, just in time for the tax season.

How I Can I Spread the Word and Win?
From Friday, January 15 through Sunday, January 31, 2010, we will give away 1 Lending Club t-shirt for every 10 tweets.  All you need to do is:

1. Follow @LendingClub
2. Tweet a link to this post or to any DebtBuster article (List of articles here)
3. Include the hashtag #DebtBuster (so we can find your tweet)

That's it! Can't get any simpler than that can it?  Winners will be announced daily at 10am PT. Lending Club reserves the right to not consider tweets or twitter account that present suspicious and fraudulent behavior at our sole discretion.

6 sample tweets that will get you in:

>Take @LendingClub's #DebtBuster Challenge http://bit.ly/7WPGNn

>"Debt Consolidation – It Can Work" http://bit.ly/8VuqHu by #DebtBuster @MattJabs challenge

>"9 Rules To Get Out Of Debt" http://bit.ly/5lqj7A by #DebtBuster @DebtKid

>"Start the Decade Off Right: Pay Off Debt" http://bit.ly/8x4zYh by #DebtBuster @flexo

>"A Place to Get Real Loans to Consolidate Debt" http://bit.ly/6FWFC1 by #DebtBuster @GetOutOfDebtGuy

>"Debt Solutions To Break Out Of The Debt Cycle" http://bit.ly/8seGNH by #DebtBuster @TheDigeratiLife

Tweet often and good luck!
@RobGarciaSJ

Have you taken the Lending Club DebtBuster challenge yet? If not, we are happy to announce we are extending it until the end of the month.

Right before the Christmas break, Lending Club announced our DebtBuster Challenge, in partnership with 5 of the best "DebtBuster” bloggers, to offer advice and encourage those with credit card and personal debt to commit to getting rid of it.  And this is the perfect time: most Americans turn their attention to their finances during the aftermath of the holiday season, just in time for the tax season.

Lending Club offers a way out of debt: a no-hassle fixed rate personal loan at interest rates that are typically lower than those of a personal loan from a bank or credit cards.

Read up on How to Manage Your Debt
Our DebtBuster bloggers have been compiling some interesting write ups on how to consolidate, manage and reduce your current debt.  Here is a round up of these articles:

Flexo @ Consumerism Commentary writes

"Free Gifts From Lending Club’s DebtBuster Challenge"

"Start the Decade Off Right: Pay Off Debt"

Matt @ Debt Free Adventure writes

"Debt Help – The Lending Club DebtBuster Challenge"

"Debt Consolidation – It Can Work"

DK @ DebtKid writes

"Bust’ A Debt"

"9 Rules To Get Out Of Debt"

Steve the GetOutOfDebtGuy writes

"Take the DebBuster Challenge and Get Free Stuff from LendingClub.com"

"Can I Get a Personal Debt Consolidation Loan?"

"Lending Club - A Place to Get Real Loans to Consolidate Debt"

"I'm Lending Money to People So They Can Consolidate Their Debt"

"Where Can I Go to Get a Consolidation Loan with a Better Interest Rate?"

Silicon Valley Blogger @ TheDigeratiLife writes

"Become Debt Free Faster With The Lending Club DebtBuster Challenge"

"Use A Debt Consolidation Calculator, See How To Erase Debt Faster"

"Debt Solutions To Break Out Of The Debt Cycle"

Lending Club is excited to announce that we have partnered with 5 of the best "DebtBuster” bloggers to offer advice and encourage those with credit card and personal debt to commit to getting rid of it during this holiday season.

If you’re like most Americans, you probably have more than $5,000 in credit card debt, according to Experian, a credit reporting agency.  The Federal Reserve also confirms American’s infatuation with debt: the size of the total consumer debt grew nearly five times in size from 1980 ($355 billion) to 2001 ($1.7 trillion). Consumer debt in 2009 now stands at $2.5 trillion.

Lending Club offers a way out of debt: a no-hassle fixed rate personal loan at interest rates that are typically lower than those of a personal loan from a bank or credit cards.

Take the DebtBuster Challenge
Take your credit cards or outstanding loans and find out their balances and rates.  Check your rate for free at Lending Club and compare the rate you got.  Chances are it would be lower.  If you can commit to the monthly payment, you can pay off your debt in 3 years or less!   It's that simple.

So take the Lending Club DebtBuster Challenge.  Get a better rate at Lending Club. Commit to getting out of debt.

As a little extra incentive, we’ll send you a nifty Lending Club t-shirt or back pack when you list your loan at Lending Club from one of our blogging partners below.

Read up on How to manage your debt
Starting today until January 15th, our amazing DebtBuster blogging partners will be writing about how to consolidate, manage and reduce your current debt.  Don’t miss out on this useful series or articles from the following folks:

Flexo @ Consumerism Commentary

Matt @ Debt Free Adventure

DK @ DebtKid

Steve the GetOutOfDebtGuy

Silicon Valley Blogger @ TheDigeratiLife

For the remainder of 2009 and to celebrate this holiday season: Lending Club will give each investor you refer $64.62 to start peer investing.

Why $64.62?... that's odd!
According to FDIC’s Quarterly Data Profile, banks made $6.462 billion in profits last quarter and we doubt you, your friends, your family or colleagues got a piece of that action.  With Lending Club, you do!

How do I spread the wealth?
Log into your investor account and invite your friends from there.  You are sure to bring a smile to somebody's face and perhaps you may get away with making this your holiday gift.

Not a member yet?  Join Lending Club and start investing like a bank.

Lending Club, the world leader in peer to peer lending (based on loans issued each month in 2009), eliminates the high cost and complexity of traditional banking and gives investors direct access to better returns: 9.67% on average (as of Dec 10, 2009).  Lending Club notes are offered by prospectus filed with the SEC.

According to Bankrate.com, banks are currently offering three year CD's at average returns of 2.3% as well as high-yield savings or money market accounts at average returns of 1.07%

So don't invest with a bank, invest like a bank.

Promotion details
The special referral bonus program begins December 3, 2009. Referrals must use your special code between 12.03.09 and 12.31.09 at midnight in order to qualify for the $64.62 bonus. Your invitee must complete registration as a Lending Club investor and link a bank account in order to receive the bonus funds. Bonus funds may not be withdrawn and must be invested in Lending Club notes. Funds received may be taxable, please consult with your tax advisor. Recipient is responsible for all taxes, if any, due.

We spend a lot of time reminding ourselves (and teaching our children) to say "Thank you!".   More often than not, this comes out of a need to be polite and respectful as the basis for human interactions.    This is fantastic and we should keep it up, but if you are like me, you have probably caught yourself saying "thank you" as a routine,  almost a (good) habit, but not a heartfelt show of gratitude.

That's why this Thanksgiving and Holiday season, we really want to thank our members for creating such a wonderful community that has propelled Lending Club and peer-to-peer lending to what we are today: a thriving financial alternative to the traditional banking industry and the world leading peer lending site.

We are also honored to be sponsoring an amazing event:  TweetsGiving 2009: changing the world through GRATITUDE.

Epic Change launched the original TweetsGiving last year and raised over $10,000 to build a classroom in Arusha, Tanzania.  This year, they are shooting for a groundswell of gratitude to build a technology lab at the same school, and we are more than happy to participate.  You can read more about their story here.

I encourage you to join the TweetsGiving Silicon Valley party tonight at Rosie McCann's Irish Pub in Santana Row, and perhaps you may score a LendingClub t-shirt!  More details about this event here.

Hope to see you there!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
@robgarciasj