Improve your credit score, manage debt, and understand how credit works. From credit card usage to debt consolidation and credit repair tips, this section gives you tools to strengthen your financial foundation and regain control of your money.
Many of the companies you have accounts with regularly send your account activity to the credit bureaus. Then, businesses that you want to have an account with you check your credit report to determine whether to approve your application. Here are a few things your credit report says about you. Whether you pay your bills … Read more
Credit and debit cards make it so easy to make purchases, but they also make it easy to overspend. You can go on shopping sprees without ever leaving the comfort of your home. You can pay bills with the click of button. Unless you’ve told your bank not to process overdraft transactions, they won’t stop … Read more
When you start missing payments on your bills, you’ll begin receiving calls and letters asking you to pay for the debt. Depending on how late your payments are, this contact could come from one of two companies: the original creditor or a debt collector. As you may guess, the original creditor is the company who … Read more
The number of places offering free credit scores has increased substantially over the years. It’s easier than ever to get a truly free credit score – that is, one that doesn’t ask you for a credit card number and covertly sign you up for a trial subscription that has to be cancelled. If you use … Read more
Your auto loan payments are one of the most important of your monthly payments. Missing loan payments can have serious consequences for your credit and put you at risk of losing your only source of transportation. After three missed payments, many auto lenders will declare your loan in default and at that point they may … Read more
How much time do you devote to protecting your credit? Believe it or not, many people never think twice about this. Instead, they go about their life, hoping that nothing bad ever happens. Rather than take the risk, here are three simple ways to protect your credit: 1. Keep Your Personal Information Safe This can … Read more
Major corporations are losing massive amounts of consumer information due to data breaches. Most recently, Yahoo reported a breach of more than 500 million accounts. It is the biggest data breach in history (as of September 2016). The impact of having your information exposed in a data breach depends on the type of information stolen. … Read more
No one would knowingly volunteer to be a victim of fraud or identity theft. While you may do your best to keep your financial details safe, you could be unknowingly putting your identity at risk if you do any of these things. Use the same password for all your online accounts. We have dozens of online accounts for … Read more
Student loan debt has grown steadily over the last several years, with the total amount of outstanding debt topping $1.3 trillion according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Many borrowers owe more than $50,000 and some even owe more than $100,000. Dealing with student loan debt can feel overwhelming, but … Read more
Bills. They come each month like clockwork. And like clockwork, we’re supposed to send payment by a specific due date. Companies won’t come to your home and demand payment, but that doesn’t mean that paying late is without consequences. Here are seven reasons you should always pay on time. To avoid late fees. Most companies, … Read more
