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7 things the credit card companies don't want you to know.

7 Things the Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You To Know

By | Consumer Knowledge, Credit Cards, Credit Reporting, Interest Rates, Rebuilding Credit | No Comments

Your minimum payment is meant to keep you in debt. A minimum payment is generally calculated as 2-3% of your balance, or 1% of your balance plus interest and fees. This minimum payment is specifically calculated to maximize the amount of interest you pay, and the length of your repayment. Keep in mind, the interest you pay is profit for…

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Is a credit monitoring service worth the cost?

Is a credit monitoring service worth the cost?

By | Bad Credit, Consumer Knowledge, Credit Reporting, Credit Score, FICO, Rebuilding Credit | No Comments

Credit monitoring: What it is and why you may or may not need it. Credit monitoring services are deployed primarily to keep an eye on your credit profile, including your credit report and credit score. It can be treated as an early warning system of any potential fraud that can prevent further damage. Lately, monitoring services are becoming increasingly popular….

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How debt-to-income factors into lending decisions.

How debt-to-income factors into lending decisions.

By | Bad Credit, Consumer Knowledge, Credit Reporting, Credit Score, Debt to Income, FICO, Rebuilding Credit | No Comments

Lenders look at more than just your credit score, including your debt-to-income. A strong foundation for financial health lies in maintaining your debts at a manageable level. The general idea being to keep yourself in a positive equity position when looking at your debt-to-income ratio. While your debt to income ratio doesn’t directly affect your credit score, it is an…

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Balance transfer: Beating high interest rates or path to perpetual debt?

By | Credit Cards, Credit Reporting, Credit Score, FICO, Interest Rates, Rebuilding Credit | No Comments

The balance transfer game can be fun, until you lose the game. A credit card balance transfer is a common way of avoiding interest rates. This is done by frequently moving your debt to new sources, chasing low introductory rates. While this can be an effective way to avoid excessive interest rates, it can be equally dangerous. For consumers with…

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Avoid debt by teach money management early.

Avoid debt by teaching money management early.

By | Consumer Knowledge, Credit Reporting, Credit Score, FICO, financial advice, Unsecured Debt | No Comments

Save early for a better later. The whole world revolves around money. unfortunate, but all too often the case. When you’re young, you quickly spend money without giving a second thought to the possibility of adverse effects. You’re certainly not thinking of how to avoid debt. It’s essential that children are educated about the value of money, so they understand…

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Using secured credit to rebuild your score

Rebuilding with secured credit. One of many tools consumers should use.

By | Bad Credit, Consumer Knowledge, Credit Cards, Credit Reporting, Credit Score, FICO, Rebuilding Credit | No Comments

Unsecured credit step aside, secured credit is here to help rebuild.  Times are tough for the general population’s credit. Even those who enjoyed easy approvals and low interest rates in years past are starting to feel the crunch. The reality is, your credit card or other unsecured debt always catches up to you. When this happens, we enter a rebuilding…

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Credit reporting in countries outside the US

How does credit reporting work outside of America?

By | Consumer Knowledge, Credit Reporting, Credit Score, FICO, Interest Rates | No Comments

Credit reporting at home and abroad. A great deal of attention is put on the three-digit credit score that summarizes your creditworthiness. Have you ever wondered how the credit reporting system came to be? Or, what are the credit systems in different countries in the world? Do you need to rebuild credit if you move to a new country? Let’s…

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Should I pay off olc collections first or focus on new debt

Should my old collections accounts be paid off first or focus on current debt?

By | collections, Consumer Knowledge, Credit Score, FICO, financial advice, Rebuilding Credit, Unsecured Debt | No Comments

What exactly are old collections? When an account becomes severely past due, the account is turned over to collections by the creditor. This generally occurs between 60 and 180 days of being overdue. The creditor will either pass it on to their in-house collections department, or sell the debt to a an outside collection agency. The collection agency then become…

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Why do I have to pay a deposit on everything? How can I improve my credit?

I have to pay a deposit on everything: What can I do to improve my credit?

By | Bad Credit, Consumer Knowledge, Credit Score, FICO, financial advice, Interest Rates, Rebuilding Credit | No Comments

Independence can be great, but not when you have to pay a deposit on everything! The task of landing in your dream apartment doesn’t end with just signing a lease notice, paying the rent, and shifting your things. You also have to set up some or all of your utilities. These include Electricity, Water, gas, sewer, and TV/Internet, etc. Are…

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Make sure your extra payments are going to the principle balance

How do I ensure my extra payments are going to the principal and not interest?

By | Consumer Knowledge, Credit Cards, Credit Score, financial advice, Interest Rates, Rebuilding Credit | No Comments

Make sure your extra payments go to the principle and not the interest. In order to pay off your loan sooner, you ought to make extra payments towards your principal balance. Most people are not aware that extra payments do not always go directly to the principal, but are applied to the interest instead. Remember, the interest is the lenders…

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