When it’s Time to Cancel a Credit Card
From the time we start building credit in our late teens or early 20s, many of us start collecting credit cards. Those credit cards inevitably begin to pile up, quickly overtaking even the most robust wallet. By the time you can hardly sit for the bulk of your billfold, the idea of canceling a card […]
How to Best Use Your Tax Refund to Pay Down Debt
Despite the fact that it starts out as our money in the first place, it’s all too easy to think of your tax refund as “bonus” money. Once you know that check or direct deposit is on its way, you may be tempted to start daydreaming of a new big screen or that oft-postponed family […]
When to Consolidate Credit Card Debt
In the early days of the internet, getting an email was an event. The friendly little voice informed you that, “You’ve got mail!” and we hurried to click the icon and explore our digital deliveries. These days, the novelty of electronic mail has long since worn off, and checking your email tends to be about […]
How to Determine the Cost of a Loan
In a perfect world, everyone would have the cash necessary to self-finance important purchases, and debt would be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, we live in the real world, where borrowing is often a necessary part of everyday financial life. With that being the case, it’s important to understand as much about the borrowing […]
What to Look For in a Loan
If there’s one thing to be said about the modern world of consumer credit, it’s that the product options are abundant. While this is great for consumers looking for a good deal, sometimes there is such a thing as too many options (a dilemma quite familiar to anyone who has had the pleasure of waiting […]
What Lenders Look for on Your Credit Report
At the point in history when lending occurred primarily within families and small communities, many borrowers likely knew their lender — and his or her spouse and children — by name. In those days, your personal creditworthiness likely depended as much on your reputation among your neighbors as it did on your actual financial status.
What is BadCreditLoans.com?
Bad Credit Loans is not a lender. They provide an online form on their website for consumers to complete to see if a lender in their network can offer the consumer a loan. The site’s comprehensive news section alerting consumers to the latest scams, best practices on rebuilding and taking out lines of credit, and […]
Some Credit Cards Don’t Fall Under the CARD Act of 2009
In 2009, Congress passed the CARD Act (officially known as the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009) to protect consumers against excessive interest rates, fees and miscellaneous charges. The act prohibits credit card issuers from initiating fee traps, excessive interest rate hikes on existing balances that create consumer default or retroactive late […]
Don’t Get Scammed by Unethical Loan Companies
Like many people these days, you may be trying hard to do the right thing and pay your bills, but find that you are struggling and your debt load keeps growing. You know that one missed payment will bring your house of cards crashing down and you don’t want that. In conjunction with this, perhaps […]
5 Things That Can Prevent You From Owning a Home
If you’re in the market to buy a home, you’ve probably already started looking around, and you may have even found the home that you believe is the one you’re meant to buy. But what if some unforeseen surprises spring up, surprises that stop your home purchase deal in its tracks? What can possibly go […]
Negotiating With Creditors: Do It Effectively
Negotiating your debt on your own is possible, but there are some basic rules you should follow for best results and to minimize the chances of your getting disorganized or even confused and frustrated during the process. If you are ready to contact your creditors or any collection agencies currently holding accounts of yours, take […]
Credit Card Scams and Gimmicks to Avoid
With credit card issuers loosening their requirements for cardholders once again, consumers now have a number of choices available to them. At the same time, these issuers are offering a variety of gimmicky cards to attract people to their products. The problem is that many of these offers end up being scams, since with them […]
Secrets to Saving Money
If you are looking for ways to make your money go further, you are not alone. No matter how much money you make, it is always a good idea to do things as inexpensively as possible, as you never know what can happen in the future. Many successful people were completely caught off guard when […]
5 Easy Ways to Rebuild Your Credit After Bankruptcy
After filing bankruptcy, one of your main concerns should be repairing your credit. For some consumers, a bankruptcy filing can lead to a sense of hopelessness that can be difficult to escape. Once you come up with a firm credit repair plan, however, you can confidently begin the road back towards financial health. And with […]
5 Ways to Protect Yourself From Online Scams
The Internet has brought the global marketplace right to our fingertips, making it easier than ever to purchase goods and services, do our personal banking, and donate money. Along with this technological convenience, however, also comes the dangers of getting scammed online. Providing unsecured websites with your personal information can put you at risk of […]
Tips for Paying a Loan Off — on Time
In the current economic climate more and more people are being affected by growing debts. Many of these individuals are experiencing difficulty paying off these debts, and this unfortunately is making a bad situation worse, with penalties and fees only adding to the amount owed and consumers seeing their credit rating, which often is already […]
5 Ways to Save on Your Mortgage
Buying real estate has always been one of the best ways to invest your money and build wealth and equity. However, along with home ownership frequently comes hefty mortgage payments that need to be made each and every month. A mortgage is often the biggest debt that a consumer will have in their lifetime. The […]
Identity Theft: How to Fix This, Quickly
Identity theft can be emotionally and financially devastating, and it can take quite a bit of time to sort through everything once you are a victim of this crime. To prevent as much damage from happening as you can, there are steps you need to take immediately if you feel that your identity has been […]
Credit Inquiries: The Difference Between Hard and Soft Inquiries
Many consumers understand that if multiple inquiries about their credit are made to the major credit reporting bureaus, that can have a negative impact on their credit rating. What many people are not aware of, however, is the fact that there are different types of credit inquiries. One type is not likely to produce an […]
When Is the Right Time to Get a Mortgage Loan?
Applying for a mortgage loan is an important decision in a person’s life and is not something that should be taken lightly. Before you apply for a mortgage, make sure that you can afford the monthly payments. While your lender will look at your financial situation to help them decide whether or not they believe […]
5 Things That Maintain a Good Credit Score
There are many things a consumer can do to help them maintain a good credit score. Here are five simple steps to keeping your credit in tip-top shape: 1. Know what a credit score entails. Knowing how a credit score is calculated is key. Your credit score is calculated based on five different things: your […]
Steps to Getting a Home Loan
Buying a house is a major investment, and with the high cost of homes around the country, it usually represents a major outlay of money for a consumer. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that, according to recent statistics, nine out of 10 homebuyers finance their purchase with a mortgage loan. If you are […]
Credit Bureaus: Understand How They Affect You
Credit bureaus are agencies that research and collect consumers’ credit information. In the United States there are three primary credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Utilizing standard computations, these agencies collect information and tabulate it in a numerical equation that results in an individual’s credit score. It is important for you to understand not […]
Why It’s Important for Your Credit to Pay Back Your Loan
Many reasons to apply for a loan exist, with the main one probably being that having this additional money simply allows you to make major purchases without saving up beforehand. Of course, loans eventually need to be paid back, and they generally come with predetermined repayment terms to which you must adhere. Failure to repay […]
Consolidating Your Student Loans
Student loans are considered the next “bubble” the American economy will have to grapple with. As tuition costs continue to climb, the amount of debt that graduating postsecondary students carry is also booming. Recent graduates are emerging with an average loan debt of $27,000. With a difficult job market and heavy average debt load, it […]
Beyond Banks: Other Places Your Credit Matters
Your credit score is a seemingly ethereal number that you likely only think of when you are considering acquiring a credit card or loan. Consumers rarely give much thought to their credit score beyond this sort of scenario. What many people do not understand, however, is how vital maintaining a good credit score is for […]
How Your Credit Score Is Calculated
These days, having a good credit score is key to gaining access to all kinds of things. Because of this, of course, it behooves you to do whatever you can to get your score up as high as possible. And learning exactly how a credit score is calculated is important if you want to know […]
Credit Diversity: How Much Does It Really Matter?
Credit diversity. What is it? Does it really matter? I know, you’re probably thinking, “Credit is credit … right?” The truth, however, is a little more complicated than that. There are actually many different types of credit, and in order to have a higher credit score and get lower interest rates on loans, you need […]