What You Should Know about Experian

[E]xperian is one of the three major credit reporting agencies for the US. It is the newest, formed in 1996. It also happens to be the biggest of the three with around 220 million consumers included and 25 million businesses.
What Experian Does
Just like with the other two credit reporting...
What You Should Know about Experian

Is Your Credit Ready for the Holidays?

Credit often becomes even more important or a bigger hindrance around the holidays. It can either make your holidays better because you can spend more, or it can limit how much you have to spend if you have bad credit or none at all. Here are some ways to make sure your credit is ready for this...
Is Your Credit Ready for the Holidays?

How to Avoid Common Holiday Gimmicks to Protect Your Credit (and Why You Should)

[R]etailers look at the holiday season as their time to make money and make up for any struggles from the rest of the year. They work to come up with all kinds of ways to bring in new business during this season. However, not all marketing ploys and gimmicks are good for you or for your credit....
How to Avoid Common Holiday Gimmicks to Protect Your Credit (and Why You Should)

What Happens to Your Store Credit Card When the Store Closes

[S]tore credit cards are nice for a lot of users. They often come with special perks and rewards. You may get an added discount or special coupons on sales. You may gain points that can be used towards purchases. However, these benefits only work as long as your store is open. What happens to...
What Happens to Your Store Credit Card When the Store Closes

How Business Credit Cards Affect Your Credit Score

[B]usiness credit cards are a great option for people who own a small business. It allows them to use credit to pay for purchases or expenses when they have limited or delayed cash flow. It also makes it easier to keep personal and business expenses separate.
You should know that if your...
How Business Credit Cards Affect Your Credit Score

Reasons Why Your Credit Application May be Rejected Even with Excellent Credit

[I]f you have been told you have excellent credit or your credit score is in the upper 700s or even 800, you may think the sky’s the limit on applications. You get a wake-up call when a creditor tells you that your application has been rejected. How could this happen to someone with...
Reasons Why Your Credit Application May be Rejected Even with Excellent Credit

Reasons Why an Online Bank Can Help Your Financial Status (and Your Credit)

If you’re like most people, you get into trouble with your credit because you don’t have enough money to pay the bills on time. You may live too close to the max of your budget or have too many unexpected expenses come up. If this sounds like you, then you’ll want to look for ways to get more...
Reasons Why an Online Bank Can Help Your Financial Status (and Your Credit)

Why Your Credit Score Matters If You’re a College Student

[Y]ou don’t have much money and any you do have goes towards paying your college expenses. You may wonder why a credit score even matters at this stage of your life. If you haven’t given it much thought before, you need to become aware of it now.
Your Future Depends On It
Your credit rating...
Why Your Credit Score Matters If You’re a College Student

What You Should Know about Credit and Car Insurance

[I]f you have poor credit, you probably know it will impact your ability to get a credit card or loan. However, it can also influence how much you will pay for car insurance. The connection between credit rating and car insurance may seem odd to consumers, but it is an essential combination for...
What You Should Know about Credit and Car Insurance

What You Need to Know about Disputing Information on Your Credit Report

[I]f you check your credit reports, there is a good chance that you might find an error. Statistics show that one in five credit reports contain errors. That’s not good news for consumers who rely on credit reports for new credit and loans. However, you can dispute any errors and get them...
What You Need to Know about Disputing Information on Your Credit Report

What You Must Consider about Consolidating Debt

[Y]ou have a hard time keeping track of the bills you have to pay. With multiple credit cards and more than one loan, it’s a wonder you keep it all straight. You may wonder if a debt consolidation loan is right for you. Before you go this route and try to find a way to consolidate your loans,...
What You Must Consider about Consolidating Debt

Understanding What Charged-off Means

[I]f you’ve looked at your credit report recently, you may have noticed that an account says Charged Off. You may not be sure what that means for you and for your credit score. It’s an important term you should understand to help you improve your credit score.
A creditor will charge off your...
Understanding What Charged-off Means

Start Saving for the Holidays Now

[I]n reality, you should have a savings plan all year long for the holiday season. However, it’s never too late to start. Whether you buy gifts for a lot of people, host dinners or just go out and enjoy all of the holiday activities, it usually costs a lot of money during this time of year....
Start Saving for the Holidays Now

How Unemployment Benefits Can Help

[W]hile you may be aware of unemployment benefits if you lose your job through no fault of your own, you may not think you qualify or will be able to get them. However, they can be a lifeline until you are back on your feet with a new job.
File ASAP
Many people don’t get these benefits because...
How Unemployment Benefits Can Help

How to Know When It’s Time to Redo Your Budget

[Y]ou’ve created a budget and you’ve been working to follow it faithfully. At some point, you may need to redo it to allow for changes in your life or to improve your circumstances. Here are a few ways you know it’s time to work on a new budget.
You Don’t Have an Emergency Fund
If you have...
How to Know When It’s Time to Redo Your Budget

How a Virtual Credit Card Can Protect Your Identity

[C]onsumers are often wary of shopping online. And they should be, with all of the identity theft you hear about in the news. Well-known and trusted companies get hacked, which results in stolen information for thousands of unsuspecting people.
One of the biggest areas of concern is for people...
How a Virtual Credit Card Can Protect Your Identity

Do You Need a Financial Mentor?

[S]chools often encourage mentorships for students. Some employers have mentor programs, pairing new employees with those who have many years of experience. Mentors can offer encouragement, advice and accountability to those who need it.
Anyone who struggles with their finances may want to...
Do You Need a Financial Mentor?

Common Myths on Building Credit

If you are just starting out on your own, you may have a hard time getting credit cards or loans because of a lack of credit history. You must build credit to get access to the best credit cards and loans, but you can mess things up if you don’t know how to do it correctly. Here are some common...
Common Myths on Building Credit

3 Things to Do When You Know You Can’t Pay a Bill

One of the worst feelings you can have is when you have a bill coming due and no way to pay it. You have either spent all of the money or you have to spend it on something more important. You don’t want to have to deal with those phone calls from creditors because you don’t know what to tell...
3 Things to Do When You Know You Can’t Pay a Bill

Why You Should Change the Due Dates on Your Bills

[Y]ou open up the credit card statement only to see another $30 late payment fee assessed. Ugh! You can’t believe you forgot to make a payment on time again. In between running the kids to daycare or school, meeting with clients and taking care of errands on the weekends, some things just get...
Why You Should Change the Due Dates on Your Bills