How Healthy is Your Credit Score?
How Healthy is Your Credit Score? Credit Report by Maria Shahid Share Share Email Your credit score is one of the most critical numbers in your financial life. Whether you’re applying for a new credit card, personal loan, or a mortgage, it is vital to know your credit score so that you have the proper […]
What Affects Your Credit Score?
What Affects Your Credit Score? Credit Monitoring by David B. Coulter Share Share Email Maintaining a high credit score is essential as it is the determining factor when apply for a loan, mortgage, or credit card. Unless you make all of your purchases with cash, managing your credit score is one of your most important […]
How Do Hard Inquiries Affect Your Credit Report?
How Do Hard Inquiries Affect Your Credit Report? Credit for Beginners by David B. Coulter Share Share Email Unless you’re using a credit monitoring service like SmartCredit®, you might only be using your one free credit report a year from each of the three main credit reporting bureaus to stay up to date. Lenders and […]
Does Buying Your Credit Report or Score Online Lower Your Credit Scores?
Does Buying Your Credit Report or Score Online Lower Your Credit Scores? Credit Cards by John Ulzheimer Share Share Email “John, I have heard in the past that buying a credit report, credit monitoring service or a credit score from any of the retail credit websites will hurt your credit scores. I would like to […]
Should You Transfer Your Balance?
Should You Transfer Your Balance? Credit Cards by Staff Writer Share Share Email Thinking about a balance transfer? You know showing a lower balance on your credit cards can help your credit score, but how can you really do that? Don’t you need to use your credit cards? Managing your credit utilization ratio can be […]
How To Remove Late Payments From Your Credit Reports
How To Remove Late Payments From Your Credit Reports Credit for Beginners by David B. Coulter Share Share Email It can be done! Nobody’s perfect. In the case of late payments on your credit file, that minor imperfection can arise from past mistakes that you legitimately made, or it can manifest as a result of […]
4 Mistakes to Avoid When Getting Your First Credit Card
4 Mistakes to Avoid When Getting Your First Credit Card Credit Cards by David B. Coulter Share Share Email Getting your first credit card can feel like an exciting step, as well as a good way to acquire things that might otherwise have been beyond your budget. In fact, almost 47% of Americans have at least […]
How Often Should You Be Checking Your Credit Score?
How Often Should You Be Checking Your Credit Score? Credit Cards by David B. Coulter Share Share Email In a world where personal data is routinely breached, it is sensible to regularly check your credit score to be sure it’s not only accurate but that it is also not being used without your knowledge. While […]
Fed’s Rate Cut: What it Means for Your Wallet
Fed’s Rate Cut: What it Means for Your Wallet Personal Finance by Staff Writer Share Share Email When it comes to your wallet, you don’t want to wait around to find out what happens… The Federal Reserve recently announced its first interest rate cut since 2020, lowering the benchmark rate by half a percentage point. […]
Adulting 101: How to Interpret Your Credit Report
Adulting 101: How to Interpret Your Credit Report Credit Cards by Maria Shahid Share Share Email Aside from monitoring your credit score every month, you should make sure to check your credit report at least twice a year for errors or signs of fraud. Fair warning though, a credit report is more difficult to understand […]