Identity Thieves Take a Bite Out of Apple
Scammers have found a way to exploit a product financing offer at Apple that issues instant credit for online purchases. Identity Theft 911, a provider of identity theft resolution services, has received nearly two dozen consumer complaints related to unauthorized purchases made through the online Apple Store by way of an […]
How to Establish Credit
In the right hands, credit cards can be tools for financial power. The catch-22 of credit is that it takes credit history to establish credit. If you’ve never had a credit card or a loan, establishing credit can be difficult. There are still a few successful paths, however, to building a […]
5 Ways To Get Out of Debt: Which Will Work for You?
You’ve set your goal to get out of debt. But with so many different experts touting different solutions, how do you pick the one that will work for you? Read more…
How to Think Like a Saver
Our actions and choices are based on our thoughts. Realistic, logical thinking supports choices that move us toward goals, such as saving money. But we all sometimes have sabotaging thoughts, which entice us off our chosen paths by offering various excuses, rationalizations, and false logic. When we give to this pseudo-reasoning, which […]
Breaking Bad Financial Habits
For most of us, our financial habits were picked up early on from watching and learning from our parents as we were growing up. If you were lucky enough to have financially savvy parents to guide you, managing your finances probably comes easily to you and is second nature. For many […]
What the Heck is Credit Utilization?
Everyone probably knows what a credit score is, but most have no idea why they have the score they do. Its pretty intuitive that if you dont pay your bills on time or find yourself in bankruptcy, foreclosure, or in other serious default with your creditors, your credit score will plummet. However, […]
How a Little Extra Income Can Help Your Credit Score
One of the most powerful ways to improve your credit health is to reduce your credit utilization, which refers to the percent of your available credit that you are using. For example, if you have two credit cards with a credit limit of $5,000 on each one (and no other credit lines), […]
Credit Card Utilization and Your Credit Score
As there are dozens of different credit scoring models, it’s difficult to calculate exactly how credit utilization will impact your credit score. However, there is a strong correlation between a consumer’s credit card utilization rate and their credit score. With the exception of consumers who keep their credit card utilization at 0 percent, […]