Tuesday

Improving Your Credit Score: Ways to Do It Quickly

If you have been denied of a loan or a credit card, it may have something to do with an important number that will determine if you are credit worthy. This number is called your credit score. This number is what creditors, such as banks and credit card companies will look at in order to know if you will possibly pay them back or not.

They get this numbers from credit reporting agencies that also gets information of your credit history from the past creditors you borrowed money from. If you haven't been able to pay your bills on time, it will lower your credit score. By having a bad credit score or a low credit score, it will lessen your chances of getting the best credit card and loan deals.

It is a fact that many people don’t know that creditors have access to this information. However, you have to realize that this information will act as a security whether you are a person who is credit worthy or not.

Through this information or through this simple three digit number, creditors will decide whether or not to get you approved for the credit card or the loan you are applying for. Sometimes, having a low credit score can get you a credit card or a loan. However, it will usually have higher interest rates because you will be deemed too risky to lend money to.

Because of this, you should try to improve your credit score in order to gain access to the best loan and credit card deals possible. You should also realize the fact that having a bad credit score will also mean that you will have difficulty to access simple technology, such as getting a phone line hooked up in your own home. This is because more and more phone companies and other utility companies today are also taking a look at a person's credit score to make sure if you will likely pay the monthly bills or not.

So, here are ways on how you can improve your credit score quickly.

If you have an unusually low credit score, ask for a credit report from the three major credit bureaus. By doing this, you can know about your credit history and compare each report and determine if it contains errors that may be hurting your credit score.

For example, if you noticed that a particular report contains an unpaid debt but you previously paid it, you have to correct the error by sending a letter and the proof that you paid the debt in full. Errors like this will lower your credit score. By doing this, you will be able to raise your credit score in matter of thirty days. You should realize the fact that credit bureaus are responsible for correcting any mistakes in your credit report and you should also know that it is in the law that they should.

The next best thing you need to do is pay down the debt you have. For example, if you have a credit card debt, you don’t have to pay all of it at once. The point to all this is to pay down your credit card debt up to the point that it will not have a balance that exceeds 50% of your credit limit.

Lastly, the most important thing you can do in order to raise your credit score is to pay all your bills on time. By doing this, the creditors will not report any negative things about your credit activities. By paying your bills on time, you will be able to raise your credit score. This is the quickest way to improve your credit score.

Saturday

College student credit card debt

Credit card debt doesn’t shy away from anyone who doesn’t want to shy away from it. It treats everyone equally irrespective of whether the person is a seasoned professional or just a college student. So college student credit card debt isn’t uncommon either. Since the credit limit on college student credit cards is much lower, the college student credit card debt cannot rise to the levels it does for other credit cards. However, college student credit card debt is an even bigger menace because a lot of students are already in debt due to the loan they have taken for their education. If they pass out of college with college student credit card debt, they will have to payback not just the loan they taken for studies but also their college student credit card debt.

Since most of the college students are inexperienced in the usage of credit cards, they can easily fall prey to what we call as ‘college student credit card debt’. In fact, college student credit card debt is one reason why the credit card suppliers keep a lower credit limit on college student credit cards. The solution for avoiding college student credit card debt is similar to what it is for avoidance of any type of credit card debt. So, the first thing for avoiding college student credit card debt is to understand the concept that credit card is not free money and that whatever you pay-for using your credit card has to be paid back to the credit card supplier when your credit card bill arrives. So don’t treat credit card separate from hard cash. Avoid overspending e.g. do not buy things just because they are on sale, sales keep coming and going and there are always better offers each time; buy only those things that you really need. A good thing to do is to prepare your monthly budget and follow it religiously. Never budge from your budget. Another very important preventive measure for avoiding college student credit card debt is to avoid going for a second credit card. Some students have a tendency to go for multiple credit cards just because the credit limit on college student credit cards is very low. However, this is a perfect recipe for getting into a college student credit card debt. This is how college student credit card debt builds up. One credit card is more than enough for any student.

College student credit card is really meant to be treated like a training ground for learning more about credit cards. It should not be make an instrument of debt (college student credit card debt).

Friday

Credit Score: Getting Your Bad Credit Rating Repaired

Your credit score will mean everything in today's society. It is something that creditors and banks will base on whether you are worthy to get approved for the loan you are applying for and it is also something that will determine your credibility to certain employers and also to landlords.

With a good credit rating, you will be able to apply for loans and credit cards easily. It will mean that you will have more chance in getting that loan you need. It will also mean that you will have more chance in getting that certain job you have been applying for and it will also mean that you can pay your bills on time with the landlords when you are applying for an apartment.

Having a bad credit reduces all these opportunities. You may get approved for a credit card or a loan, but it will usually have higher interest rates. This is because creditors aren’t sure that you can pay your bills on time. It is also riskier for creditors to approve you for the loan if you have a bad credit. When it comes to applying for an apartment complex, landlords take a look at your credit score to determine if you can pay your rent bills and utility bills.

These are some of the reasons why having a good credit score is very important in today's society. However, what if you have a bad credit score? If you have a bad credit score, it is very important to repair it as soon as possible. There are several ways that you can repair your credit score.

The first step in repairing your credit score is by stopping it before it gets any more worse than it is already. To do this, you should pay your previous overdue debts right away in order to cut off bad credit reports from creditors. Although this will not improve your credit score, it is the very first step you should take when you want to repair your credit score.

So, this will take you to the next step. The next step is by raising your credit score by opening a new savings or checking account. You should also apply for a secured credit card. A secured credit card will mean higher interest rate, but it is also a good way to control your credit card spending and also a good way to raise or repair your credit score. By paying your monthly credit bills on time, you will be able to raise your credit score significantly.

If you continue to do these things, you will eventually get a good credit rating. However, your past credit history that contains a bad credit score and bad credit history will not expire until it reaches 5 to 7 years. You have to remember that it will take some time and patience in order to raise your credit rating.

This is why it is very important to make positive reports for your creditors to make to credit reporting agencies. So, remember to pay your loans and credit card bills on time in order to get a good credit rating. By doing this, you will eventually end up with a good credit score and history and never miss out on future financial opportunities that may cross your path.

Saturday

Five Credit Card Mistakes You Should Avoid

The usefulness of credit cards depends on the emotional response one gives to it. For those who insist on the necessity of credit cards, they are an important component of a good credit standing. Others insist that we need to get rid of anything plastic that fits the wallet. There are also those who fall in between - we carry our credit cards with us, use them, and later wish we could go back and fix the mistakes we do as cardholders. The unwise use of your credit cards can get you entangled in mistakes you could have avoided.

Mistake # 1. Maintaining more than three credit cards.
It feels so good to have a credit card. It is a lot better to have two cards. Having three credit lines will improve your credit standing. If I were you, you have to stop there. With anything more than that, you are setting yourself up to a great fall. Holding a lot of cards will gear you up to a spending spree. With greater credit limits come greater temptations.

Mistake # 2. Getting suckered by introductory rates.
How would you react if you find fifty pre-approved, zero-interest credit card offers in your mailbox? These offers don't come without a catch. These introductory rates are marketing strategies to make you sign the offer without making a wise evaluation of the terms of agreement first. Soon, you find yourself unable get free from sky-rocketing interest rates. Make sure that you understand the entire cardholder agreement before you sign up.

Mistake # 3. Paying beyond the due date.
While it is true that occasional late payments are understandable, paying consistently days behind the schedule can adversely affect your credit score. You will be made to pay late payment fees. These fees sum up six months of penalty interest rates, usually ranging up to 29.9%. If a late payment is inevitable, make arrangements with your card issuer because they usually work with you, especially if this is only your first late payment.

Mistake # 4. Spending beyond what you are able to pay.
Don't be tempted to think that your credit card is an access to free money. When you carry a balance from month to month, soon you will reach your credit limit. When you go overboard, you will be subjected to unnecessary over-the-limit fees. Then you drop your credit score. So do everything you can to avoid doing this.

Mistake # 5. Disregard or ignorance of your monthly statement.
Your monthly credit card statement reveals a lot. By disregarding or ignoring your monthly statement, you might end up paying unauthorized charges and erroneous billing. Some scammers may even take advantage of the fact that you won't notice small purchases. So don't let anyone abuse your credit. Go over your monthly bill to make sure that everything is well.

 

Monday

5 Ways to Manage Your Debt

When you get married, the huge costs of planning a wedding and starting a new life with someone can cause you to go into debt quite easily. Many couples take out loans, such as online personal loans, and borrow money from their parents to pay for wedding expenses and living costs until they get on their feet. Paying these debts back can be so hard and for many couples, the source of many arguments and fights is this financial strain. The best way to live your married life in peace is to clear your debt, so here are 15 pointers that will help you become debt free in just a year:
  1. Budget, Budget, Budget! :- If you don’t have a budget set in place to see what you have to pay and how much money you have, you will ultimately forget to pay certain people and spend more than you make which will land you in trouble. Make a budget and stick to it.
  2. Work Out a Payment Plan :- With your debtors whether they are parents or a bank, work out how you can pay them back so that you can still live properly. Negotiate lower interest rates and try to pay a bit more than you say you will pay per month to get on their good side. Set aside a percentage of your monthly income to go towards debts.
  3. Pay off the Smallest Debts First :- This sounds a bit backwards, but if you try to pay off the bigger debts first you are simply causing the smaller debts to build up interest and they will slowly become unmanageable. Rather pay off the smaller debts you have within a month or two and then with these out of the way you can pay more to the bigger debts you have.
  4. Never Close Your Credit Cards :- To keep your credit record high enough, don’t close your credit cards. Rather put them away and don’t use them. Once they are paid off just keep them aside without using them until you have cleared the rest of your debts.
  5. Consolidate Your Debt :- Debt consolidation can only help if you have accounts and loans which are in arrears and you are paying a lot in terms of interest. The point of consolidating this debt is to lower the amount you pay by making several interest costs into one smaller one. It can also greatly reduce the installment you have to pay each month while also getting rid of debt collectors phoning you all the time. For money you have borrowed from family, never use debt consolidation because you don’t have interest to pay them anyway (hopefully). If you do, rather work out another agreement if you are not managing.