Take Charge of Your Credit Score! "If you don't keep track of your own credit score - someone else might!" - Jan Leasure Dear $uper $aver: I have been fretting over my credit for more than two years! My husband and I are trying to purchase the home we are living in. Our problem is that our credit scores are a disaster. We were trying to meet a deadline for a home purchase . When the deadline was extended because the contract was for a short … [Read more...]
How to Tame Killer Credit Cards
May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Credit Card Chaos - The Result of Believing in Zero Interest! "The only reason I made a commercial for American Express was to pay for my American Express Bill!" - Peter Ustinov When I first saw the quote above by Peter Ustinov (The English Actor, 1921-2004) I started to chuckle, until I realized that he probably wasn't kidding. Our love/hate relationship with credit cards (love the convenience, available credit, promises of zero percent balance transfers - hate the fees, surprise rate … [Read more...]
Don’t Let Divorce Destroy Your Credit!
April 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
"You never really know a man until you divorce him!" - Zsa Zsa Gabor The nine-times married (and divorced) 94 year old actress was alternately proud and demure when sharing her checkered marital past and I don't know the details of her divorces, but it is said that when she divorced hotel heir Conrad Hilton (Great Grandad of a little girl named Paris?) she got the house but no mortgage--lucky girl. And back in Zsa Zsa's hey-day they didn't have to worry about pesky credit reports. (no … [Read more...]
Credit Card Cancelling: 5 Tips to Reduce Credit Stress!
September 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
As a loan officer and consumer advocate, I have people telling me every day that they proudly called up and cancelled five of their credit cards. We run their credit in anticipation of qualifying for a home purchase and of course they expect their credit score to go up. What usually happens is a credit score disaster with their scores plunging sometimes more than 100 points! Credit stress can be so intense that it can literally affect your health! Credit score health depends on a number … [Read more...]
Ten Ways to Redeem Credit Card Points!
May 7, 2010 By 3 Comments
Found Money! Redeem Your Credit Card Points! By Jan Leasure, Super Saver When was the last time you took an accounting of your credit card reward points? While we are struggling with our budgets and trying to find new ways to pay bills, many consumers forget that they may have a free vacation, small appliance or free dinner just sitting on their desk in a pile of bills. When was the last time that you reviewed the points that your credit card or other incentive program owes you? Millions of … [Read more...]
Five (5) things you can do to save your credit
April 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Credit checks have become as important as criminal background checks when looking for a job. Unemployment and the recession has just vanquished credit for many Americans. Here are a few things that you should know to protect yourself; 1) Annually obtain a copy of your credit report. 2) Commercial vs Online: Did you know that the free online credit reports do not have the same information as a commercial credit report (one run by an auto dealership or mortgage company--these are more … [Read more...]
The Credit Card Reform Act-How to Cope!
April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By- Jan Leasure, $uper $aver With the debt in our government spiraling out of control into the trillions of dollars, it only seems logical that many of us are experiencing similar debt control issues on serious levels all around. I include myself in this anxiety-filled group of consumers who are carrying way more debt than what they feel comfortable with. In the past, credit card companies had relatively little regulation, many of them changing interest rates at will, going from zero to … [Read more...]
Five (5) Ways Your Credit Score Can Change
March 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
How Is Your Credit Score Determined? The credit scoring process may seem like a nebulous and confusing process, but there are some facts that you should know that do have an impact on your credit score. Credit scoring is used more and more in determining things like whether or not you will get a job, how much you will pay for your auto and home insurance and sometimes even if a doctor or dentist will take you on as a patient. Here are some things that can help you in evaluating what went … [Read more...]
How Credit Reporting Works and Fixing Errors.
March 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
If you’ve recently been turned down for a car loan or a line of credit because your credit score was below the required level, you are probably confused and angry. Although they might not like to admit it, there are a lot of people that just don’t really understand how their credit report works, and have no idea what it might be telling people about the way that they handle their finances. Your credit report is very personal, as it contains valuable information about where you’ve lived, … [Read more...]
Credit Repair – Where to Turn?
March 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Although not everyone likes to admit it, most people worry about their credit. Without good credit, you are unlikely to be approved for loans or credit cards, and if could be very difficult for you if you ever want to buy a house or a car in the future. The best way to get good credit is to be careful about your purchases and your payments right from the beginning of your adult life. However, most people learn from their mistakes, and it is not uncommon for a little bit of credit repair to be … [Read more...]
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