Here’s some facts and myths about your credit score:
Myth No. 1 – Companies can fix your credit quickly – for a fee.
“Credit clinics” that advertise a quick fix aren’t offering any services that an individual can’t do for themselves – and for less money.
“Anyone who says they do credit repair, they’re going to tell you to write it yourself, because no one else can inquire on your credit for you,” said Mike Cherry, president of Consumer Credit Counseling Services in Springfield. “It’s something you can do on your own and not pay anything for it.”
The Federal Trade Commission also warns against companies who offer to fix one’s credit by creating a new credit file for you. Such activity is illegal.
Myth No. 2 – Closing out credit cards with zero balance is a good idea.
If credit cards come with fees to keep the account open even with a zero balance, then closing the account can be financially beneficial.
But if a credit account has no fees and a zero balance, closing it can actually have a negative effect on the cardholder’s credit score, Cherry said.
“Closing credit cards that you don’t use will not help raise your credit score,” Cherry said. “If you close a card, it’s going to make your total percentage of (credit) use higher than if you have more available credit out there.”
Myth No. 3 – Higher income means better credit.
This is a myth Cherry sees shattered every day based on the clients that he serves.
“We’ve had people come in to ask us for help who are surgeons and physicians and make $500,000 a year but are over their head in debt. The amount of money you make doesn’t reflect your ability to pay your bills.”
Cherry also notes that income is not used to calculate credit score.
Myth No. 4 – Opening new credit cards will increase your credit score.
This is partially true and partially false. While making regular payments on a credit account can be beneficial to a credit score, opening accounts just to have them can be detrimental. It brings down the portion of the score based on the number of open accounts.
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Written by Adam on May 22nd, 2007 with no comments.
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Q: Are those places that say they help you manage and reduce credit card debt and interest rates credible and if so what type of fees would they charge?
A: The short answer is to be very wary. Some firms, particularly on the internet, are frauds.
These aren’t my words; they’re from the Federal Trade Commission. Just because a credit repair firm claims they’re non-profit doesn’t mean their execs sacrifice high salaries. Also a non-profit subsidiary can be owned by a high profit company, and could act as a feed into the parent’s costly “debt consolidation” loans.
What to do?
Go to this site ->
http://www3.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/repair.shtm - Then read and heed well. The outstanding step-by-step advice there is free.
If you need further assistance, you might contact your bank or credit union for more detailed explanations.
Beware the credit fixers (The News Journal)
Q: Are those places that say they help you manage and reduce credit card debt and interest rates credible and if so what type of fees would they charge?
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Written by Adam on May 9th, 2007 with no comments.
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Free credit score tips
With the peak home-buying season kicking off, savvy buyers will be scouring newspapers, checking the Internet and pounding the pavement, not only for the perfect house, but also for the best mortgage rate.
Shopping around is important, but it shouldn’t be the only strategy for getting the lowest interest rate.
Just as crucial is making sure your credit report is in good shape.
“Lenders view your credit rating as your reputation,” said Lucy Duni, director of consumer education for TrueCredit.com, a Web site run by the national credit rating bureau TransUnion.
People with the highest credit scores get the best rates, while those with the lowest scores may not even qualify for a loan.
Ideally, you should begin steps to spruce up your credit report at least three to six months before applying for a mortgage.
That should give you enough time to dispute any errors in your files and to change or avoid some behavior that could be damaging to your scores.
Overall, the best ways to protect your score are to pay your bills on time — even if it’s just the minimums — and to keep your credit card balances low.
If your cards are bumping up against their limits, paying them down to under 35 percent of your available credit will boost your score.
For example, if the limit on your card is $10,000, make sure the revolving balance is below $3,500.
You also should avoid making too many credit applications prior to going for your mortgage.
That means passing up those enticing offers to open a store credit card for an instant 20 percent off your purchases.
Each time you apply for a card, it triggers an inquiry into your credit history, lowering your score by up to 12 points.
Duni said, is closing old credit card accounts.
People with bad credit may think they can improve their scores by closing all their accounts, but the reality is that doing so actually could be damaging because it would wipe out the person’s credit history.
“The biggest factor in a healthy credit score is a long, healthy credit history,” she said.
Dumping a long-standing account could hurt your score by lowering the average age of your remaining accounts.
“Think twice about closing your oldest account,” Ms.
Under federal law, you can get a free copy of your credit report once a year from each of the main credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for them.
The free reports are only available at a central Web site, www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.
You’ll want to see reports from all three bureaus because their records and scores usually differ.
Review the reports for any errors that might be bringing down your score.
For instance, you may see a late payment on a bill that you know you paid on time.
In that case, file a dispute to fix it.
The law doesn’t entitle you to get your credit scores for free, so if you want to see those, you’ll have pay for them.
(Mortgage lenders are required to give consumers their credit scores obtained as part of the application process, but by then it would be too late to do anything to change them.)
The cheapest way to get your credit scores is to order them at the same time you are requesting your free annual credit reports.
Consumer groups recommend getting what is known as a FICO score, which ranges from 350 to 850 points, because it’s the score most creditors rely on.
Equifax is the only bureau that sells FICO scores to consumers.
With the other bureaus, you get a proprietary score.
If you want FICO scores from all three bureaus, you can buy them at myfico.com from Fair Isaac Corp., the company that developed the scoring system.
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Written by Adam on May 6th, 2007 with no comments.
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How to start saving money
You want to save money so you can pay down your debt and eventually retire some day. Here’s some sensible tips to help get you started.
Use these tips to help make savings a consistent part of your budget:
Pay yourself first so you can put money toward your goal before you can spend it. Ideally, five to 10 percent of your net income should go toward some type of savings. Sound like too much? Then start with a set number of dollars a week and once you are comfortable with that amount, continue to increase it.
Take the time to track your expenses for a month to see where your money is going. Many people have no idea how much they spend each month on their relatively small everyday costs. By doing this, you’ll know where your money goes and be able to identify areas where you can reduce spending.
If your employer offers direct deposit, take advantage and have money directly deposited into your savings account.
Participate in a work-related retirement program.
Save any additional income, such as raises, bonuses, tax refunds and/or overtime.
After you pay off of an installment loan, student loan and/or credit card, continue to pay the monthly amount to your own savings account.
Save your loose change. It’s a surprisingly easy way to save.
Make it a priority to pay off high-cost debt. This will free up more money for savings.
Most importantly, give your savings plan time and stick with it. It will be well worth the effort to have a financial “safety-net” in place.
For more on how to start saving for retirement - click.
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Written by Adam on May 6th, 2007 with no comments.
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