Credit Score & Credit Repair

Credit Score & Credit Repair

The Unexpected Way Bad Credit Can Make Your Mortgage More Expensive

Conventional loans are crème de la crème of the mortgage market. This loan type offers the best possible terms and fees as well as relatively sustainable long-term affordability. However, those who come to the table with little equity and lower credit scores may find that a conventional loan costs them more than other alternatives. Here’s how to know if you need to explore your options. A conventional loan is a mortgage originated by banks, lenders and brokers across the country and sold on the primary mortgage market to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This type of loan offers the best terms and rates due to its mass appeal and large-scale availability. However, this mortgage type also contains what’s known in banking as risk-based pricing

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

IRS Says ID Thieves Stole Info on 100K Taxpayers

Identity thieves used the IRS’ own systems to steal personal information from about 100,000 taxpayers, the agency said on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Criminals already armed with some data on the taxpayers used the IRS “Get Transcript” website to obtain even more data on their victims, the IRS said. Get Transcript gives taxpayers the ability to obtain tax returns from previous years. Visitors to the Get Transcript page at the IRS on Tuesday afternoon were greeted by the message: “Alert: The online Get Transcript service is currently unavailable. Transcripts may still be ordered using the Get Transcript by Mail service. We apologize for any inconvenience.” The IRS said criminals had accessed the site from February through mid-May, and that it was shut

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

Six Categories Where Saving Can be Maximized

Opportunities for Saving money is everywhere. Whenever you pay for a good or service, thee is an opportunity to save. Using coupons, discounts, bargaining, deferring buying decision, etc. can be used almost every time you pay. But saving money when there’s little or no possibility can be sometimes taxing for people around you.They may not like the idea of you bargaining everywhere you go out for shopping or asking for discounts. also saving money works best when you do budget for some fun. While having fun while you save, it’s perhaps wise to think about putting your best effort towards the spending category that can result in maximum saves. Trying to save money on your coffee may not bring the best result as saving

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

83 Questions Successful People Ask Themselves

One of the things that stood out from my Rich Habits Study was how important thinking was to self-made millionaires. I tracked 10 different types of thinking habits these millionaires engaged in frequently, if not daily. From my research, it was so evident that thinking was fundamental to their success that I decided it needed to become one of what I call the 10 Keystone Rich Habits. When self-millionaires think, they do so in isolation, closed off from the world. Most engaged in their daily thinking habits in the morning, some during their commute in their car, others in the shower, and still others at night. Morning seemed to be the most dominant time frame, however. Typically, immediately upon waking, these self-made millionaires would find a

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

Are Debt Collectors Sending You Texts? Here’s What You Need to Know

Debt collectors reportedly have a new strategy to get consumers’ attention: text messages. “YOUR PAYMENT DECLINED WITH CARD ****-****-****-5463 . . . CALL 866.256.2117 IMMEDIATELY,” reads one such text, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The agency has temporarily halted three debt collection operations that allegedly misused texts and is attempting to permanently ban the activity as part of its “Messaging for Money” enforcement sweep. New York-based Unified Global Group sent the text above, and others like it, the FTC says. Some consumers who received such texts hadn’t set up any card payment with the firm; and the firm failed to identify itself as a debt collector in the message, a violation of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, according to the FTC. “Legitimate

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

Financial Stress: 5 Things You Can Do to Ease the Tension

When it comes to sources of stress, finances are constantly cited as one of the top contributors. There are tons of people out there who are faced with a daily sense of anxiety or fear about their financial wellness. Luckily, there are some things you can do to ease the burden of financial tension and get yourself back on the right track. To help you get started, here are five steps you can take to help ease your money stress. 1. Diagnose Your Money Troubles Are you afraid that you don’t have enough saved for retirement? Are you worried that you won’t be able to make the next payment on your credit card bill? Are you concerned that you aren’t making the right investments for your future? The

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

5 Little ID Theft Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

While you secure your identity by password-protecting your accounts and only giving your information to organizations that need it, there are still ways that identity thieves can steal your personal data. Not only can you go long periods without noticing you’ve been a victim, criminals could ring up excess charges that could damage your credit for years. Although it’s easy to think that a billing company made a mistake, you should follow up on any late payment notices or other red flags that could indicate you are an identity theft victim. Here are five little warning signs of identity theft you shouldn’t ignore. 1. Overdraw Fees Although you might regularly check up on your bank account, there’s a chance that identity thieves may

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

Help! Workers’ Compensation Wrecked My Credit

A reader, “Anngie,” recently contacted us to ask what she could do about credit damage from a bill that should have been paid by workers’ compensation. Here’s what she told us: “A workmans comp claim not paid from 2012 is on my credit report. I am working with all parties to resolve…but how do I remove the negative impact on my report….I don’t want it to look as if I paid it & it was my responsibility & allowed it to remain for 3 years unpaid. Can I have the company fax somewhere to validate this was not my collections? If this is accomplished — will my credit score reveal a pre-collections score?” The answer isn’t simple, unfortunately. We

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

How to Get Financially Ready to Be a Stay-at-Home Parent

While many American households feature two working parents, there are plenty of expectant mothers and fathers who want to stop their traditional jobs to care for children — at least for a time. Whether it is the mother or the father who will be focusing primarily on child care, there are some big financial issues that come with this lifestyle change. Here are some tips on how to prepare your family’s finances for having a stay-at-home parent and (primarily) living off of one income. 1. Discuss Becoming a stay-at-home parent may seem personal, but it is a major family decision. It’s important to brainstorm the advantages and disadvantages together, think about the emotional and financial repercussions and how both partners’ roles and responsibilities will

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

How to Graduate From a Secured Credit Card

When you have bad credit, it can feel like no one will give you a loan, even though you can’t rebuild your credit history without one. Secured credit cards can offer a way out of this conundrum because issuers typically approve nearly all applicants for these kind of cards, regardless of credit history. But in order to open a secured credit card account, you first have to submit a refundable deposit, which typically becomes your credit limit. Naturally, many secured card users look forward to later opening a standard credit card account, and receiving their security deposit back. Here are some important steps to take in order to graduate from a secured credit card to a standard one. 1. Make Every Payment on Time Your payment history

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Credit Score & Credit Repair

51 Cost Effective Things to do This Memorial Day

Every year, Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May. This day is observed in order to honor, remember and celebrate the soldiers who have lost their lives in the line of duty to serve the United States Armed Forces. Memorial Day is also marked as the start of summer. Many people use this as an event to both celebrate Memorial Day and also to welcome summer.  This is one of the long-awaited holidays we have.  For me this is the first holiday of the year as I haven’t taken any paid leave so far. Planning to celebrate the day by doing some fun activities with friends. What will you be doing? There are many things a person can do to celebrate Memorial

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