Have you ever had the sneaky suspicion that you’re being taken advantage of by your auto insurer? You may be right. Consumer Reports embarked on a two year investigation analyzing more than 2 billion insurance price quotes. What they found was a car insurance game that is rigged with inconsistencies and inequities that cause too many of us to pay far more than we should. What … [Read more...]
Money Monday: How to Use Vantage Score to Tackle Your FICO Score Blues
Your credit score is one of the most vital components of your financial life. It holds the key to obtaining a mortgage, auto loan, or credit card. Even the amount you pay for insurance or your ability to get a job can be affected by this little three digit number. Yet, according to a survey by the American Bankers Association, nearly 60% of Americans don’t even know their … [Read more...]
Everything You Need to Know About Reading Your Credit Score
When you hear talks about credit score, they are usually speaking about your FICO Score, even though there are other scores like the FAKO score or Vantage Score. The former is used to describe any credit score that is not a FICO score. The latter is a brand of credit score that was launched by the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion in March … [Read more...]
Protect Your Budget and Your Credit This Holiday Season
As the holiday rush kicks into overdrive, we want to make sure that you are protecting both your budget and your credit this year. As someone with experience busting budgets and with identity theft in the past, I felt it was only right to share what I’ve learned over the years in an effort to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes that I made. Here are a few tips to … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Would You Dump Someone With A Bad Credit Score
It was the perfect date, or so Jessica LaShawn thought. As she tells the New York Times, he was from a religious family, raised by his grandmother, and had a good job. The evening was going by wonderfully until he popped the question, "What's your credit score?" “It was as if the music stopped. It was really awkward because he kept telling me that I was the perfect girl for … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Why You Need To Get Your FREE Credit Report
Your credit report is one of your most important financial documents, affecting everything from how much you pay for a mortgage to whether or not you can even be hired for certain jobs. Yet, according to a recent investigation, as few as one in five people haven't even bothered to check their credit report, even though a credit report can be obtained absolutely free. What … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Why Parking Tickets And Library Fines Could Decimate Your Credit Score
So you racked up another parking ticket. No big deal. We all get them, but you better pay up. It seems cities are getting down right serious about collecting their money. With municipal budgets suffocating in red ink, cities are turning to collection agencies to recoup money from unpaid traffic and parking tickets. New York City, for instance, has nearly $700 million in … [Read more...]