The term credit can mean many things. For most people, it is the ability to borrow today and pay later. The idea of “credit-worthiness” defines our personal finances, and reaches out to all parts of our financial lives. Credit can be an accounting term. You can talk about credit cards, your credit history, your credit score, or the three credits you got in college for taking Bowling. This page is the credit nerve center of ThinkGlink.com. From this page you can learn more about what credit means and how having good, bad, or mediocre credit affects your personal finances.
Debt: How One Bad Move Can Wreck Your Financial Life
Debt: How One Bad Move Can Wreck Your Financial Life Q: Thanks for your Love, Money + Real Estate financial newsletters. You helped me back in 2008 when the Great Recession hit and I was able to save my townhouse from foreclosure. Fast forward. I moved to Sonoma County, California about 10 years ago. I [...]
Credit 101: Ilyce Glink on WGN Radio 2/24/20
As we move into 2020, credit continues to be a buzzword for consumers, but many people are unsure what part credit plays in their personal finances. In a new 5-part series, Credit 101, Ilyce Glink, an award-winning personal finance columnist and CEO of the financial wellness platform Best Money Moves, details important information you need [...]
Ilyce Glink and ThinkGlink Present: Credit 101, Sponsored by Equifax
Welcome to Credit 101, a new series brought to you by Ilyce Glink and ThinkGlink.com. As we move into 2020, credit continues to be a buzzword for consumers, but many people are unsure what part credit plays in their personal finances. In a new 5-part series, Credit 101, Ilyce Glink, an award-winning personal finance columnist [...]
Ilyce Glink Discusses New Credit 101 Series
As we move into 2020, credit continues to be a buzzword for consumers, but many people are unsure what part credit plays in their personal finances. In a new 5-part series, Credit 101, Ilyce Glink, an award-winning personal finance columnist and CEO of the financial wellness platform Best Money Moves, details important information you need [...]
Credit 101: What’s in Your Credit Report?
Post pandemic, credit continues to be a buzzword for consumers, but many people are unsure what part credit plays in their personal finances. In a new series, Credit 101, Ilyce Glink, an award-winning personal finance columnist and CEO of the financial wellness platform Best Money Moves, details important information you need to know about your [...]
Mortgage Delinquency is Down, Credit Delinquency is Up
Mortgage delinquency rates are down, credit delinquencies are up. CoreLogic reports 30-day-plus delinquency is the lowest it’s been in over a decade. It’s a good news, not-so-good news situation. First, the good news: More people are paying their mortgages on time. Unfortunately, credit delinquencies are up as more people are having trouble getting their [...]
Will Buying a House Hurt My Credit?
Will buying a house hurt your credit? Research on how taking out a mortgage impacts your credit score is finally here to answer this age-old question. Your credit score will fall an average of 15 points over a period of four months after buying a house, according to consumer analysis by LendingTree. More specifically, your [...]
How to Save Money on Holiday Travel
How can you save money on holiday travel? Strategic planning can spare you from financial stress over the holiday season. A vast number of Americans will travel this upcoming holiday season, if last year’s number of holiday travelers are any indication. In 2017, a record 107 million Americans left their homes to travel over the [...]
Cancelling Credit Cards to Get Cash Out Refinance
Cancelling Credit Cards to Get Cash Out Refinance. You have an excellent credit score, great credit history, plenty of equity, and yet lender wants borrower to cancel many of his credit cards to qualify for a refinance. Q: I have a situation in my mortgage refinance process and need your advice. My lender wants me [...]
Dave Ramsey Says FICO Credit Scores Are Irrelevant
Dave Ramsey says credit scores are irrelevant. Are they? A WSB listener claims Dave Ramsey says to get out of debt and that FICO credit scores are not what they seem. Dave Ramsey says FICO credit scores are the "I love debt" score because there's no way to get a great FICO credit score without getting into debt and staying in debt. While I agree with a lot of what Dave Ramsey says, I disagree with that premise. Here's why I think FICO credit scores are relevant to your life today.