Credit
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.
How to Improve Your Credit Score and What Makes A Good Credit Score
What makes a good credit score? What makes a bad credit score? How do you improve your credit score? Opening new lines of credit, using all of your available credit, making late payments, or not paying in full can all lower your credit score. The easiest ways to improve your credit score include keeping your credit accounts open for a long time, not opening new credit, having different kinds of credit account, and making your payments on time. Ilyce Glink shows how a credit score can be dropped very quickly, but it takes a long time to build up a good credit score. However, it is possible to improve your credit score over time.
Credit Card Debt Is Still High Even If They Claim The Recession May Be Over
Credit card debt is still high even as some claim the recession might be over. The recession has affected credit card debt, unemployment, consumer sales and foreclosures, but now one of those is bouncing back. Based on a report from Credit Karma, consumer credit card debt has decreased in the month of July. Decreased consumer credit card debt is a positive sign for the recession, and it is tied to consumer sales, unemployment and foreclosures.
Can’t Pay Credit Card Bills? Try To Use Home Equity Loan
If you can’t pay your credit card bills or your real estate taxes, you may be able to try to take out a home equity loan to get cash to pay your bills. However, home equity loans are increasingly hard to get from banks right now. If you find that you can’t pay your credit card bills and other bills, you might want to consider selling your home and use the equity to pay off your credit card bills and property taxes.
Raise Your Credit Score By Improving Your Payment History
Your credit report will show your overall payment history, not individual credit card purchases. Your credit report will show any credit accounts you have, your payment history, if you have been late on payments, if the account were closed or if the credit company charged them off. You need to work to raise your credit score by improving your payment history.
Foreclosure Affects Credit But Homeowner May Avoid Deficiency Judgment
Going through foreclosure isn’t what anybody wants to go through. For some, going through foreclosure can be the start of a process that can drag on for years. If the foreclosure process does not yield enough money to pay off the mortgage that the lender had given the homeowner, that homeowner could be stuck with a deficiency judgment and having to repay the difference for years to come. If the lender does not pursue the deficiency judgment or can’t, the foreclosure will still have a negative effect on the homeowner’s credit history and credit score for years to come.
Credit Card Study Shows Credit Card Comparison For Rates And Fees
A new credit card study compares the rates and fees and best credit card offers from 10 of the leading credit card companies. With the new credit card legislation changing how many of the credit card companies do business, this credit card comparison looks at the credit card rates and credit card deals today.
Credit Card Debts Can Be Sold To Debt Collection Agencies
How long do you owe a credit card debt? If you haven’t paid on a credit card debt for the past five years can a credit card company still sell the debt to a collection agency? What is the statute of limitations for collecting on a debt?
Credit Card Legislation Means Changes For Companies And Consumers
President Obama signed into law new credit card legislation that will drastically affect both consumers and credit card companies. Among the changes, the legislation bans unfair rate increases, prevents fee traps, requires plain sight and plain language disclosures, and has many provisions for credit card company accountability and credit card protections for students and young people.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Identity Theft?
The average identity theft case takes 26 hours to resolve, but you may be dealing with the effects of identity theft for several years. If someone has used your social security number or other personal information to create a synthetic or false identity, chances are they have used your personal information to create multiple identities. A sophisticated identity thief may have created a very messy situation that could take you a very long time to unravel. Watch this Expert Real Estate Tips video and others on Identity Theft to learn how to protect yourself and your personal information.
