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All Weekly Tips

All Weekly Tips

  • Five Credit Card Tips for College-Bound Millennials
    Sep 08, 2011
    It's that time of year again. A summer full of partying, baking in the sun, and maybe even a job (heaven forbid) is coming to a close for hundreds of thousands of college-bound Millennials. Retail...
  • Find the Best Credit Cards for Students with No Credit
    Sep 03, 2011
    Savvy college students understand that it's important to secure a credit card and begin establishing good credit while in college. But there are so many credit card offers from which to choose...
  • ATM Cards vs. Debit Cards vs. Credit Cards
    Aug 22, 2011
    These 3 types of plastic may look alike, but they have very different uses. For example, ATM cards can generally only be used to withdraw cash from an ATM. Debit cards, on the other hand, double as...
  • Know Your Credit Card Billing Cycle
    Aug 17, 2011
    It sounds obvious, but there are actually several reasons why you need to keep close tabs on your credit cards' billing cycles. The first one that should come to mind is you need to know when your...
  • CFPB Accepts Credit Card Complaints
    Aug 02, 2011
    Now that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is officially up and running, complaints about credit card companies will be collected by one single government agency. While complaints are limited...
  • 5 Credit Tips for Teens
    Jul 18, 2011
    Who do you think is more likely to get into trouble using credit cards? A college freshman who was never exposed to credit his entire life, or a teenager who was added as an authorized user on his...
  • FTC and Fed Broaden Free Credit Score Rules
    Jul 10, 2011
    Consumers are now closer than ever to having the right to a free credit score. In fact, there's a good chance you'll receive free copies of your scores the next time you apply for any type of credit...
  • What Happens to Charge Offs After Debts are Paid?
    Jun 20, 2011
    You finally paid off the collection agency that's been hounding you over an old debt for years, but what about the creditor that originally owned your account? What happens to the charge off they've...
  • Common Credit Card Fees
    Jun 14, 2011
    All credit cards have fees. In fact, the key to becoming a savvy credit card user lies in understanding what they are and how to avoid them. To help get you started on the right path, here are the...
  • Using Debit Cards for Car Rentals Hurts Credit Scores
    Jun 08, 2011
    It's a little known fact that most car rental companies have a clause in their agreement that says they have the right to pull your credit reports if you use a debit card to rent a vehicle. What...
  • Should You Add an Authorized User?
    Jun 02, 2011
    Are you thinking about adding an authorized user to one of your credit cards? If so, here are a few things to keep in mind before pulling the trigger. Make sure you choose the person you add very...
  • Keep Your Bluetooth Secure
    May 26, 2011
    You're probably lugging around a lot of Bluetooth-enabled devices these days. And while it may be hard to leave home without them, smartphones, laptops, netbooks, iPads and Bluetooth headsets have...
  • Make Good Use of Your Tax Refund
    May 19, 2011
    The average American taxpayer received around a $3,000 check from Uncle Sam this year. If you're still sitting on your cash trying to decide how to spend it, here's what you should do: 1.) Pay...
  • Good Credit Saves Big Money
    May 11, 2011
    Everyone loves finding new ways to save money. Some people obsess over cutting the little things from their daily routine, like lunches out with friends and $4 lattes. And while there's nothing...
  • Get Your Free Federal Tax Receipt
    May 05, 2011
    There's a good chance your largest expense in 2010 was the taxes you paid to Uncle Sam. But do you know exactly where your money went? Probably not. ThirdWay, a think-tank based in Washington D.C...
  • Top 5 Credit Tips for Recent College Grads
    Apr 26, 2011
    You took your last exam, donned the cap and gown and have finally embarked on a new and exciting phase in your adult life. What will you need to know that you probably weren't taught in college?...
  • Balance Transfers: Don't Miss Your Window of Opportunity
    Apr 26, 2011
    If you recently applied for a no interest credit card and plan to use it to initiate a balance transfer, don't sit on your laurels for too long once the new card arrives in the mail. You certainly...
  • What is a 1099-C?
    Apr 11, 2011
    If you went through a foreclosure, sold your home short, or had credit card debt forgiven in 2010, then you probably received a 1099-C in the mail early this year. Hopefully you didn't ignore it and...
  • Say No to Credit Card Protection Plans
    Mar 29, 2011
    Recent studies show that credit card protection plans, often advertised as a way to guard against unexpected events such as unemployment or illness, are not only expensive but also provide little in...
  • Could Your Credit Report Cost You a Job?
    Mar 21, 2011
    According to a survey released in 2010 by the Society for Human Resource Management, 60 percent of employers perform some type of credit report screening on applicants. Of that 60 percent, 13...
  • Can the Same Debt be Reported Twice?
    Mar 13, 2011
    Consumers are often surprised when they pull their credit reports and find that one of their old debts is listed twice under different creditors' names. How can this happen? It's actually quite...
  • Beware of Debit Card Caps
    Mar 07, 2011
    The new rules haven't been finalized yet, but there's a good chance that "swipe fees" (what banks and card issuers charge merchants when a debit card is used to make a purchase) will be reduced in...
  • Don't Become a Foreclosure Statistic
    Feb 28, 2011
    There were more than 1 million foreclosures in 2010, according to RealtyTrac, a leading online real estate marketplace and publisher of the country's largest and most comprehensive foreclosure...
  • Rent Payments Now Included on Experian Credit Reports
    Feb 28, 2011
    Experian recently announced that it began including residential rental payment data on credit reports as of January 2011. In the past, the only way rental payment information would ever show up on...
  • Don't Use Retirement Funds to Pay Off Debt
    Feb 23, 2011
    It can be tempting to dip into retirement money when no cash is left in the bank and there are bills to be paid, but you must resist the temptation! Retirement funds are for one and only one thingâ...
  • Prepare and e-File Your Tax Return for Free
    Feb 15, 2011
    Tax season is upon us yet again! But before you head out to purchase the latest tax software, did you know that you might be able to get it for free? In fact, if your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)...
  • Missing Accounts on Credit Reports
    Feb 07, 2011
    Did you know that your credit reports may not reflect all your credit accounts? The truth is creditors aren't required to report anything to the major credit bureaus, so many lenders simply choose...
  • How Loan Modifications Affect Credit Scores
    Jan 31, 2011
    The extent of a loan modification's effect on your credit score first depends on whether your lender reports the loan to the credit bureaus as a new loan or the same loan with changes. If it's...
  • Foreclosure, Short Sale, Deed-in-lieu: All the Same to FICO
    Jan 23, 2011
    Lots of lawyers, real estate agents, and loan officers love to give free advice about credit scores these days. Unfortunately, many of them have no clue what they're talking about. A common piece...
  • How to Pay Off Debt: Determining Your Best Course of Action
    Jan 20, 2011
    Personal finance gurus love to argue about which debt you should pay off first. Browse the Internet for just a few minutes, and you'll find volumes of painfully long articles rehashing the same old...
  • Know Your APRs
    Jan 16, 2011
    Most credit cards have more than one APR. However, credit issuers tend to focus their advertisements on just one—attractive introductory APRs that usually last for 6-12 months after a new card...
  • Take Charge of Your Gift Cards
    Jan 09, 2011
    Do you have a sock drawer full of unused gift cards from the holidays? If so, you're definitely not alone. Some experts believe that consumers leave over $5 billion on gift cards each year. That...
  • Put Your Social Security Tax Cut to Work
    Jan 02, 2010
    If you pay social security taxes, your withholding rate just dropped from 6.2% to 4.2% beginning January 1st. This tax cut, dubbed the 2011 Payroll Tax Holiday, was actually passed by Congress late...
  • Set Your Financial Goals for 2011!
    Dec 27, 2010
    The excitement of Christmas has come and gone, but there's still one week left in 2010. In fact, this is the perfect time to not only reflect upon the previous year, but to also look ahead and set...
  • Don't Fall for the In-Store Credit Card Spiel
    Dec 20, 2010
    A recent survey by myFICO, creator of the almighty FICO credit score, reports that 1 in 10 shoppers will sign up for an in-store credit card when offered a discount at the cash register. You know...
  • Check Your Credit Card's Return Protection Policy
    Dec 12, 2010
    Americans love to return things. It's part of our shopping culture. Try buying something in Asia and then returning it a few weeks later because you decided the color just wasn't right. They'll...
  • Make a List and Check it Twice
    Dec 06, 2010
    If you're interested in staying within your holiday shopping budget this year, take some advice from the big guy in the red suit—make a list. And after it's made, check it twice before you hit the...
  • How to Choose and Use a Balance Transfer Credit Card
    Dec 01, 2010
    Advertisements promoting zero-percent balance transfer offers can look quite appealing when high-interest credit card debt is keeping you up at night. What could be better than transferring your debt...
  • Check Your Credit Card Rewards Bonuses Before Holiday Shopping
    Nov 29, 2010
    The holiday shopping season is in full swing, which means retailers and credit card companies are working overtime to win your business. So what do the retailers have up their sleeves this year?...
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Will it Help?
    Nov 17, 2010
    The recent economic crisis highlighted serious problems within financial sectors of nations across the globe. In the US, these problems have hit home particularly hard, leaving American families with...