Credit and Debit

Credit scores are important for a number of reasons. But for many of us, credit scores are confusing and difficult to understand. There are many myths about credit scores that you may have heard, but finding the truth about those myths is key to better understanding your credit history. One of the most common myths… Read More

The convenience of credit cards may be appealing, but if you look hard at how credit cards are changing people’s money habits, there may be more negatives than positives. The nature of credit cards is that people are more careless than they might otherwise be with cash. Some would argue that they make us less… Read More

Even as an increasing amount of consumers are being preapproved for credit cards, experts say this offer is often too good to be true. Preapproval does not guarantee a competitive interest rate or even acceptance; the rejection rate for preapproved applicants can be as high as 30%. Consumers should be aware of this clever sales… Read More

Emancipated minors can legally make their own financial decisions, but it seems the real catch is establishing a credit history. Without proper credit, companies and landlords are reluctant to enter into contracts with applicants under the age of 18. This makes it difficult to do things such as open a credit card or get a… Read More

Analysis of the consumers’ credit card complaints collected by the consumer bureau has yielded interesting findings. Of the 11,045 complaints collected, more than half came from zip codes with median annual household incomes higher than the national median of $52,762. This comes as a surprise to U.S. officials were interested in collecting the information in… Read More

The newest version of the consumer credit rating product VantageScore has been unveiled this week with three big changes intended to benefit consumers. This comes as a response to some of the common complaints made by consumers who feel their credit scores are not presented fairly. The changes in VantageScore3.0 include the end of the… Read More

The region of the country that you live in could be affecting your credit score. That is according to Experian, one of the three leading credit bureaus. A recent report Experian released details the average credit scores for cities around the U.S., showing that local economic conditions, including unemployment levels, education levels, public perception of… Read More

Like many Americans, Sherry Maffia is working hard to pay off her debts. It was a slow and steady process but by December she will be debt free. A recent financial study showed that more and more people are managing to get rid of their debts. The study showed that the default rate for mortgages… Read More

The Federal Trade Commission helps to prevent fraudulent business practices in the marketplace in part by educating consumers. In this short article, the FTC outlines some do’s and don’ts of owning credit cards. Credit card fraud costs consumers hundreds of millions of dollars every year! Read these quick tips to help avoid becoming a victim–click here! Read More

Probably the most popular alternative to using cash in day-to-day transactions is using a credit or a debit card. Although they almost look like the same it is important to distinguish them. Here you will find the main differences between a credit and a debit card and a few  pros and cons for each. To… Read More