In the News
7 Questions To Test Your Financial Literacy
Did you know that April is Financial Literacy Month? With taxes fresh on your mind and spring cleaning in the air, it’s as good a time as any to brush up on your financial literacy. After all, as we’re required to make more and more financial decisions, financial literacy is becoming almost as important as being able to read and write.
Debt Can Help Reduce Taxes
In an interview with RTTNews, Adrian Nazari, CEO of Credit Sesame, discusses how you can use debt to your advantage when it comes to tax time. According to Nazari, when it comes to taxes, debt strategies revolve around one main concept: Interest on certain debt is tax deductible.
Is Now the Time to Refinance Your Home?
Adrian Nazari, CEO of Credit Sesame, discusses the savings many homeowners can get by refinancing their homes in this televised segment by Sharon Epperson for Nightly Business Report.
Borrow This, Don’t Borrow That
Not all debt is created equal. Some kinds you can deduct from your taxes. Other kinds, you can’t. It can be worth your while to concentrate your borrowing in the former category, says Adrian Nazari, CEO of Credit Sesame, a firm that provides online credit and debt analysis to consumers.
Is Being Too Social a Crime?
“According to a 2011 study from Credit Sesame, 78 percent of ex-burglars think there is a very good chance that current thieves turn to Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare to locate empty homes to target for a robbery.”
Great credit score? Think again
“Overall, the eight most common credit scores used by lenders and consumers range from as low as 150 to as high as 990, according to a new Credit Sesame diagram.”
3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Credit in 2013
“Fortunately, the experts at Credit Sesame recently offered some useful credit strategies that can prevent you from falling off your own fiscal cliff.”
Check your credit score(s)
“Websites such as …Credit Sesame…may not give you a FICO score, but their numbers still will give you a picture of where your credit stands and how to improve it. It’s all relative.”
Now What? Tips to Maintain Your Credit When Unemployed
“If you’re unemployed, finding a new job may not be the only thing you need to be worried about…Many employers will take a look at your credit history before hiring you.”
Shiny new credit card deals -how to pick the winners
“A bunch of websites act as credit card strip malls…Some others worth a look include CreditSesame.com”
Credit scoring myths and the facts
“If you’re curious to see how you stack up against other people, access a free score online from such sites as… CreditSesame.com…”
ShareBuilder’s iPad App
“Do you want to monitor your credit score without a subscription fee? Check out Credit Sesame (creditsesame.com). It gives you an extensive review of your indebtedness, aggregated credit information, comparison with peers as well as credit-score monitoring. You do need to provide an e-mail address and eventually your Social Security number.”
How to Move Without Going Bankrupt
“Don’t break your existing lease. If you’re currently renting and your lease hasn’t ended, avoid breaking it early, says Adrian Nazari, CEO of credit and loan website CreditSesame.com. “There are many financial consequences of breaking your lease,” he said, “from losing your deposit, to having to pay rent for the months remaining on the lease after you move out.”
Protect Your Credit in a Divorce
“If you’re worried about identity fraud or the possibility of your ex opening new joint accounts after the divorce, you might want to sign up for a credit monitoring service. While most credit monitoring services cost between $10 and $20 a month, a few free options do exist. For example, in December 2012, Credit Sesame began providing consumers with free credit monitoring on its Experian credit reports.”
15 Tips for Getting Your Holiday Gifts Right Now
“Daily deals: You see them on television, in your local newspaper and even online, so why not take advantage of these daily deal sites to buy gifts, which can net you a 50% savings, says Adrian Nazari, founder and president of CreditSesame.com.”
How to get truly free credit monitoring
“So if one of your goals in 2013 and beyond is to improve your credit rating, trust me: you will do yourself a favor by signing up immediately for this free credit monitoring service from Credit Sesame.”
10 Reasons Why You’re More Susceptible to Identity Theft During the Holidays
“According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft cost Americans $1.52 billion in 2011, with complaints increasing from 1.4 million to 1.8 million year-over-year. Consumers are particularly vulnerable to identity theft during the holidays because many relax their guard and substantially increase the exposure of their financial information.”
Web Sites Offer Free Credit Monitoring
“Credit Sesame, a Web site that helps people manage their credit, has begun offering its users free credit monitoring, a service that big credit bureaus offer for a fee.”
Credit Sesame will monitor data for free
“Consumers are one step closer to getting truly free monitoring of their credit reports from all three credit bureaus. Starting Thursday, Mountain View’s Credit Sesame is offering free monitoring of Experian credit data.”
Infographic: If Santa Claus Had a Credit Score, What Would It Be?
“Our friends at Credit Sesame calculated Santa’s finances, taking into account factors like his payment history, amounts owed and the number of elves on his payroll (they estimated 200 earning about $10 an hour). Check out their infographic below for a more detailed breakdown of Santa’s (excellent!) credit history.”
Forget Naughty and Nice, Here Santa’s Credit Score
“Credit Sesame offers an amusing but highly instructive tutorial on Santa’s credit score, and it might be a good idea to put down the eggnog and see how the North Pole’s most famous resident earned his stellar credit rating.”
Five Stellar Financial Tools for Parents
“Managing a household’s finances can be challenging for parents. Admit it—no matter how organized we may try to be, figuring out what you’ve already paid, which bills are paid automatically and what needs to be paid by when can be a headache.”
5 Credit Cards You Don’t Want In Your Wallet
“’A lot of the worst credit cards on the market are for people with bad credit,’ says Adrian Nazari, founder of CreditSesame.com. ‘In general the fees on credit cards for people with bad credit are extremely high and can eat into a starting balance.’”
Gonzobanker Can Make FinTech Amusing
“Here is what I think Credit Sesame does to separate itself from the PFM pack. First, it has a tool called the Financial Fitness Indicator that tells you where you’re spending too much damn money by comparing you to peers. Then, it will tell you what to do about it. I love the pragmatism and SPIN that this product provides. Too many PFM products show cool graphs, charts and blinking lights but offer no perspective. Not Credit Sesame. It has the Spin Factor. I will likely never find myself using a PFM tool, but Credit Sesame has some pretty unique stuff to offer PFM devotees who want to go a step beyond aggregation, bubble budgets and bar graphs.”
Credit Sesame Adds Social Comparison Tools
“Credit Sesame, the personal finance service (and TechCrunch Disrupt alum), which provides free credit scores and other information aimed at helping consumers get out of debt, is today launching a new feature that will allow users to compare their financial situations to their peers’ and the market in order to see where they stand. Not to worry — you won’t be swapping credit scores with your Facebook BFFs here. Instead, the feature lets users see how they compare with others in their age group, income group, and in the same region, allowing them to compare things like total debt and credit usage.”
How Do Your Finances Stack Up?
“If you’ve ever wondered if you’re doing a better job managing credit and debt than others, there’s an easy and free way to find out now. Financial Web site Credit Sesame launched a new service today that lets you see how your credit score and debt level compares with that of your peers and offers advice on how to improve your financial situation.”
Mapping the Path to Your Credit Report
“Wonder how your credit report is created? Sometimes it’s best not to know how the sausage is made, but in this case some extra knowledge may be enlightening. John Ulzheimer, a credit expert, worked with the Web site Credit Sesame to create a graphic map showing how various types of information make their way — or not — into your credit report.”
Smart credit card use during holidays pays off
“Credit card purchases are protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act, which makes it easier to dispute charges if something is damaged or doesn’t show up, says Adrian Nazari, CEO of Credit Sesame, a website that tracks your credit score and debt.”
21 things you should never pay for
“Don’t pay for a copy of your credit report. Instead, go to AnnualCreditReport.com for a free look at each of your three major credit reports once a year. As for free credit scores, you can turn to websites like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame.”
You have 49 FICO credit scores
“The credit score you get isn’t always the same score a lender looks at when deciding whether to give you a mortgage, credit card or auto loan. In fact, the lender could be looking at one of 49 different scores issued by credit scoring company FICO in order to determine how risky you are, according to a new infographic created by Credit Sesame and John Ulzheimer.”
College Students Don’t Have A Clue How Credit Cards Work
“Credit card companies are routinely blamed for giving college students more financial power than they can handle, and we have all heard horror stories about rampant debt on America’s campuses. Are these criticisms valid?”