20 tips to help you master budgeting
Credit Sesame with tips on how to master budgeting as part of your personal finance journey. The principles of budgeting are the same whether you are a child saving for a new toy or an adult saving for a new house. Learning how to budget effectively can help get you on track to achieve your […]
Will the Capital One buyout of Discover affect consumers?
Credit Sesame discusses Capital One’s buyout of Discover and how this may affect consumers. Capital One and Discover recently announced they had agreed to an acquisition. Under the proposed deal, Capital One will buy out Discover shareholders and combine the two companies into one. It would be a massive acquisition, and there has been a […]
News roundup February 24, 2024
Credit Sesame’s personal finance news roundup February 24, 2024. Stories, news, politics and events impacting personal finance during the past week. Credit cards lead to rise in delinquencies Late payments continued to rise for most forms of consumer credit in January 2024, led by credit card accounts. Delinquency rates rose for credit cards, auto loans, […]
Credit knowledge: Gen Z vs. Millennials
Credit Sesame looks at credit knowledge and attitudes for Gen Z and Millennials in December 2023. Gen Z is the population born between 1997 and 2012 now aged 12 to 26 years. Millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996 now aged 27 to 42 years. The Credit Sesame survey looked at a subset of […]
Setback for 2024 economic soft landing
Credit Sesame discusses the state of the hoped-for economic soft-landing in 2024. Toward the end of 2023, the economy seemed headed for a soft landing. That meant bringing inflation down without crashing the economy. In the last quarter, inflation rose at a 1.91% annual rate, neatly within the Federal Reserve’s goal of 2.0% annual inflation. […]
News roundup February 17, 2024
Credit Sesame’s personal finance news roconsumer price indexundup February 17, 2024. Stories, news, politics and events impacting personal finance during the past week. Inflation ticked up in January 2024 The January 2024 Consumer Price Index report was a reminder of just how stubborn inflation can be. Inflation for the month came in at 0.3%, the […]
Credit for teens: what they need to know
Credit Sesame discusses credit for teens and how to start their financial education. Kids can start their financial education at a young age. Starting to teach the basic principles of debt, money management, and credit before college is a good idea. Students should have a firm grasp of financial concepts before they pack their bags. […]
Obtaining credit vs. lending credit
Credit Sesame discusses the different motivations around consumers obtaining credit and lenders extending credit. Two detailed government reports were released in early February 2024. Each gives a different perspective on consumer debt. The gist is that borrowers and lenders may be on a collision course, and it’s not likely to end well for borrowers. In […]
News roundup February 10, 2024
Credit Sesame’s personal finance news roundup February 10, 2024. Stories, news, politics and events impacting personal finance during the past week. Consumer debt hits new record Total consumer debt rose to an all-time high of $17.5 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2023. $12.25 trillion of that is mortgage debt. Auto loan debt surpassed student […]
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card Review
When you’re trying to establish credit for the first time or rebuild your score after a bankruptcy, foreclosure, or other rough financial spot, a secured credit card, when used responsibly by you can be a lifesaver. The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card is one you may want to consider, whether you’re starting out or you’re starting over.
The high cost of having a bad credit score
CreditSesame explains just how expensive a bad credit score can be over your lifetime. What is considered a bad credit score and how much will a bad credit score will cost you over your lifetime? This question is hard to answer without knowing personal details, but the fact is a poor credit score will make your […]
Interest rates unchanged but stock values fall
Credit Sesame explains why stock values fell after a recent Fed announcement that it is leaving interest rates unchanged. Sometimes, you must think laterally to understand the relationship between the stock market and the economy. On January 31, the Federal Reserve announced it was leaving interest rates unchanged, and the market reacted with a 1.5% […]
News roundup February 3, 2024
Credit Sesame’s personal finance news roundup February 3, 2024. Stories, news, politics and events impacting personal finance during the past week. US saw massive job growth in January The 2024 January employment report started the year with a bang, showing that 353,000 jobs were added in the past month. That’s well above the average monthly […]
5 credit myths debunked
Credit Sesame highlights five credit myths and explains the facts behind the myths. Myths, fairy tales, and legends… some are harmless. They are stories to make us feel better, like Camelot and the Round Table, or as a way to reward children, like Easter bunnies and the tooth fairy. But some can be pretty scary […]
Now is the time to get household finances in order
Credit Sesame discusses how the recent positive news should prompt efforts to organize household finances. After a few years of going from crisis to crisis, recent news suggests the US economy has reached a period of relatively smooth sailing. That makes this an ideal time to put household finances in order. It is said that […]
