How to Get 100,000 Credit Card Points with a New Mortgage
The wildly popular 100,000-point credit card sign-up bonus that Chase offered in 2016 and later scaled back by half is back, but with a catch — a big one. To get this massive windfall of points, you have to finance a home mortgage through Chase Mortgage.
Battle of the Sexes: Why Women Have More Debt than Men
Here’s a scary fact: student loan debt is a $1.3 trillion crisis in the U.S., and it’s the second-highest debt category among consumers, only behind mortgage debt. Student loan debt is higher than credit cards and car loans put together. We wondered what student debt looks like by gender and by age. We analyzed anonymous […]
Best Gift for Mom and Dad: Show that You’ve Learned to Protect Your Finances and Credit
With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day on the horizon, you might have plans to treat mom to a decadent brunch or dad to some high-end golf clubs. If you can’t afford it, don’t. “Mother’s Day” and Father’s Day” gifts are given to mothers, spouses, children, siblings, grandparents and friends. Spending on Mother’s Day shot up […]
Why 2017 Could Be Your Last Chance to Get a Low Rate on Your Mortgage
Are you in the market for a home? Your timing is good because you can still lock in a low rate on a mortgage. But this opportunity will not last forever. The U.S. is coming out of an historically low interest rate period, and the Federal Reserve has already begun increasing rates. To help you […]
What Will the Credit Card of the Future be Like?
If you’re comfortable using your fingerprint to pay for something with your phone, get ready for the next place where businesses want you to put your fingerprint — your credit card.
Are You One of 12 Million Consumers Whose Credit Scores will Jump on July 1st?
Millions of consumers should be a lot happier with their credit scores this summer when the three credit reporting agencies start removing certain tax liens and civil judgments from credit reports — whether they are accurate or not. Some negative data will be removed from credit reports Liens and judgments that have incomplete identifying information […]
4 Potentially Painful Reasons You Should Monitor Your Credit
What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You You’re a champ at making your credit card payments on time. But checking your credit on the regular? That’s an entirely different story. It far too easy to forget to monitor your credit, but it could be dangerous to do so. You don’t want something damaging to sneak […]
10 Ways to Get Ahead of Your Bills by a Month
Wouldn’t it be nice to have some money in the bank? An emergency fund relieves stress by allowing you to handle life’s curve balls as they happen. A small savings account feels great and is the perfect motivator to grow your savings even more. Unfortunately, millions of Americans don’t have enough stashed away to get […]
Guide: How to Start a Budget When You’re In Debt
What do you think when I say the word “budget”? Do you roll your eyes? Cringe? I want to help you see your budget in a new light. A budget is freedom. It’s the path to getting what’s most important to you. Most of us wouldn’t consciously trade in a home or the opportunity to […]
Why Are America’s Seniors Renting?
Sipping lemonade on the front porch of a paid-off home has long been an American dream. This is doubly true for retired folks. Lately, though, homeownership patterns have changed. The homeownership rate among seniors has been slowly declining over the past decade as these folks increasingly opt to rent. This trend seems to fly in […]
Survey Results: How Well Do You Know Credit?
Credit is a powerful tool for achieving financial goals, such as buying a car or owning a home but for many consumers, it’s a mysterious concept. Young adults, in particular, tend to view credit with a certain degree of wariness. Thus, they often misunderstand basics of how credit works and why it’s important. Consider this. […]
Survey: A Low Credit Score is Keeping 1 in 5 Americans from Buying a Home
Buying a home is a major financial milestone and it doesn’t happen by magic. To get a mortgage, the consumer must do some necessary financial legwork well in advance. Lenders look at the borrower’s complete financial picture to determine whether he or she qualifies for a loan, and at what terms. The complete picture includes […]
The Woman’s Guide to Buying a Home
Some may choose to rent rather than purchase a home, but others don’t have the choice. In a recent Credit Sesame survey of 1,000 renters, 51 percent of respondents said they rent because they cannot afford to buy a home where they live or work. Even more shocking? Women are more affected by rent prices […]
How Much Home Can I Afford On My Low Income?
Raise your hand if you’re not earning a high salary. Me too. I deliberately chose a low-paying career track when I graduated from college. As much as I hate to admit it, wildlife biologists just aren’t paid the same as software engineers—even when I do have a job. Right now I’m self-employed. What’s worse, I […]
How this ‘Credit Elite’ Takes Advantage of Credit Sesame’s Free Tools
When Eric Rosenberg first signed up to be a Credit Sesame member in October 2011, he already had a solid credit score of 720. He had just started getting into credit card travel hacking, which is maximizing reward points to use toward travel. Plus, he and his wife had bought their first condo together that […]
