Are You a ‘Transactor’ or a ‘Revolver’? Why You Should Worry if You’re a ‘Revolver’
Many mortgage lenders use the Fannie Mae mortgage underwriting system for mortgage loans. Understanding the Fannie Mae system is in the applicant’s best interests. Home shoppers can get the best deal for themselves if they have a good grip on the process and what specific financial moves to make before they apply for a home […]
How I Figured Out If I Should Refinance $56,000 in Student Loans
Do you have private student loans? I do, and they suck. Private student loans are the Wild West of the student loan world. Each company dictates its own interest rates based on your and/or your cosigner’s credit. Because of this, private student loans generally come with higher interest rates than federal student loans. Over time, […]
How to Create a Family Roadmap About Money, Without Conflict
Talking with family members about money may seem like a sure way to invite trouble. Done right, the boardroom approach to managing family money can save frustration and heartache down the road. This approach takes the weight off the shoulders of a single person, and eliminates the stressful and often destructive panic that sets in […]
10 Reasons Why You Didn’t Get the Apartment You Wanted to Rent
So you think you’re the perfect renter and you should be able to just pay the money and be accepted into any building or rental house you want? Not so fast! Landlords and leasing agents look for a lot more than just money. I know because I am a landlord who rents out three houses […]
How to Get Credit Cards After Bankruptcy
Lauren faced a mountain of debt combined with dwindling resources due to a recent layoff from her high-paying corporate job. After struggling for months and considering all her options, she consulted a bankruptcy attorney who walked her through the process, took care of the filing, and gave her advice about how to begin addressing the […]
Credit Sesame Report: Does Credit Health Affect How Often Parents Discuss Finances With Their Kids?
Credit Sesame surveyed a sample of our members, who are parents, to find out just how frequently they talk to their college-age children about money. We then analyzed the parents’ credit scores to determine if those with good credit, fair credit, or poor credit are more or less worried about their kids being in debt […]
How Millennials Can Retire With $1 Million
As a millennial, I am often lectured to about the importance of saving for retirement strategies. I’m often told horror stories about people heading into retirement with little or no savings, who subsist on canned cat food and dry beans. It sounds like Chicken Little, yelling, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” But, these […]
Fighting & Winning the Student Loan Debt Battle: How My Wife and I Paid Off $100,000
For years, my student loan debt freaked me out. My wife and I collectively had about $100,000 in student loan debt, the majority being mine at over $75,000. It’s not that I thought about it constantly (though it rarely left my mind) or that I had collectors pounding on my door (we paid our bills […]
Authorized User vs. Joint Credit Card: What’s the Better Way to Build Credit?
The better your credit score, the easier it is to get approved for credit cards, car loans, mortgages and other types of credit. A higher score also means you’ll typically pay less in interest on what you borrow compared to someone whose score is at the lower end of the scale. Before you can have […]
MILITARY STAR Card Review: Not Your Typical Military Credit Card
EDITOR’S NOTE: The MILITARY STAR card, and the USAA Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card offers mentioned in this article are expired and are no longer available Serving in the military comes with certain perks, one of which is the ability to qualify for credit cards designed specifically for members of the Armed Forces. Depending on which […]
I Purposely Paid My Credit Card Bill Late & Accidentally Discovered a Credit Score Hack
That sounds like a ridiculous thing to do, right? If you’ve ever heard or read anything about credit, you know that bad credit behavior, even just one missed payment, can dump your score faster than a 10-second sleigh ride lands you face-first in a snow pile. Even worse, rebuilding that credit score through responsible credit […]
Unauthorized Credit Card Charges and What to Do if You Incur Them
Although it’s not fun to think about, the truth of the matter is that you or someone you know will most likely end up with unauthorized credit card charges in your lifetimes. Cyber crime is an ever-growing problem with no real solution in sight. People on the other side of the world can take your […]
Preparing to Live to 100: What Millennials Can Do Now to Get Ready for Retirement
It’s no secret that people are living longer and longer. So far, the oldest person on record was Jeanne Calment, a spunky Frenchwoman who lived to the ripe old age of 122. While most people aren’t expected to live quite that long, the average millennial man and woman has a 3.4% and a 7.5% chance, […]
BP Credit Card Review
Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. BP Credit Card Snapshot Editor’s Note: The BP Credit Card, BP Visa Signature® card and BP Visa® offers mentioned in this article are expired […]
Does the Burden of Having Student Loans Mean You’re More Likely to Have Bigger Debts Elsewhere Too?
Many millennials are graduating today to find fewer job prospects than graduates from previous generations. I am one of those millennials. I graduated in 2014 with a master’s degree and I have $55,000 in student loan debt. Even though I have a master’s degree, so far it hasn’t paid off because my full-time job doesn’t […]
