Credit

You want to know your credit score, right? You know–THE Credit Score–as in, the one and only. As it turns out, that’s mostly a fantasy. There is no one credit score. In fact, each consumer has many. If you subscribe to one of the free credit score services, you’ll get a credit score. But chances…

Not too long ago, paying rent didn’t have much to do with your credit score. Of course, not paying rent could always (and still can) wreck your credit score. If you were behind enough to have your account sent to a collections agency or go through a judgment process, that information would likely appear on…

When it comes to mortgages and credit scores, there are two really important questions to ask: What credit score do I need to qualify for a mortgage? What credit score do I need to get the lowest interest rate on a mortgage? These different, but related, questions are important if you are looking to buy…

In all the little details of parenting, one thing you may not have had to ask is how do I check my child’s credit report? After all, why would you? They’ve never used a credit card before, right? That may be true. But that doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t used your child’s credit. You may…

Late payments can happen to the best of us. Sometimes we pay a bill late due to oversight. Other times a shortage of cash is the culprit. How late your payments are and how often they occur affect your credit score. How perfect your score is otherwise, and a host of other factors also play…

Your credit scores are never more important than when you are about to buy a home. That pesky 3-digit number can lower or raise your interest payments by tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a mortgage. So it was no surprise when a reader named Kelly sent me the following email: Great…

Recently a number of readers have dismissed free credit score services like Quizzle and Credit Sesame, noting that these services don’t provide you with your “official” FICO score. The argument goes like this. These FAKO scores, as they’re called, don’t show you the actual credit score that lenders will use. Therefore, the scores are worthless….

A good credit score can save you thousands of dollars in lower interest rates. To help boost your FICO score, here’s our guide on how to improve your credit score. If owning a house is the modern American dream, most Americans wouldn’t be able to achieve this dream without the help of the finance industry….

Last week I helped a family member get a copy of their credit report and credit score. One thing they found confusing was just what the difference was between the two. Contrary to what many believe, a credit report and a credit score are not one and the same. While they are variations on your…