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You may have heard about the home equity line of credit (HELOC) strategy to pay off your mortgage early. This unconventional idea has become more popular in some personal finance circles over the years. While the idea is simple enough, in theory, there’s plenty you must know about the strategy before you commit to this…
A reader wrote in asking about credit scores. She wanted to understand why the credit score she received from the credit bureaus was different than the score used by her bank. Here’s her question: Q: I enjoy reading your blog. I have one question regarding the credit scores. I checked my credit scores with the…
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been on a refinancing binge. My wife and I have refinanced our home twice in the last 12 months, and my business partner and I are doing the same with three rental properties. With mortgage rates at an all-time low, these deals were just too good to pass up. And…
Unfortunately, the answer is, “It depends.” It depends on what your credit score is now, and why. And it depends on how much you want to improve your credit score. Serious credit problems — foreclosures, collections records, etc. — will stick to your credit report for seven to 10 years. During that time, you’re not…
Not too long ago, the only way to get your free credit score was to sign up for a seven or 30-day trial. You had to enter your credit card, and if you forgot to cancel the membership, they started charging your card. Today there are several ways to get your credit score for free…
Even small errors on your credit report can cause big problems. A typo in your home address could make it difficult for you to pull a copy of your credit report, for instance. A larger error, such as a creditor misreporting your financial information, could cause more serious issues. This is why it’s essential that…
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…
My family is on a long journey toward homeownership. Despite plenty of questions about when our little family of three will move out of our tiny apartment and into a home, we know we’re just not ready to buy a home yet. The main reason? We know how much money we’ll have to save before…
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…
