Credit

Managing your money while on the go can be difficult. You need separate apps for your bank, investments, and credit cards, and keeping track of where your money is can

In a world where identity theft seems pandemic, spending $10, $20, or $30 a month might seem like good insurance against the nightmare that is identity theft. However, like with

Homeownership is part of the American dream, but buying a house can be incredibly expensive. According to Zillow, the median home in the United States costs just under $250,000. In

Have you been unable to get a credit card or a loan because of bad credit, or no credit? Credit builder loans are a way to get around that problem.

Was one of your New Years’ resolutions to improve your credit score? Or maybe you’re hoping to buy a home soon? Perhaps you just like to be on top of

If you’re looking for a free way to check your credit score, look no further than three websites. Quizzle.com, CreditKarma.com, and CreditSesame.com each offer free scores. Although they offer similar

In a financial sense, you are your credit score! It’s just a reality of life in the 21st century. Lenders, landlords, employers, and even insurance companies will rely on your

The formula that generates a FICO credit score is made up of several components. Some of these components you would expect to see, such as paying your bills on time.

It seems like a simple question at first. What is a good credit score? But what seems simple on the surface is often more complicated underneath. That’s true when it

LendingClub recently launched a new section of its website that lists statistics about borrowers and lenders. One data point that caught my eye is that about 50% of all LendingClub

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: there’s no magic solution for increasing your credit score. With that said, you can take some fairly simple steps

Millions of college students and college graduates have student loans that another party, usually their parents, cosigned for. This makes perfect sense. When you’re a college student or a recent

Not everyone has excellent credit. Missed payments happen, life gets in the way, and your credit score can drop after just a few financial mistakes. Having a fair credit score

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

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

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.

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,

Boosting your credit score often requires months or even years of near-perfect financial behavior and decisions. This proves to be difficult for most people, and they remain stuck in the

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

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

MyFICO, a division of Fair Isaac, is an excellent place to obtain and monitor your FICO scores. For new customers, myFICO offers a few options to obtain your FICO score

For Christmas, we ordered DISH Network for my wife’s parents. They live in the country and don’t have cable access; satellite service is their only option. In the process of

Did you know that credit scoring models are constantly evolving? Many consumers have an idea of what goes into a credit score–payment history, account balances, account mix, etc. But they

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

Bankruptcy is never a comfortable topic, particularly if you’re the one considering filing for bankruptcy. When the debts are piling up, and you can’t see a light at the end

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

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?

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

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

When it comes to purchasing a car and getting a loan, buyers naturally tend to think of borrowing from the bank first. The other common alternative is to get financing

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

Identity Theft takes many forms. In some cases, your identity can be used to withdraw money from existing accounts or to use existing credit. One of the more difficult types

Divorce, whether nasty or amicable, can be an emotional roller coaster. It can be a financial roller coaster, as well. Not only can divorce hurt the finances of both parties,

Improving your FICO credit score has never been more important than it is today. Your credit score affects whether you are approved for a loan, the interest rate you pay,

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

It’s official. Credit scores are the most confusing aspect of personal finance. The FICO formula remains largely a mystery. And don’t get me started on the multiple versions of credit

With all of the information flying around these days and the increasing potential for it to fall into the wrong hands – credit monitoring services have become almost a necessity.

When creditors are deciding whether or not to offer you a loan or a credit card, they look at a copy of your credit report and consider your credit score.

Some financial gurus argue that a credit score is really just a debt score. On one level, this perception is correct. Your credit score does have a lot to do

I’ve used Credit Karma for years to track my credit score. It updates my score monthly, showing the factors that are helping or hurting my credit score. It also provides

Credit scores and reports are as confusing as they are important. Since 2007 when Dough Roller launched, I’ve fielded hundreds of questions about credit reports and scores. What I’ve learned

Did you know that consumers used to be unable to access their credit score without paying? Most credit monitoring services would offer a free trial, but they’d charge as soon

Earlier this week we took a look at how to get your free credit score from myFICO. Operated by the Fair Isaac Corporation, the creator of the FICO credit score,

Like the formula for Coca-Cola , the FICO credit scoring formula is a closely guarded secret. The Fair Isaac Corporation, however, does give us a glimpse into the secret sauce

Is layaway smart? According to Senator Charles Schumer (NY) layaway programs are deceptive and misleading. Senator Schumer is prepared to take on layaway programs with the same force that he used to

A reader recently asked a question about her credit score. It’s a question I’ve heard many times in the past and it had to do with being an authorized user

Your gym locker has a combination why not your credit report? You may be surprised to know that, by default, something as important as your credit report at Experian, Equifax,