Author Archives for Blake
Where to Keep Your Emergency Fund
Unless working on paying down high interest debt, you should strive to have about three to six months of living expenses saved in an “emergency fund.” The purpose of an emergency fund is to avoid turning to credit cards to pay for speed bumps and potholes in your finances.
Where you keep this emergency […]
Spare Cash: Pay Off Debt or Build Emergency Fund?
Financial experts recommend keeping about three to six months, even up to 12 months, of living expenses in a risk-free savings or money market account. The purpose of this “rainy day fund” is to help you survive a financial catastrophe such as losing your job, needing unexpected roof replacement, or large medical bills. The […]
Free (Really) Credit Monitoring
We all know the importance of checking your credit report regularly to look for errors and signs of identify theft. You get a free credit report every year from AnnualCreditReport.com. But once a year is quite a long time between credit checks! You really should check your credit report more frequently.
There […]
Got Credit Card Debt? MTV Wants to Hear From You
MTV is looking for people between 18 and 26 years old who “have ended up with credit card trouble.” (Watching too much MTV can do that to you!)
Could they be creating a new reality show, The Biggest Saver? Who knows. Here are the details:
E-mail mtvnews@mtvstaff.com with your name, age, location, occupation, […]
Will the Democrats cut student loan rates?
Now that they control the U.S. Congress, the Democrats are attempting to reduce the interest rates for subsidized federal Stafford loans and to increase Pell Grant awards. The interest rate for federal student loans opened in 2006-07 is 6.8%. The Democrats propose cutting the interest rate in half, to 3.4%, gradually over […]
New Non-traditional Credit Scoring Model Helps First-Time Homebuyers
Finding it difficult to shop for a home with little or no credit history? First America’s Anthem Score may be your ticket to homeownership.
One Step to a Better Credit Score
Is your credit score lower than it should be? Paying down your balances could provide a much-needed boost to your credit score.
Is the History Worth the Price?
It’s best for your credit score that you not close old accounts. But what do you do when the old accounts hit you with large annual fees?
Have you ordered your free credit report?
The new Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act entitles you to one free credit report every year, no strings attached. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity!
Payday Loans = Costly Cash
The ads are on the radio, television, the Internet, even in the mail. They refer to payday loans - which come at a very high price.
