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5 Ways To Raise Credit Score
It's not as hard as you think to raise credit score. It's a well known fact that lenders will give people with higher credit scores lower interest rates on mortgages, car loans and credit cards. If your credit score falls under 620 just getting...
7 Tips To Increase Your Credit Score
Having a high credit score can mean the difference of thousands of dollars of saved interest expense compared to others with a lower score. For example, if you improve credit score results from the credit bureaus, just a few points that increase...
Credit Card Wealth Secrets And Ideas
"Credit card wealth secrets," the ad read. I assumed it was yet another over-hyped unworkable scheme. It probably was, but it made me remember the times in my life when I have used credit cards to make money. As Robert Kyosaki says, there's "good...
Do you Know the Benefits of Checking your Credit Report?
Do you know why you should check your credit report?
Of course you do, because you have undoubtedly experienced one working in your life!
No matter where you roam, your credit report follows you through life, updating all aspects of your...
Easy Credit Repair Done Yourself
We all know that credit is important, but what should we do if
we are in need of credit repair? I know if were to find that my
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rather than pay someone to do it. Credit repair is a...
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5 Tips for Savvy Use of Your Home Equity Line of Credit
Tapping your home's equity to pay college expenses, consolidate credit card debt or even to buy a new car or boat is common place. Many economists attribute the additional buying power afforded consumers through home equity debt as a primary reason the nation's economy has been able to emerge from the recent recession. Yet, aside from simply allowing consumers to spendmore, the flexibility and efficiency of a home equity line of credit (HELOC) can provide the financially savvy person with the means to savemoney, make money or simply take advantageof opportune situations he or she might otherwise miss out on. Here are five tips to show you how:
Tip 1: Take Advantage of Higher Insurance Deductibles! You probably know that raising deductibles on auto and homeowners insurance policies can mean big savings on insurance premiums. If you increase the deductible on a homeowner's policy from $500 to $1,000, you'll cut your premium by as much as 25%! Yet many people don't do this because they fear they may not have the necessary cash available in the event of a loss. With low-interest cash readily available through a home equity line of credit you'll have the security and confidence you need to raise your deductibles and reap the savings!
Tip 2: Lock In Big Savings! Credit card companies (e.g. the GM card) frequently have shopping programs with names like "Main Street Savings" on a 30-day free trial basis. These programs allow you to buy discounted gift cards (20% discount) for major national retailers like Target, Sears, and Home Depot. The flexibility afforded by a home equity line of credit can allow you to purchase (during the free trial period) a large amount of discounted gift cards for major retailers you frequent. Then use these cards instead of cash or credit when you purchase everyday items (The cash you would have spent can be used to pay down the HELOC). Although you pay low interest on the home equity credit line, you receive a front-end discount of 20% on everything bought. When combined with store coupons and sales, you can realize total savings of 70% or more! In short, a HELOC provides the low interest cash availability to take advantage of bargains like this that you might otherwise have to pass on.
Tip 3: Take Advantage of 0% Balance Transfer Offers! We've all seen no-fee credit card offering "0% APR" on balance transfers for 6, 12, and even 18 months. If you have a balance on your HELOC, you may be able to take advantage of these offers. Here's an example of how: last year I accepted such an offer and promptly transferred $10,000 from my home equity credit line balance (which had a 4.25% rate). Then I cut up the card! For the next eleven
months, I paid the monthly minimum credit card payment (3% of the outstanding balance) by writing a check from my home equity line of credit. In the twelfth month, prior to the expiration of the 0% offer, I paid off the remaining balance with another home equity credit line check. During the 12 months, I also made sure to continue my regular payment towards the HELOC at the same level, meaning that more of each went to pay down principal and less went to interest. Net result: interest savings of over $350.00, lower principal balance on my HELOC, and a positive addition to my credit repayment history!
Tip 4: First Pay With a Rewards Credit Card! If you're contemplating using your HELOC for a major purchase, you should consider whether or not the merchant your dealing with accepts credit cards. Why? Because it makes a great deal of sense to pay first with a rewards credit card and then pay off the card with your HELOC check. On a recent $14,000 bathroom remodel, I was able to charge plumbing services, cabinets, and almost everything else to my Fidelity/MBNA 529 College Rewards Mastercard. This card pays you back by putting 2% of everything charged into a 529 college savings plan. Result: $280.00 in college savings that would have been missed if I paid the bills directly with home equity credit line checks! Whatever rewards credit card you favor, it's sensible to pay first with the card whenever possible. Keep in mind, though, you must promptly pay off the balance and not incur finance charges.
Tip 5: Replace Your 1st Mortgage with a HELOC! According to Money Magazine, if you have more equity than debt and plan to stay in your home for 3 years or less, you should consider replacing your first mortgage with a home equity line of credit. HELOCs are currently available around the country at rates of 4% or lower. Even if rates increase a full percentage point each year, they'll still be low when you pay off the loan. Best of all, there are no closing costs with most HELOCS so you won't have to worry about recouping them through interest savings as you do with a traditional mortgage refinance. A savvy person - using tip 3 in conjunction with tip 5 - might even move a portion of his mortgage to a 0% credit card thanks to the flexibility of a home equity line of credit.
Tim Paul has more than 25 years executive financial management experience. His recent area of focus has been to develop and catalog proven strategies for financially savvy persons to get the most from their home equity credit lines. His website is www.sagetips.com.
mail@sagetips.com
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Credit Reports - Credit Cards - Car Loans - Home Loans - Credit.com |
Credit.com offers a variety of credit related products and services including credit reports and credit scores, credit cards, car loans, home loan and ... |
www.credit.com |
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Equifax Personal Solutions: Credit Reports, Credit Scores ... |
National consumer credit reporting company that offers credit reports, FICO(R) credit scores and identity theft protection products to consumers and small ... |
www.equifax.com |
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The FTC's web site on Credit |
Credit is much more than a piece of plastic, and the resources on this site can help you become a more savvy consumer. You’ll also find compliance ... |
www.ftc.gov |
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Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Credit Center |
Features an assortment of helpful articles related to credit issues. |
www.ftc.gov |
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AnnualCreditReport |
Site set up by the big three credit reporting agencies in the United States, to furnish free annual credit reports, as required by federal law. |
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Springboard - Non-Profit Consumer Credit Management |
Our mission is simple: To offer education on the wise use of credit. ... SPRINGBOARD has been approved to provide credit counseling services and issue ... |
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myFICO - FICO Credit Scores, Online Credit Reports and Identity ... |
myFICO.com: Get your Free credit report and Free credit score with a 30-day trial of Score Watch. All three FICO Scores and Credit Reports Available now ... |
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Credit Suisse Global |
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Experian: Free Credit Report and Credit Score, Credit Check ... |
Credit referencing and consumer targeting for the USA and other countries. |
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National Credit Union Administration - Home Page |
An independent federal agency that supervises and insures 7152 federal credit unions and insures 4240 state-chartered credit unions. |
www.ncua.gov |
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Credit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Debits and Credits, a type of bookkeeping entry; Credit (creative arts), acknowledging the ideas or ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit" ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Credit (finance) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Any movement of financial capital is normally quite dependent on credit, ... Sometimes if a person has financial instability or difficulty, credit is not ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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The National Foundation for Credit Counseling |
DebtAdvice.org is a service provided by the Members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), most of them known as Consumer Credit ... |
www.nfcc.org |
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FreeCreditReport.com | Free Credit Report and Credit Score Online ... |
FreeCreditReport.com: Free credit reports and credit scores from Experian. Get your free credit report and credit score now. It's free, fast, and easy! |
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Compare credit cards | apply for a credit card | 0% balance ... |
Compare over 300 credit cards, including 0% offers and balance transfers, and make a credit card application online... |
www.moneysupermarket.com |
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Ford Credit - Auto financing for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars ... |
Ford Credit provides auto financing to finance a lease or purchase a car or truck through Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealerships. |
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The Credit Card Prank |
In my lifetime, I have made nearly 15000 credit card transactions. ... Credit card signatures are a useless mechanism designed to make you feel safe, ... |
www.zug.com |
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Credit magazine, corporate bonds, derivatives, structured credit ... |
Credit magazine provides information on the international credit markets for credit investors, issuers and market professionals. |
www.creditmag.com |
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CUNA: The Credit Union National Association |
News and resource directory about credit unions. |
www.cuna.org |
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Credit/Debt Management - Tools and Advice for Managing Credit and Debt |
Drowning in debt? Trying to improve your credit score? This is the place for you. Get real world information and tips, as well as the legal low down, ... |
credit.about.com |
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