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Credit Report and Credit Scores
The information on your credit report can greatly affect the interest rate and your ability to obtain a loan. So it’s very important to check your credit report early, even if you are not quite ready to buy a house just yet. There are 3 major...
Know Exactly What Your Credit Score is Before You Apply For Your Financing
If you're thinking about buying a new or used car through
financing you'll want to make sure that you have copy of your
credit reports so that you know exactly what your credit score
is before you apply for your financing.
There are several...
Simple Credit Cards - What you should know...
A credit card is primarily a convenient payment mechanism. It is not intended to be a long term credit facility. Should you require long-term financing, you may wish to consider alternative financial products.
5 Questions you should ask yourself-...
The different credit services available to you
You can use credit services to finance your needs. From buying a home or a car to financing your everyday purchases, credit services can help you meet your needs. The credit services you seek will depend on your situation. A home mortgage can help...
Total Cost Of Credit vs Monthly Payments
I read a press release the other day which points to the fact we need to be very careful with our finances. The subject of the release was home mortgages. A company was announcing the availability of 40 year mortgages for its customers....
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Debt consolidation – Options for Reducing Credit Card Costs
Americans are using credit cards more than at any time in history, and credit card companies are reaping record profits. One of the reasons that the credit card industry is so profitable is that so many of us use our credit cards unwisely.
If you have good credit, you can get a credit card with a reasonable interest rate; say 10% or so. You can keep that rate by paying your bill on time. On the other hand, if you pay your bills late or fail to pay in full, then you will have to pay late fees and interest. Late fees often range between $15 and $29; some card issuers may charge even more. Adding to the pain of paying late fees, however, is the likely change in interest rates on your card if you pay late. A late payment may trigger a substantial increase in the interest rate on your card, and that “reasonable” interest rate of 10% may suddenly rise to 20% or even 25%!
It’s hard to pay off your credit card balance when you have late fees and 25% interest, so this is something you definitely want to avoid. If you usually pay on time, and you pay late once and are charged a late fee, ask your credit company if they will waive the fee. They will often do it – once. Some will not do it at all, but it is always worth taking the time to ask. If they are unwilling to help you, then you may be better off shopping around for a better credit card deal elsewhere.
You can often save money by transferring your balance to a lower interest credit card, if
you have one. Competition has been fierce during the last few years among credit card companies, and it is fairly common to receive “promotional” rates of less than 5% if you transfer your balance to another card. Be sure to read the fine print, however. Those low rates usually apply only to transferred balances, and not to new charges placed on the card. There is usually a time limit associated with the promotional rate, and higher rates may apply at the end of the time limit, perhaps even retroactively!
In summary, if you want to minimize your credit card costs, try the following:
Shop around for a credit card with a low interest rate.
Pay your bills on time. A good way to do this is to pay online. That way, you won’t have to worry about your check being delayed in the mail.
Transfer balances from high interest rate cards to cards with lower rates.
Use your cards wisely. If you can pay cash, do it.
A few simple steps can save you a fortune in interest charges and late fees.
About the Author
©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling, and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information regarding home equity loans.
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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 ... |
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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. |
www.annualcreditreport.com |
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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 ... |
www.credit.org |
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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 ... |
www.myfico.com |
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Credit Suisse Global |
Credit Suisse Group is an international financial services group. - Shares part of SMI. |
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Experian: Free Credit Report and Credit Score, Credit Check ... |
Credit referencing and consumer targeting for the USA and other countries. |
www.experian.com |
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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! |
www.freecreditreport.com |
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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. |
www.fordcredit.com |
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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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