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How to Talk to Debt Collectors When They Call
The phone rings. You wonder, “Is it a debt collector?” You decide not to answer it because you don’t want to face another troubling call. Has this ever happened to you? We take on debt when we need...
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The Non-Credit Score Numbers Your Lender Wants to Know
A client recently went to the bank to talk about opening a line of credit. She filled out an application, then the banker entered the information into his computer and reviewed her credit score. But...
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5 Back-to-School Tips for Your Credit
It feels like summer just arrived, but now we’re shopping for calculators and new outfits and we’re only weeks away from getting back into the school year routine. Chances are, this is the only time...
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Half of Millennials Are Oversharing Their Credit Info
I was born in a generation when the household shared one or two phones. My daughter, though, was born in a generation when everyone has at least one personal cell phone or mobile device that they...
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How a Stolen Phone Can Affect Your Credit
You’ve enjoyed a great day out – shopping, grabbing a coffee with friends, maybe a quick stop at the park to walk the dog. But then as you walk into the house, you have a sudden panicked feeling …...
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4 Credit Tips to Finish Summer Well
It’s nearly the end of summer. The kids will be returning to school shortly. You’ll probably be returning to work (or to a slightly different schedule at work once everyone finishes off their vacation...
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5 Habits That Can Wreck Your Credit
Have you ever driven home from work and then not remembered a thing about your drive? Have you ever stepped on the scale and wondered how those extra pounds appeared? Blame it on habits. Habits are...
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How Technology Can Help You Build Credit
Is life getting busier? It seems to be. Parents with school-aged children seem to be busier than I was when my daughter was young (she’s just starting college this month!), and I think I was busier...
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Three Accounts That Could Hurt Your Credit Score
If you ask most people what types of credit accounts can hurt your credit score, almost everyone will tell you that your credit cards have a huge impact. That is true – credit cards do impact credit...
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The Credit Tool Everyone Forgets About
When working to build your credit, there are some well-known best practices and “standard operating procedures” that you have probably read about frequently: Get copies of your credit reports and...
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How to Create a 10-Year Plan for Your Credit
When we think of our credit, we often think of “right now” credit. That is, we’re thinking of what our current credit score is and whether it will allow us to open the credit account (i.e. mortgage,...
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4 Times Good Credit Can Come to Your Rescue
A client of mine, who happens to be a business owner, reported to me the other day that his computer died just days before a major project was finished and he had to run out and buy a new one. Since...
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How Your Middle Name Could Hurt Your Credit
In the movie “J. Edgar,” there is a scene when the main character is denied credit at a men’s clothing store because “John Hoover” owes the store money. Dicaprio’s character explains that he was named...
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Is Your Credit Score a Trick or a Treat?
When you were a kid on Halloween, you ran from house to house, filling your Halloween bag with candy. And then when you got home, it felt like a free-for-all buffet of sugar when you dumped your haul...
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4 Credit Lessons to Teach Your Teen
As parents, we want to build up our kids so they can live their best lives. We want to guide and educate them so they can succeed. One of the areas where we can help our kids is credit. As children...
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6 Signs You Might Be an Identity Theft Victim
Last year, there were an estimated 12.6 million victims of identity theft, a number that has grown steadily over the years. If someone steals your identity and uses it to commit fraud, the sooner you...
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4 Credit Tips to Help You Survive Black Friday
Black Friday: At the best of times, it’s a highly anticipated party-like atmosphere in which you get some or all of your holiday season shopping done at ridiculously low prices. At the worst of times,...
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Why You Should Make Time to Check Your Credit
I have to warn you: I sometimes try to be lighthearted and fun in my blog posts, but I really feel that this very serious topic deserves a very serious tone. You’ll thank me for this later. I write...
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My Credit Report Thinks I’m Dead!
It’s always distressing to be rejected for a credit line, but perhaps the worst is when you find that you’ve been reported as dead. However outrageous it may sound, this does occasionally happen, and...
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Should Data Breaches Scare You Away From Online Shopping?
After the recent data breaches of high-profile companies, it seems many shoppers view online shopping as more risky. A new USA Today poll says that 24% of Americans have curbed their buying online...
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