During Inflation, Good Credit is Your Best Friend
The Consumer Price Index indicates that consumer prices have increased 5.4% from July of 2020 to July of 2021. This means that on average, you are paying 5.4% more for everyday items that you purchase, compared to this time last year. Some industries have been hit even harder, such as housing and automobiles, where…
Did You Overpay for Your Last Car?
We’ve all seen the car commercials advertising those insanely low car financing rates like 0.9% or sometimes even 0%, but the fine print will tell you that very few people get those loans because not only does your credit need to be perfect, but you also have to be willing to finance your car for…
Here’s How Your Credit Score Affects Your Mortgage Rate
Often times, home buyers don’t really stop to think about how their credit scores could be impacting the rate they get on a mortgage loan. And taking it to the next level, they rarely consider how that rate will truly affect the amount of money that “pours” out of their pocket for the next 5,…
5 Ways That Average Credit Can Kill Your Financial Future
Consider this all-too-common situation… Perhaps you previously had good or even great credit, but the recent financial downturn caused a loss of income in your household, and this forced you to skip or be late on a credit card or two, a mortgage payment, or a car payment. Maybe now you have recovered and caught…
The Truth About Department Store Credit Cards
You’ve seen this scenario play out many times. As you are checking out at your local TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Lowe’s, Best Buy or any other large retail store, the cashier casually asks you if you would like to quickly apply for a store credit card and save 10% on today’s purchase. Or perhaps you…
3 Things to Do Now If You Are Waiting to Buy a House
It is a pretty well established fact that today’s housing marketing is “unusual” to say the least! Home prices are escalating at a record pace, and even with this happening, they are selling fast and above list price because supply is low. (Remember that Econ 101 class where they talked about Supply and Demand?) As…
Three Ways for Teens to Start Building Credit
One of the most important things a teenager can do is learn how to use credit responsibly. However, when you’re young and have never had any credit extended to you, it can be a bit difficult to get started. For parents of teens, there are a few things that you can do to help your…
Here’s What Wealthy People Will Tell You About Having Excellent Credit
Sometimes it’s smart to ignore what other people do, and sometimes it’s smart to follow their lead. When it comes to money, wealthy people have usually figured out how to make it and how to save it. So, there’s often some value in heeding their advice. Here’s what most wealthy people will tell you about…
What Exactly is “Loan Forbearance?”
We receive questions from people asking about loan forbearance and what they should do if they are unable to make their mortgage payments. It has become increasing more common as a result of the economic downturn from the pandemic. Here’s a simple explanation… Forbearance is a postponement of your payments, typically due to a financial…
How Credit Repair Helps Property Managers and Renters
We talk a lot about people undergoing credit repair in order to boost their scores so they can buy a home. Unfortunately, today’s market conditions have made it tough for some home buyers and many have decided to wait for a while before getting back into “home buying” mode. While this decision can understandably come…