Credit card tips for college students
August 15, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under credit
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn just created a law (that was recently signed in) that’s set up to protect college students from racking up credit card issues early on. The law’s goal is to place more responsibility on credit card issuers when it comes to handing out freebies and extras to college kids.
Even with the new law, the Illinois CPA Society notes that college kids still need to practice smart and responsible credit card ownership, such as…
Do shop around before choosing a card. Look at and compare monthly rates, grace periods, transaction fees, rewards, and penalty charges.
Don’t pay late which will …read more
How to check your credit report
April 27, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under credit, debt/credit
It’s pretty easy to check your credit report, and you should at least annually. It’s smart to look your report over because one, bad credit can stop you from getting a new credit card, an apartment, a car loan, and plenty of other things, and two, there may be incorrect info on your report. Either way, you need to know in order to fix your credit. Another reason you may want your report is if you’re planning on car shopping, buying a home, or doing some other large activity involving credit. This way you know where you stand and can …read more
Get Free Credit Scores
February 19, 2009 by Karen Weideman
Filed under debt/credit, financial matters
To get your free credit score try Quizzle.com, CreditKarma.com or Credit.com. These sites do not offer the not the official FICO, but an approximation of it.
The only place to get your free credit report once a year is AnnualCreditReport.com. Accept no other source!
Thanks to Clark Howard for the information.
Identy Theft Prevention 101
December 21, 2007 by kellys
Filed under financial matters, odds and ends
My purse was stolen right before I was to fly out to see my family for the holidays. UUGGHH!! Things like that only happen to me. Now I have to worry about identity theft. Luckily I din’t have any credit cards in my purse, just a debit card and a bank card. But I did have 2 check books in it so I have had to close out 2 accounts and redo all the online banking from those accounts. It’s a huge ordeal. Luckily, I had a valid passport so that I could …read more
Get Your Free Credit Report
December 28, 2006 by Karen Weideman
Filed under financial matters, odds and ends
Identity theft has been on the rise for several years now. The best way to keep track of all of your accounts is to order copies of your credit report on a regular basis.
Due to new Federal Consumer Protection laws, everyone is allowed to receive one free copy of their credit report per year from each of the credit bureaus. Since there are three major credit reporting bureaus, this means you can get a free copy every 4 months.
Be sure and write down the dates on your calendar or palm pilot to remind you of when you need to order …read more
