The Internet is overflowing with advice about how to get a better grip on your finances, but sometimes all those checklists and bullet points can feel overwhelming. TIME Moneyland tapped 10 experts in saving, spending and budgeting and asked each of them to offer their single most important piece of advice for people who want to improve their finances.
The number of retail credit card accounts in late-stage delinquency is at a six-year low, according to Fitch Ratings, and charge-offs are down 38% from a little over two years ago. But will this new stability last?
Could this be a light at the end of the credit crisis tunnel? According to new research from Fair Isaac Corporation, the company responsible for FICO scores, the percentage of Americans with top-notch credit scores is the best it’s been since 2008. In addition, the number of people in the bottom tier of the credit [...]
A yearlong investigation by the Columbus Dispatch has uncovered systemic flaws in the data collection and dispute resolution processes used by the credit bureaus. For Americans who find errors in their credit files, this can mean months of frustration trying to get the mistakes corrected. And during that painful process, many people are denied credit cards, [...]
We’ve been hearing “720 is the new 680″ for a couple of years now. As it turns out, that’s wrong. Even a credit score of 720 isn’t necessarily good enough anymore.
Do we really want to take financial advice from a bunch of kids living in tents? Surprisingly, we just might.
If you’re a credit card customer with an account in good standing, this is a good time to ask for a credit limit increase. We don’t want to encourage anyone to load up on more debt, but a higher credit limit can actually boost your credit score. Read on to find out what to say — and what not to say — to get more credit.
What’s in a number? When that number is your credit score, it’s the key that gives you access to credit cards, mortgages and other loans. Anything below 720 can make it tougher or more expensive to get a loan now, which means a number like 622 is bad news. Unfortunately, that’s the average credit score in [...]
While your finances might not be the first thing that springs to mind as Valentine’s Day approaches, your credit can be affected by your partner’s history and spending habits. Credit counselors advise couples to sit down together and disclose their respective debts before they get serious. That might not sound like the most romantic date [...]
Oprah pal Suze Orman never had much in common with reality TV’s Kardashian sisters — until now. The personal finance personality debuted a prepaid debit card, the Approved Card. Prepaid cards are notorious for high fees — and for, in effect, relegating people with little or poor credit to a kind of second-tier financial status. [...]
Now that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a director (albeit one whose appointment could be challenged in court), it has quite the to-do list. At the top, according to newly installed bureau head Richard Cordray, is federal supervision of non-bank entities that include debt collectors, payday loan operations, and mortgage lenders.
