A recent poll of 1,155 American adults found at CreditCards.com revealed that only 53% planned to buy Christmas gifts that cost $50 or more this year. And it wasn’t only those with modest incomes who were planning to cut back on spending. According to the survey, 44% of those with annual household incomes of over […]
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Protecting Yourself in the Face of a Data Breach
During mid-May through July of 2017, 143 million Americans were victims of a data breach at Equifax, a major credit reporting agency. In this data breach, sensitive information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and in some case credit card information were among the data accessed by hackers. If you were one […]
Your Financial Life – Credit Account Closures
Q: I have an old credit card that is paid off. I never use it. I’ve kept it open because I thought closing it could negatively impact my credit score. My creditor has informed me that they will be closing my account due to inactivity. Would it be better for my credit if I closed […]
Tis the Season!
Seems early to be making a list and checking it twice but my mailbox is full of catalogs to entice me to buy early and buy often. It is easy to buy online but do take an extra minute or two to be certain your shopping is secure. The Federal Trade Commission offers these tips […]
Tired of Being Broke?
Maybe it is time to try what many Americans are trying…an all cash diet. Maybe living with credit cards has created problems that are just as hard as trying to keep a little cash in your wallet. Want to know how to go about it? Begin with an estimation of how much money comes into […]
Your Financial Life – Credit Scores
A big part of your financial life is your credit score. Not to be confused with your credit report, your credit score is a number assigned to a person that indicates to lenders: if they qualify for the service their ability to repay a loan the rate they will pay for a loan or credit […]