Last month, I did something I have been wanting to do for awhile: I took a serious step to improving my credit score. Why? Because a bad credit score will ruin you. I applied for the Introductory Rate 0% Interest Capital One Platinum credit card.  Now, I haven’t had a credit card for over two...

College students don’t seem to realize the importance of having a good credit score.  If you plan to go to grad school, buy a car or house or get married, having a bad credit score can be pretty costly. A bad credit score… Can’t get you a low interest rate on loans. If you want to...

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal Online (WSJ) about prepaid debit cards the other day. It’s basically a debit card that isn’t linked to a traditional bank account. Here’s a quick run down of some of the advantages and disadvantages: Advantages: It’s co...

Identity theft. Anyone is vulnerable.  It very well can happen to you.  I recently experienced a scary situation regarding personal information.  I own stock in a large company.  A well-known bank was the company’s transfer-agent, and both have great reputations. Several months ago, the...

In our fast-paced financial world where everyone wants your money as fast as they can get their hands on it, how can you avoid getting caught in the current, floating towards disaster? Float time is how long it takes a transaction to clear your checking account. Let’s say you deposit your paycheck...

By Dannielle Slaven - Youngstown State University Once you establish your credit, you have to maintain it. We know your first priority is checking your credit report and score (yeah, right!). It doesn’t have to take top priority, but it should be a concern to you. Case in point, I recently dec...

By Chelsea Jamison - Seattle Pacific University “I can afford it; I’ll just make monthly payments!” I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase uttered from the lips of your friends, and if you are anything like me, you bite your lip, and in your head you’re screaming “No!” This is a good ill...

By Chelsea Jamison - Seattle Pacific University As you know, credit card companies allow you to make a minimum payment on your oustanding debt, allowing the principal to accrue interest, in turn giving them more money. So what is the real cost of making the minimum payment on a purchase? Let’s...

You don’t just “have” good credit, or “receive” good credit… you earn good credit. So, you have a bad credit score or have no credit to your name. Where do you start? First, find out what your credit score is. Remember, more than one inquiry into your credit sco...

So, you’ve all undoubtedly heard about the recession we’ve gotten ourselves into. Unfortunately, even though you probably don’t have a home mortgage, or have thousands of dollars in one of the investment banks that went under, you’re still going to run into credit problems p...