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Credit Consumerism Still Able to Prop Up the Economy?

August 29th, 2008 · No Comments

Buying things on credit cards has never been easier and consumers have taken advantage. Experian reports that the average household has $16,000+ in debt other than mortgages. Online shopping is ubiquitous; Ebay has just announced that they will be no longer accepting checks and will only accept credit card purchases and PayPal […]

Popularity: 1% [?]

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Tags: Consumer Debt

How Soon After a Bankruptcy Can I Apply for Credit?

August 14th, 2008 · No Comments

We get this question all the time: “How soon after a bankruptcy can I apply for lines of credit?” Out of one debt hell into another? Maybe you should examine the reason why you’re filing bankruptcy? Ok, we’ll avoid the lecture and just answer the question.
Primarily, how long you need to […]

Popularity: 26% [?]

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Tags: Budgeting · Consumer Debt · Credit Cards · Mortgages · bankruptcy

Is Illegal Immigration a Factor in the Credit Crunch?

August 12th, 2008 · 2 Comments

With more than 12 million illegal immigrants estimated to be living in this country, it’s certainly a question worth posing. Determining the impact of illegal workers on unemployment rates, healthcare costs, and other social and economic sectors is difficult enough, due to the nature of them being “undocumented”. There are numerous arguments both for and […]

Popularity: 27% [?]

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Tags: Banking · Consumer Debt · Mortgages

Ten Free Credit Card Perks Most Commonly Overlooked!

August 11th, 2008 · No Comments

I’m the queen of finding and utilizing as many “rewards” credit cards as possible. After all, it’s “free money”, so why not take advantage of it? As long as you are the type of person who can control their credit card expenditures, and pay off the balance in full each month, the use of credit […]

Popularity: 27% [?]

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Tags: Consumer Debt · Credit Cards

Congratulations, Your Account is in Collections!

July 29th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Many people are really worried when an account goes in to collections, meaning a credit card company has decided to charge off your debt due to non-payment. Sure, now you have two big negative marks on your credit report, but I’m going to make a statement now that may seem counter-intuitive: once something gets […]

Popularity: 36% [?]

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Tags: Consumer Debt · Credit Repair · Debt Collection

Credit Fears - Fight or Flight?

July 22nd, 2008 · No Comments

Market Crash? Housing Crash? Gas at $5/gallon? What is your reaction to this constant bombardment in the news of these phrases? Does the fear affect your actions concerning your purchases, investment strategies or how you drive?
This strong fearful emotion comes from one of the most “ancient” parts of your brain (a part which […]

Popularity: 27% [?]

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Tags: Credit Repair

Red or White Wine? Your Choice Might Affect Your Credit Score…

June 30th, 2008 · No Comments

Ok, that might be a bit extreme, but according to a recent article in businessweek, the lifestyle choices a consumer makes as far as spending habits may even affect their credit score.
It’s fairly common knowledge that some major factors that influence credit scores involve occupation, payment histories, public records, ratio of balance to available credit […]

Popularity: 32% [?]

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Tags: Credit Bureaus and Scores · Credit Cards · Credit Reports

Credit Cards: How to Recognize the Good Ones

June 27th, 2008 · No Comments

If you want to maximize your credit card’s optional features, you need to do a little homework before you select a card. Since our economy these days depends in large part on the frequent use of credit by consumers, companies that offer credit cards have come up with a number of attractive features designed to […]

Popularity: 31% [?]

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Tags: Credit Cards

Are Credit Cards Requirements Tougher?

June 18th, 2008 · No Comments

Ok, I have good credit and I would assume that it would be easy for me to get a credit card. Remember all though stories about people who used their pet’s name and ID (I wonder what SSN# they used!)? Well, those times are apparently not past. I just read […]

Popularity: 30% [?]

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Tags: Credit Cards

Credit Cards: How To Raise Your Credit Limit

June 13th, 2008 · 2 Comments

If you are new to the credit game, the initial limits on your credit cards can be low. A credit limit means the maximum amount of money you can charge to your credit card. This includes fees, balance transfers from other cards, and cash advances, as well as the purchases you […]

Popularity: 44% [?]

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Tags: Credit Cards