Credit abuse; it’s not likely to make the papers or end up in a courtroom (even though it can), but it’s a chronic issue in the United States today. The issue is exacerbated by the fact that even our government is billions of dollars in debt and continues to dig itself further into it! Seems like a lot of people abuse what credit they have, and their credit scores are lackluster because of it. Today, we’re going to explore three of...

Ever been in debt? If you have, and you’ve tried to get by by means of only paying the minimum payment, you may notice that it takes awhile. Why? A big part of this is how high your interest rate is. Most standard credit cards have an interest rate of at least 15%, so on a $1,000 debt, half or more of your minimum payment could be interest. Did you know that there are ways to negotiate a lower interest rate on your credit cards? Honestly,...

Sometimes we all make unwise financial decisions or take on more credit than we can handle. Sometimes we acquire bad credit from unfortunate circumstances like going through a divorce, loss of a spouse,  or experience  medical issues that results in the inability to work or excessive medical bills. Regardless how you get into debt, I think we can all agree that its much easier to get into debt than to get out of it. If you have bad...

Digging your way out of credit card debt can be an overwhelming and feeling hopeless.  It is embarrassing for friends and family members to know that you’re struggling to pay your bills. You also may be tossing and turning at night thinking about how to get out of your current debt situation. You are not alone. With hard work and discipline, you can work your way out of debt! If getting out of credit card debt is something you want...

Studies show that people tend to spend more on gift cards than on gift certificates. The average gift card in 2004 was $50, which was twice the amount people would spend on the average gift certificate. Although gift cards seems to be more popular than gift certificate, plastic still hasn’t completely killed paper yet. Gift certificate can still be purchased in various amounts, and are good at various shopping, dining, and...

Personal credit Reports include personal information, employment information, payment history, a list of creditors, any bankruptcies you may have or lawsuits. Since credit reports are what many employers are using now days as a way to gauge one’s personal habits and tendencies, it’s a good idea to check your credit report once a year just to make sure that your report is indeed correct. It’s very important to make sure...