Credit Score

Credit is a necessary part of our daily lives.  We need it to buy homes, cars and sometimes necessities of life.  The current credit crisis is making it more difficult for the average person with a good credit score to obtain a loan.

No one knows exactly where the future of credit is going.  Here are 51 blogs that cover a wide variety of credit issues that should concern consumers.  Guard your credit carefully to ensure your financial security.  Having a good rating now affects areas of your life where it once never mattered.

1. We Did It To Ourselves How the housing market predicted the end of easy access to loans.
2. Banks Tightening Loan Standards The difficulty of getting a loan from a bank and why it’s so hard.
3. Don’t expect credit to loosen up anytime soon. A look at an upwards bump in the amount of consumer credit.
4. Unemployment and tightening credit. A lack of jobs means a lack of money to spend, creating a vicious cycle.
5. Global recovery and its affect on credit. How a global economic recovery will get the consumer more credit.

Putting it all together.  A look at how the economic engines rely on credit spending in the future.

1. A proposal for a future strategy. Thoughts on restructuring a consumer’s creditworthiness.
2. We need to change our habits. A convincing argument for US households to save more and spend less.
3. No more movement on financial reform. What the lack of reform means for the individual consumer.
4. It’s flat. No upward growth in the economy means little change for the consumer in the near future.
5. How it all ties together.  Credit relies on many factors to be in place for it to work right.

What in the world is going on with housing?

1. Looking at the past to predict the future. As the saying goes, “Past performance is not an indicator of future performance,” the picture is clear and it’s not pretty.
2. It just keeps getting worse. Housing indicators keep dropping which means purchasing a home is going to stay difficult.
3. Jumbo loans and the global financial markets.  How Europe and the troubles in Greece translate to higher loan interest for those with jumbo housing loans.
4. A more in depth look at the housing crisis.  And what we’re not doing to fix it to stop more problems in the future.
5. It’s still not a good time to buy a home. The reasons why you shouldn’t think about buying a new home for the near future.
6. Changing our attitudes about buying homes. Why we should go back to thinking of homes as a long term investment.
7. The outlook is not good.  The US housing market is still in decline.
8. Loan defaults causing an increase in spending? How a homeowner not paying his mortgage frees up spending cash.
9. To regulate or not? Do we completely deregulate the mortgage market? and let capitalism do its job?

No job, no home.

1. Unemployed and in foreclosure. Is the government providing enough assistance to those in need?
2. A vicious cycle. The more people that are unemployed, the more houses go into foreclosure in California.
3. Some states cleared for foreclosure funding.  A handful of states have received federal funds for temporary housing assistance.
4. Federal financial assistance may not help. The plug for the foreclosure hole may not be big enough.

Student Loans

1. Student loans and mortgages. Advice on paying off your student loan while carrying a mortgage.
2. Loan repayment during tough times. Always pay your loans, even if you didn’t get the job you wanted right out of college.
3. Student loans and lack of jobs. Graduating classes from 2010 on are going to have a hard time paying back their loans.
4. Worst case scenario repayment options. A brief look at loan types and how to pay them back if the job search doesn’t pan out right away.
5. Discharging student debt through bankruptcy?  A look at the current movement to change the laws.
6. A lack of financial education leads to problems. What we need to do in order to ensure that our students don’t get clobbered by loan debt.
7. We’re not talking about it. Student debt is undeniably a massive problem for the future of finance, but no one’s bringing it up.
8. Don’t ignore your student loans. Share what can happen to you if you don’t take care of your loans.

Students and campus credit cards

1. New credit laws affect campus credit cards. No longer will the credit cards freely bandied about be able to mess up a student’s credit.
2. Credit cards adding to already high debt burdens. Students carry a lot of debt, more than just their student loans.
3. Starting off on the right foot. Advice on how a college student and their parents can effectively manage credit cards to avoid a bad outcome.
4. More thoughts on the new credit card rules. How will they help a student?
5. The predatory nature of student credit cards.  Supposedly they’re even worse than regular credit cards.
6. Building your credit while in college. Sound advice on getting credit started without screwing it up.

How we feel about our credit future

1. We’re stressed. Consumers are stressed about their debt.
2. We’re feeling more positive.  Consumer confidence is on the rise, or at least the chart says so.

Credit card laws and the consumer

1. Understanding what the laws mean for you. Breaking down the rules into plain language.

Good credit and bad credit issues

1. It’s good to have credit. But it’s a bad idea to not maintain it.
2. When credit cards are bad for you.  Don’t jump on the latest card offering without reading the fine print first.
3. Credit card consolidation. How to make it work for you and not get into further trouble.
4. Avoiding the pitfalls of credit altogether. Use it responsibly to keep yourself out of trouble

Credit and background checks

1. Employers use credit checks to screen employees. They should be using reputable companies to do the searches.
2. Keeping bad credit out of the picture.  Advice on what not to put in your cover letter when trying to land a job.
3. How does bad credit hurt your chance at landing a job? Addressing concerns of those whose bad credit scores keep them from employment.

Take a closer look at those reward cards.

1. What do reward cards do for you? Check to make sure that the purchases you make will turn into points.

Avoid store cards if you can.

1. Why store cards don’t do you any favors. You may get a nice up front discount, but the interest rates down the road are killer.

Be careful with consolidation.

1. Consolidation loans may seem like a good idea. Look into these methods before going through a consolidation loan company.
2. How to get yourself out of debt. Great advice on how to reduce your debt and eliminate it completely.

Categories: Credit Score