Personal Finance - Have Consumers Had a Belly Full of Personal Debt?
For months, we were trigger-swipe happy, putting our groceries, clothes, holidays and service charges on our credit cards. We wanted mortgages, we took out loans, we watched Property Ladder and What Not To Wear. Whether you were born middle class, had middle class aspirations, you became middle ... more...

What Is a FICO Score and How Do I Make It Work for Me?
Whether or not you receive a loan and what interest rate you get on your credit card may be determined by something called a FICO score. Named for Fair, Isaac & Co., a California-based company that developed the credit score, the FICO score is the most widely used scoring method to determine credit ... more...

What Financial Services Do Credit Unions Offer?
If youre looking for financial services, you may want to consider checking out what your credit union has to offer. Many credit unions today offer more than just a checking and savings account, theyve expanded into upgraded financial services tailored to meet many needs.Credit unions are ... more...

Credit Help For Renters And Others On The Horizon
Sue is a homeowner and pays her mortgage and other bills on time like a good credit consumer. Sues on-time mortgage payments are reflected in her credit score profiled by the three major credit bureaus; Equifax, Experian and Trans Union.Joe on the other hand is a renter, who wants to buy his first ... more...

The Benefits of Debt Consolidation
It is quiet easy to get into financial difficulty having a home mortgage, a car truck or SUV loan and credit card repayments. There are now considerably more individuals than ever before with greater debts than they can afford. If you are in financial trouble due to credit card debt, then a debt ... more...

Fed Hikes Interest Rates Again
On November 1, 2005, the Federal Reserve Bank [Fed] raised interest rates one quarter of a percentage point. Since Summer 2004, outgoing Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan has been raising interest rates on a regular basis since hitting its low point of just 1%. Now at 4%, Greenspan is expected to raise ... more...

Using Home Equity Lines for Holiday Spending
Obviously, paying for purchases with cash is always best. However, if you just can't scrape up enough money for the holiday season, you might certainly consider using home equity. All loans considered, a HELOC is your cheapest source of money, especially given current mortgage rates. Also, ... more...

Credit Card Debt & the Unfairness of the Universal Default Clause
Lets look at a real world example: A woman purchased a new $4,000 large screen TV a few months ago based on the knowledge her monthly payment was going to be $175, and based on the 9% interest rate charged by her credit card company. For five months straight she made all her payments on time, but ... more...

How Healthy Is Your Credit
Theres only one way to discover the health of your credit. You need to examine your credit report. Your credit report is your consumer identity that potential lenders will use to judge your credit worthiness.Use these tips to give your credit profile the tune-up it needs for 2004.Tip #1- Check ... more...

Your Debt To Income Ratio
To stay out of debt, you must spend less money than you earn. Implementing this financial plan is often more difficult than it would seem. Your debt to income ratio is an important part of your overall credit history. If you spend more money than you earn, your debt to income ratio will be high, ... more...

Benefits of a Remortgage
There are many benefits in choosing a remortgage, some of which are listed below.A remortgage is changing your mortgage without moving your home.Remortgaging is the process of switching your mortgage to another lender that is offering a better deal than your current lender thereby saving money.A ... more...

Secrets & Benefits of Secured Loans
Borrowing money has become more and more popular in the UK over recent years, and this is partly due to the fact that it has become far easier to borrow money. The rising popularity of consumer finance has also been aided by the wide variety of deals and the low interest rates available these days. ... more...

Debt consolidation More Options for Reducing Credit Card Costs
Borrowing money against your credit cards has always been among the most expensive ways to borrow money, and when you fail to pay your bill in full each month, borrowing is exactly what youre doing. Youre not alone; the average American household now carries more than $8000 in credit card debt. ... more...