Good Credit Habits: The Gift that Keeps Giving

December 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
shopper

It's everyone's favorite season! The holidays are filled with cheer, goodwill and generosity — and so much candy! You've probably spent plenty of time thinking about what to get your children, spouse, family and friends …but have you considered what to get yourself?   I'm not talking about splurging on a big-screen TV, or cute new designer shoes. It can be tempting to treat yourself to something exciting since you're already out shopping for everyone else. However, there’s one gift you can give yourself now that you’ll enjoy for years to come: the gift of developing good credit habits that will lead to a strong FICO score.   Here are just a few reasons why you should give yourself the gift of good credit habits:   -Life often throws us unexpected … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budget Tips, Money and Family, Personal Finance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Cyber Theft Meets Cyber Monday

November 27, 2012 By 1 Comment
IDtheft

The Monday following Thanksgiving, now known as Cyber Monday, has become one of the bumper sales days across electronic commerce sites.   Every year the absolute volumes of online sales increases, as does the proportion of electronic commerce spend compared to traditional spend at physical retailers. This shift in consumer behavior has also attracted those from the criminal fraternity, who are seeking to capitalize on consumer’s lack of knowledge about safe online shopping.   The continued strength of "card not present" fraud losses shows that people continue to be duped into providing their credit or debit card credentials in an insecure manner or to unauthorized sources, particularly when online. Customer education and awareness is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: FICO Score Trends Tagged With: ,

Watch Out for 6 Signs of Identity Theft

July 24, 2012 By 1 Comment
IDtheft

Identity theft can have a devastating impact on your life, affecting far more than just your pocketbook. Keep an eye out for these 6 warning signs that could mean your identity has been stolen.   Unexpected phone calls from creditors. Identity theft can have a devastating impact on your life, affecting far more than just your pocketbook. Keep an eye out for these 6 warning signs that could mean your identity has been stolen. If you get a call from a creditor demanding payment for a purchase no one in your family made, have the caller give you all the information possible and investigate.   Strange credit card charges. It's easier to spot these if you keep all your receipts and reconcile them with your statements each month.   Getting turned down for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal Finance Tagged With: