6 Surprising Things That Hurt Your Credit Score
Your credit score might only be three digits, but it can have a substantial impact on your financial life because lenders use it to decide whether you get a loan and how much interest you pay. Nobody wants to lower their credit score, but if you don’t know what to avoid, you could unintentionally shoot your financial self in the foot and lower your credit score. “If you’re close to a hard cutoff range for a loan or credit options, then it can mean thousands of dollars in interest,” warns Anika Hedstrom, MBA and senior financial analyst in Medford, Oregon.
Healthy Retirement 101: What to Do in Your 50s
When you’re in your 50s, you may feel as though you’re barreling toward the finish line of your career. In fact, you have only 15 years or so left until retirement unless you want to keep working past 65. This can be a good time…
Healthy Retirement 101: What to Do in Your 40s
Saving for retirement can be a balancing act, particularly if you put it off until a time when you’re earning a bit more money. Often, the more you earn, the greater your financial responsibilities become, so by the time you reach your 40s, your income…
Healthy Retirement 101: What to Do in Your 30s
By the time you reach your 30s, you’re probably ready to settle down, buy a home, and maybe even start raising a family. You might also want to keep your eye on a plan for retirement. You may have started one in your 20s, but if not, it’s certainly not too late to .
Healthy Retirement 101: What to Do in Your 20s
College is a few years behind you, and you’re working and feeling pretty good about your future. It may be difficult to stretch your mind to a time 40-plus years ahead — a time when you may not feel so eager to go into work every day. The good news is that you don’t have to do a whole lot in your 20s to plan for retirement time. At this point, even a little bit of prudent saving and investing can go a long way.
How to Save for Long-Term Goals
Whether you’re dreaming of sending your kids to college, having a comfortable retirement, or buying a new house or car in several years, you need to save to reach your long-term goals. “Long-term success comes from tying your cash flow to your goals,” according to…
How Merging Assets Affects Your Credit
You may want to share everything with your new spouse, but you’ll each forever own separate credit scores. Nonetheless, merging assets can affect credit reports going forward and can influence access to credit. When spouses with widely different credit scores apply jointly for purchases like…
How to Successfully Save Money
Saving money is on many people’s to-do list, but it can easily get pushed down the priority list. No matter what you want to save for, whether it’s a new car, home down payment, or going back to school, making a plan and sticking to…
Wedding Budget Mistakes to Avoid
Planning a wedding can be a whirlwind experience. Many couples who are planning this event for the first time can easily get caught up in the rapture of creating a fairytale event. Creating, evaluating and managing a wedding budget is the cornerstone to a successful big day. Even when couples have the best intentions of sticking to their budgets, there are times when things go off-track. Knowing the budget pitfalls in advance can help you avoid them.
5 Most Common Mistakes That Lower Credit Scores
Your credit score serves as a quick way for lenders to get an idea of how well you’ve managed your credit in the past, especially when banks are deciding whether to lend you money in the future. If you’re looking at taking out a loan,…