Credit Acceptance to Announce Third Quarter 2011 Earnings on November 1, 2011

October 25th, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit, Credit Score

Press Release
Source: Credit Acceptance Corporation

On Tuesday October 25, 2011, 4:00 pm EDT

Southfield, Michigan, Oct. 25, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Credit Acceptance Corporation (NASDAQ: CACCNews) (referred to as the “Company”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) announced today that we expect to issue a news release with our third quarter 2011 earnings on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, after the market closes.

A webcast is scheduled for Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss third quarter 2011 results. The webcast can be accessed live by visiting the “Investor Relations” section of our website at creditacceptance.com or by dialing 877-303-2904. Additionally, a replay and transcript of the webcast will be archived in the “Investor Relations” section of our website.

Description of Credit Acceptance Corporation

Since 1972, Credit Acceptance has provided auto loans to consumers, regardless of their credit history. Our product is offered through a nationwide network of automobile dealers who benefit from sales of vehicles to consumers who otherwise could not obtain financing; from repeat and referral sales generated by these same customers; and from sales to customers responding to advertisements for our product, but who actually end up qualifying for traditional financing.

Without our product, consumers are often unable to purchase a vehicle or they purchase an unreliable one. Further, as we report to the three national credit reporting agencies, an important ancillary benefit of our program is that we provide a significant number of our consumers with an opportunity to improve their lives by improving their credit score and move on to more traditional sources of financing. Credit Acceptance is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol CACC. For more information, visit creditacceptance.com.

Contact:

Investor Relations: Douglas W. BuskSenior Vice President and Treasurer(248) 353-2700 Ext. 4432IR@creditacceptance.com

This article courtesy of Credit Acceptance to Announce Third Quarter 2011 Earnings on November 1, 2011

Mending a credit score hurt by a student loan default

October 25th, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit, Credit Score, Financial

Jeremy M. Simon, On Tuesday October 25, 2011,Ň:00 am EDT

Dear Credit Score Report,
I have been offered to settle a student loan that I co-signed and that later went into default. The offer is that once the settlement amount is paid, they will report to all the national credit reporting agencies that the charged-off loan has been repaid for less than the full balance. (This is besides reporting to the IRS the unpaid balance as a 1099-C , which I am aware of.) This is the only negative mark I have on my credit report, so my question is: If I decide to settle, will my pristine credit score be restored? Is it really worth doing it, or is there a way I can negotiate for them to remove it completely from my history? I appreciate your feedback. — DiDi

Hey DiDi,
Repaying a debt for less than the original loan amount will cause your credit score to drop. But by making repayment — and by being more careful from now on — you can encourage your credit score’s recovery.   

As you’ve found out, having a loan account charged off is awful for your credit score. But repaying a portion of that loan isn’t going to restore your credit score, regardless of what the lender or debt collector may say. (Typically, negative items remain on a borrower’s credit report for seven years.) In fact, repaying only a portion of that student loan could further lower your FICO score , the credit score used most often by U.S. lenders. “An account reported as having been settled for less than the full amount due is treated negatively by the FICO scoring formula, as are most situations where a debt is not paid according to the terms of the original agreement,” says Barry Paperno, consumer operations manager at myFICO.com . That means settling your loan won’t bring your old score back, at least not right away. However, by repaying — either in one lump sum or over the course of many months — and being careful with any other debts, you will (eventually) experience credit score recovery.

Before we discuss your next steps, I’d like to first make sure you’ve learned just how dangerous it can be to co-sign on a loan: By becoming a joint account holder, you put your own credit and financial health at risk when that loan went into default, regardless of who’s to blame for not making those payments to the lender. I hope you won’t ever put yourself in harm’s way like that again.

Now that the damage is done, however, it’s time to rebuild. Your willingness to pay is important, but even more important, do you have enough cash for a single, large payment? You’ll need that money for the settlement — or when negotiating what’s called a “pay for deletion” with the debt collector. (I’m not sure if you’re still dealing with the original lender or a debt collector.) Under such an arrangement, you get the collection agency to agree to a single payment in exchange for taking the negative marks off your credit report. Make any such requests to the collection agency in writing.  

There’s no guarantee that strategy will work. “Of course, it’s also possible that the collection agency will deny such a request and continue to demand payment for either the full or partial amount due — with no agreement to remove the item upon payment,” Paperno says in an email. “And even if the collection [item] is removed, it should not be assumed that the score will benefit as long as the original student loan continues to be reported as a charge-off,” he says.

What other options do you have? You may want to consider loan rehabilitation. In order to rehabilitate the loan, you’ll need to make nine timely, consecutive payments over a 10-month window. That process will cure your default and remove the negative notation from your credit reports. Your original delinquencies that led to the eventual charge-off will remain on your credit reports, however. (For more on loan rehabilitation, see ” Steps to make good on a defaulted student loan .”)    

In the end, however, you may end up choosing to settle. In the short term, that decision will cause your credit score to fall. Just how much will it hurt? Settling on a debt will lower a FICO score of 680 by 45 to ȡ points and a FICO score of 780 by 105 to 125 points.     

Over time, though, a settlement should help. “While this action won’t immediately restore her credit score, settling this debt should enable her to begin the process of restoring her credit, which can be accomplished by continuing to pay all other accounts on time, keeping credit card balances low and only opening new accounts when necessary,” Paperno says.     

Regardless of what option you choose, just remember that when rebuilding your credit following a charge-off, settlement or borrowing mistake, it helps to take a longer-term view rather than expecting a quick fix.

Good luck!

–Jeremy 

See related: Cure your defaulted student loan in six steps , FICO reveals how common credit mistakes affect scores , Steps to make good on a defaulted student loan , 1099-C surprise: IRS tax follows canceled debt

 

This article courtesy of Mending a credit score hurt by a student loan default

Fast Payday Loans Can Now Help Pay for Holiday Travel

October 25th, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit Score

CashWire Offers Up to $1,500 in Fast Payday Loans to Help With Holiday Travel Expenses(PRWEB) October 25,񎧛 CashWire.com, and online payday loan provider, is helping to make sure everyone gets home for the holidays this year.With their fast payday loans, CashWire.com allows for people all over the country to have enough cash on hand to purchase cheap plane tickets as soon as the prices drop …

This article courtesy of Fast Payday Loans Can Now Help Pay for Holiday Travel

CreditNowUSA.com Would Like to Announce to the Public the Creation of Its Blog, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter Account …

October 25th, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit, Credit Score

That might seem like a long list of topics, but it’s well worth reading about them. After all, when it comes to your finances, knowing is half the battle. In fact, if you read the CreditNowUSA.com blog, you can use their information to help yourself before taking the next step of using their services.(PRWEB) October 25, 2011 CreditNowUSA.com would like to announce to the public the creation of …

This article courtesy of CreditNowUSA.com Would Like to Announce to the Public the Creation of Its Blog, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter Account …

5 Steps to Prep Your Credit for Holiday Shopping

October 25th, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit, Credit Score, Financial, Funds

Justine Rivero, On Monday October 24, 2011, 8ᛡ pm EDT

Never mind store sales, coupon clipping and daily deals; savvier spending this holiday season starts with protecting your credit, and it starts right now.

With the recent controversy over debit card fees, more consumers may turn to payment alternatives like credit cards for the holiday shopping frenzy. However, relying on credit for major purchases may also make you vulnerable to overspending and credit health damage. Your New Year won’t be off to such a happy start when saddled with debt and a poor credit score.

If you plan to shop with your credit card, start today–a few weeks before heavy holiday spending gets underway–to prep your finances. Before Black Friday rears its festive head, here are five key steps to take to avoid a holiday debt hangover and preserve your credit score into 2012.

  1. Set a baseline for your credit health. Before joining the holiday shopping madness, check your credit score first. It’s a much-needed wakeup call to watch your credit card use, which significantly influences your credit score. If you are planning to apply for a mortgage, loan or credit card in the coming months, knowing where your credit score stands could help curb negative credit actions—such as increased debt, maxed out credit cards or missed or late payments—during the holidays. The seemingly innocuous difference between a 670 and a 680 credit score could be the fine line between rejection and approval on a credit application, and the difference between a 715 and a 7Ǵ translates to hundreds of dollars difference in interest on a loan. The lesson here is that every credit score point counts. Cool tool: Use CreditKarma.com to check your free credit score, and view your Credit Report Card to find out what credit areas you need to improve. Update your score throughout the holiday season. CreditKarma.com’s free credit monitoring notifications keeps track of real-time changes to your credit report, which keeps tabs on your credit use and monitors for fraud and identity theft.
  2. Pay off your credit card before charging more. Avoid saying “charge it” all holiday season long; spending more than 30% of your total credit limits hurts your credit score. While credit cards are useful in allowing you to pay down a large balance over the next few months, maxing out your credit cards can cause your credit score to drop. Start by paying down as much of your current credit card balances as possible in order to “make room” for heavy holiday spending. Your credit score is typically calculated at the end of the billing cycle, so the lower your balances by the end of the month, the better the impact on your credit score. Cool tool: A calculator! Find out your current credit utilization rate, which impacts 35% of your credit score, by adding up your total credit card balances and dividing it by your total credit card limits. If it’s over the recommended 30% mark, pay down your debts before charging more. If your utilization rate is already sky-high, consider switching from a credit card to a debit card, prepaid card or cash to keep your credit score from dropping.
  3. Pump up your available credit. Another tip to lower your credit utilization rate is to increase your available credit. If you’re in the market for a new credit card, apply for a 0% intro APR credit card. Good credit consumers can qualify for a card like the Citi Platinum Select MasterCard with 0% intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 21 months, which means you can pay off holiday debt without paying extra in interest. Just make sure you don’t miss a monthly payment or that 0% APR will be revoked. Also, take care to pay your balance in full before the promotional period ends or you may be charged retroactive interest on the entire balance. You can increase your available credit by requesting a credit line increase for your current card. However, when applying for a new card or requesting a credit line increase, you’ll be subject to a hard inquiry that temporarily knocks a few points off your credit score. Smart Tip: Don’t be tempted by retail credit cards that offer aಏ%-20% discount upon opening an account. While they might make sense for big ticket items for which 15% could be significant savings, retail credit cards have high interest rates and could encourage you to shop more frequently. If you get a retail card, pay the balance as quickly as possible to avoid interest charges that essentially negate that 15% discount within the first few months.
  4. Set high-tech spending limits. Hold yourself accountable to your gift budget by setting up spending limits on your credit cards, offered by many major banks and issuers. Spending limit alerts sends an automatic text or email alert if you’re pushing your spending limits, and some credit card programs will actually decline charges once you hit your limit. If your card doesn’t have a similar program, check out a third-party site like Mint that offers budget-based spending alerts. Smart Tip: If it’s difficult for you to control spending on your credit card, one budgeting trick is to use a separate debit card, prepaid card, or cash envelope to control discretionary spending. Deposit your allocated gift-spending amount at the beginning of the holiday season, and once you run out of funds, you run out. It’s a solid way to keep holiday spending within your budget.
  5. Watch out for red flags on your credit cards. 1 out of every 10 Americans has been a victim of identity theft. During the busiest store shopping season of the year, thieves are looking for susceptible victims. Protect yourself by checking your online credit card statements frequently for unusual activity that could be red flags for credit card fraud or identity theft. If you suspect your cards have been compromised, contact your issuer right away to report it and close your accounts. Cool tool: For extra protection for your credit card, BillGuard is a free service that scans your credit card transactions for unwanted and unauthorized charges, and flags any suspicious items you may need to take action on. During the holiday spending season, it can help you react immediately to any potentially harmful credit activity.

Shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, hunting for discounts and scoring daily deals are great strategies to save money during the holiday season. But in addition to shopping frugally, spend smart by monitoring the impact of your spending on your financial health. Any daily action you take with your credit card can have positive or adverse effects on your credit health, so take care to spend smart, save money and have a very merry holiday shopping season.

 

Justine Rivero is the Credit Advisor and resident Credit Rockstar for CreditKarma.com, the pro-consumer credit advocate that helps more than 3 million consumers realize the everyday cost savings of having great credit health.

 

 

 

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This article courtesy of 5 Steps to Prep Your Credit for Holiday Shopping

Understand and Improve Your Credit Score

October 24th, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit, Credit Score

ByCameron Huddleston, Contributing Editor, Kiplinger.com, On Monday October 24, 2011, 5:00 am EDT

/**/

It’s Get Smart About Credit Day. So how smart are you about
credit?

SEE ALSO: 11
Credit Card Mistakes to Avoid

For starters, do you know your credit score? The most
common credit score is the FICO score, which is based on your
credit history (basically a summary of how much you owe and how
promptly you pay your bills). Lenders use it when determining
whether to give you a loan or offer you a credit card and at what
interest rate. The FICO score ranges from 300 to 850, and you
usually need a score of 760 or higher to get the lowest interest
rates on loans. You can get your score at myFICO.com for $19.95, or for free if you’ve
been denied credit or charged a higher rate because of your score
(see
How to Get Your Credit Score for Free).

You actually don’t have just one FICO score. You have three
based on your credit reports from each of the credit bureaus –
Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. If the information on your credit
report varies from bureau to bureau, your FICO scores can vary, too
(learn
more). You can get a free copy of your credit report from each
of the bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com to find
discrepancies and fix them.

The credit bureaus also have their own credit score — the
VantageScore. See
Understanding Credit Scores to learn about the differences
between your VantageScore and FICO score.

If your credit score is low, there are several ways to get your
number higher. See
Fast Ways to Improve Your Credit Score for tips, and take our

Will It Sink Your Credit Score? quiz to find out what actions
you should avoid.

For more advice, see our Credit
and Money Management page.

Follow me on Twitter

This article courtesy of Understand and Improve Your Credit Score

Consider your credit when pursuing card sign-up bonuses

October 22nd, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit, Credit Score

Cathleen McCarthy, On Saturday October 22, 20ǫ, 7:00 am EDT

Dear Cashing In,
I am considering opening a new line of credit to take advantage of frequent flier sign up bonuses. My existing credit card has a $1,500 limit.  My options are as follows:

1. Open new card with a limit possibly close to $6,Ǡ0 and keep my existing card (cardholder since 2001).
2. Open new card with a limit closer to $7,500 and cancel my existing card.

Which option has the greater negative impact on my credit score?  Does starting credit level have any impact in conjunction with this type of activity?

Also, the new card has an annual fee.  What are the credit score implications of closing the new card after 11 months or so and signing up for another card (different company) with roughly the same limits? — Adam

Dear Adam,
It sounds like you have the perfect opportunity to improve your credit score and set yourself up for travel rewards at the same time.

As for the choice between the two options you’ve described, I would probably choose the first one. That option allows you to take advantage of the sign-up bonus rewards and the increased credit limit of your new card, while still holding onto your old card. That last point is important because canceling your oldest credit card will, in the long run, shorten your overall credit history — and length of credit history is a major factor in the way FICO calculates your credit score . The longer you’ve managed credit well, the more likely you are to manage it well in the future, at least according to FICO’s scoring formula.

There may be a third viable option as well. Get a new card, but also consider asking the issuer of your current card for an increased credit limit — assuming you feel comfortable with having that extra credit. If you qualify for a credit card with a $6,000-$7,500 limit, it’s possible that your current issuer would be willing to increase your limit substantially if you ask. You could even tell them flat-out, “I’ve got an offer from another credit card company for a card with a $6,000 limit” and then ask if they’d be willing to match that to keep a bigger chunk of your business. If they say, yes, then your credit score could improve even more.

Why would it improve? The biggest reason is that you’d be using a much smaller portion of your available credit. The percentage of debt that you hold compared to your credit limit is called your credit utilization rate . For example, if you have $10,000 in credit limits and $5,000 in debt, your utilization is 50 percent. Lower that debt amount to $3,000 and the rate falls to 30 percent.

Craig Watts, a spokesman for FICO, the company behind the well-known credit scores bearing its name, warns that using 50 percent or more of your credit line will damage your credit score. Many experts suggest that you shouldn’t use more than 30 percent of your total credit limit. After all, “amounts owed” counts for 30 percent of your overall credit score, and your utilization rate is a big part of that.Â

There are other factors to consider as well. Any time you acquire new credit, your credit score will take a hit. However, it shouldn’t hurt too much and shouldn’t last too long. And even your plan — sign up for a card, get the points, then close the card in 11 months and apply for another new card to get its points — shouldn’t hurt too much. Just don’t go crazy with it. Applying for too much credit in too short a time can do extra damage to your score. And if an issuer looks at your credit report and sees a lot of cards that were opened for a year and then closed in short order, it may make them a little leery to lend to you.

Good luck!

See related: Cancelling your credit card the right way , How FICO calculates your credit score , Legitimate ways to improve your credit score

This article courtesy of Consider your credit when pursuing card sign-up bonuses

5 scariest things on your credit card statement

October 21st, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit, Credit Score, Financial

Dawn Papandrea, On Friday October 21, 2011, 8ᚨ am EDT

If you’re looking for a fright fest this month, take a moment to examine your credit card statements. Although some of these five items may scare you, fear not. You can turn a potential credit horror story into one with a feel-good ending with these survival tips:

1. The interest vampire: That little box that discloses how long it will take to pay off your debt if you make only minimum payments.

Otherwise known as the Credit CARD Act minimum payment and interest disclosure box, you’d be surprised how many people think the figures in that box are mathematical errors, says John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at SmartCredit.com. “‘How could it possibly take me 17 years to pay off my debt?’” you might wonder. The information actually converts complicated credit card attributes such as interest rates and minimum payments into easy-to-understand information. “What most people learn from this box is that it will take many of them more time to pay off their credit card than it will take to pay off their mortgage,” says Ulzheimer. Now, that’s scary!

What to do: To become motivated to pay off your debt more quickly, you should come up with a game plan and put it on paper, says Ornella Grosz, speaker and author of “Moneylicious: A Financial Clue for Generation Y.” “One option is to list your debt in ascending order; that way you pay off the smallest balance first. It will give you psychological motivation when you see your debt paid off.” The second option: List debts in order of interest rate, and attack whichever debt has the highest rate until it’s paid off, then move to the next-highest, and so on. That method may lack quick emotional gratification, but it always gets you out of debt fastest.

2. The phantom payment: A late fee you weren’t expecting.

Ever pay your credit card bill online, only to realize that the payment never went through? Or send along a snail mail payment that goes missing? All of a sudden, you’re hit with a late payment fee (and possibly even a drop in your credit score), and it wasn’t even your fault. Although it doesn’t seem fair, the onus is still on you to keep track of your payments. “If you’re cutting it so close that your payments are arriving the day before or on the actual due date, then you really need to reconsider when you’re sending the payment,” says Ulzheimer. The CARD Act gives us a 21-day grace period , he says, so you should think about mailing the check or paying online at least a week in advance of the due date. If you’ve set up online access to your account, you can check to see if the payment has been applied.  

What to do: As far as having the fee removed, you can certainly plead your case if your account is in good standing, says Grosz. “To get a fee removed, the best recourse is contacting the company and ask for them to remove the fee. Let them know you did make the payment on time as you usually do, but because of an unexpected glitch, it was received late,” she says. In the future, to ensure you are not late on your payment, consider signing up for automatic bill paying . 

3. Invasion of the credit card snatchers: “I don’t remember charging that!”

If you see a charge that you don’t recognize, do not panic, says Ulzheimer. “Just because you don’t recognize the merchant doesn’t mean you’ve been a victim of ID theft,” he says. “Many merchant charges will show up on your statement with the corporate name, which isn’t necessarily their ‘brand” name.’” For example, Ulzheimer says his gas station purchases show up on his credit card statement as “Hawthorne Investments.”

What to do: For every odd charge, be sure to do your due diligence and call the issuer to ask for the address of the merchant to jog your memory, advises Ulzheimer. If it ends up being a charge you did not make, alert your creditor right away. “Thanks to the  Fair Credit Billing Act , your liability is no more than $50, and most of the time the issuer waives that fee,” he says. From there, you and the issuer can decide if a new card number is necessary.

4. Demonic shopping possession: A charge that your kid racked up online.

Sometimes convenience can cost you, such as if your kid figures out how easy it is to do a one-click purchase on your Amazon account. “Most online retailers offer multistep purchase approvals, but what’s to say your 5-year-old won’t just click through the transaction and still complete the purchase process?” says Ulzheimer.

What to do: Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do beyond returning the merchandise to get a refund. But you can launch a pre-emptive strike by turning off all one-click ordering options, says Grosz. It’s also best not to save your credit card information on retailer sites, especially if you have a little shopaholic in your household.

5. A zombie charge that won’t die: A subscription you no longer want automatically starts or renews after a trial period.

This is very common in the credit monitoring world, warns Ulzheimer. “And, many companies do not provide you with a ‘we’re about to bill you’ notice,” he says. So here’s his rule of thumb: “If you’re being offered a ‘free’ trial to a service and it requires a credit card, then it’s not a free trial … it’s conditionally free.”

What to do: Contact the subscription customer service to ask for a credit or prorated credit, advises Grosz. “Explain you would like to cancel your subscription because of — insert reason, such as unhappy with the product, no longer interested, etc. If they refuse, explain that you will dispute the charge with your card issuer.” Most of the time,  the company will refund your money if you call and challenge their billing practices. In the future, the best thing to do is keep better track of all your subscriptions by noting the exact date you will be billed, and maybe setting an alert on your phone or email, says Grosz. “You can even ask the company to email you the subscription renewal date to have for your records,” she says.

Although credit card statements can send chills up your spine, it’s important that you face your fears and look them over. Otherwise — like a bad horror movie cliche — you won’t be able to outrun the credit demons.

See related: Free trial offers can bring unwanted credit card charges , 12 tips for automatic bill-paying , An interactive look at your new credit card statement

This article courtesy of 5 scariest things on your credit card statement

Dissolving debt dissipates marital discord

October 21st, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit, Credit Score, Financial

Sally Herigstad, On Friday October 21, 2011, 8:00 am EDT

Dear To Her Credit,
My husband and I are $42,000 in credit card debt, have a $29,000 car note and a $20,000 equity loan. Though our mortgage payment is relatively low ($1,500 a month), we are sinking in debt and can barely keep up.

I want to sell my house (we wanted to buy a bigger home as we’ve outgrown ours within a few years anyway) and pay off all of our debt with the money we get out of the house — hopefully about $70,ዀ. I don’t mind selling the house because I don’t like the neighborhood anyway, and I’d like to get the kids out of here.

I should let you know we have VERY decent incomes … we just owe too much. I wanted to sell the house, pay off all of our debt and rent for about a year. My rent will be about $1,700 a month — a little more than our current house payment, but we’ll save all that interest on the other debt.

My current mortgage is at 6Ǒ percent, and my equity loan is at 11 percent. My credit score is in the low 600s because of our high debt.

If my calculations are correct, I will direct deposit my whole pay and live off of my husband’s income. I figure in 12 months, I will have at least $36,000 and will be able to look for a house in a neighborhood that we prefer. My husband disagrees. He thinks we should refinance, but I think that is just moving money around and also making it impossible to move for many more years. I feel like I just want to start over. Is there a professional I can talk to about this? – Heidi

Dear Heidi,
The most important factor in your decision is that you really don’t want to live in your current neighborhood. We can make all kinds of calculations and draw up a list with keep-the-house pros on one side of the page, and sell-the-house cons on the other, but if you don’t want to raise your kids on this block, that outweighs all the other pros and cons.

I normally do not advise people to sell their homes to pay off debt. Selling a home is incredibly expensive. You can easily spend Ǫ percent of the sales price on commissions, closings costs, fixing up expenses and then you may get less from your home than you expected. Then you turn around and pay closing costs on your next home. It’s hard to make up for all those expenses.

Plus, you’re selling during one of the worst housing depressions most of us can remember. That’s fine if you turn around and buy again. But if you sell now and wait a year or two to buy again, what happens if the housing market picks up and prices start going up again? You could get left behind.

If you were staying in your home, your husband’s idea of refinancing would be sensible. If you had a higher credit score — say over 700 — you could refinance and save up to $500 per month at current low rates. With a credit score of 600, you won’t do quite so well. You could probably refinance in the low 5 percent range with your credit score. You’d still save about $250 per month, but you would have to stay in your home about 13 months to break even after refinancing costs. That straps you into staying longer in a house you don’t even like. Let’s look for other options.

Here’s one idea: Sell the car. You have a $29,000 car note. If you’re paying 10 percent interest, your payment is about $600 per month. It’s killing you. An expensive car also means higher insurance costs. You might be surprised to find out how much you can save every month by replacing your car with something much older. Ask your mechanic what kind of older car he recommends — mechanics have seen it all! Take that 軸 you save every month and start applying it to your credit card account with the highest interest rate.

With no car note, your debt ratio and your credit score should improve dramatically. If the debt ratio is the only thing holding your score down, you should soon qualify for a much lower mortgage rate on the house you want to buy.

Next, rustle up some cash by selling things. You must have bought something to get $42,000 in credit card debt. If you’re like most of us recreational shoppers, a few things still have tags attached. See if you can return them. Look for other things you can sell. You’re thinking about moving, so it’s a great time to get rid of things. Apply all the proceeds from the sales to your credit card debt.

If you and your family find other ways to cut expenses and make more money, you can start knocking off that credit card debt faster than you think. Talking to a professional is a great idea; I recommend a nonprofit agency affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies . Or, check out a financial course in your area, such as a Dave Ramsey seminar. If Dave can’t get a person motivated to become what he calls a “gazelle” and get out of debt, no one can!

Once you get your credit score up into a better range, if you really want to move, go ahead and do it while the interest rates and home prices are low. You’ll save money if you sell your house and buy another one right away, instead of moving into a rental first and paying moving and sundry expenses twice.

With your good incomes, there’s nothing stopping you and your husband from becoming debt free, moving up to a house you both like, and reaching any other goals you choose. You can do it. Good luck!

Take care of your credit!

See related: Michigan couple honored for paying off $92,000 in credit card debt , The biggest losers (of debt): How a family shed $106,000 in debt , Before you refinance, clean up your credit score , Over your head in debt? 5 extreme budgeting ideas

This article courtesy of Dissolving debt dissipates marital discord

Mynd Wants to be Your Personal Entertainment Curator

October 21st, 2011 No Comments   Posted in Credit Score

A new entertainment curation and discovery app has hit the Apple App Store and it aims to become the selection engine for all of your future entertainment choices.Seattle, WA (PRWEB) October 21, 2011 Produced by Liquify Digital, Inc., a Seattle-based mobile development studio, Mynd is the quick and easy way to find, rate, and share the best entertainment apps available for your mobile devices …

This article courtesy of Mynd Wants to be Your Personal Entertainment Curator