Credit Safe Blog

Student Credit Score

Students are increasingly worried about credit and credit scores - and for good reason. Student debts are rising and the numbers of students who leave school with ruined credit scores is rising as well. Many experts blame larger credit card debts and rising tuition costs (that lead to larger student loans).

Despite the pressures of today’s student life, though, it is possible to leave school with a good credit score and in fact to develop good financial habits that can lead to a lifetime of good credit ratings. There are a few tips that can make the college years a credit-booster instead of a credit disaster:

If you are a student, you have a great secret weapon for credit repair and credit help - your school’s financial aid office.

If you are a college student, your school’s financial aid office should be one of your first stops at the campus. Few students visit this office regularly while they are in school, and this is a mistake. The financial aid office at most universities and colleges has more than enough information to help you keep your credit score in tip-top shape.

The financial aid office offers one-on-one financial counseling, information about scholarships, tips on budgeting, books on money, and many more resources. The officers at your university or college financial aid office can offer you help on almost any aspect of financial help - including helping you figure out credit scoring. Plus, many financial aid offices have workshops that can teach you about dealing with money and credit, and even offer free tax filing services, services that are extremely useful.

If you are a student (and especially a student with student loans), budget carefully.

Student loans need to be paid back and are more and more often for large amounts. Taking out the smallest loans you can and sticking to a budget can help establish good credit habits that can help ensure that you have a good credit score when you leave university. Plus, since student loans are for a limited amount, you can easily budget because you will know exactly how much money you will make each month and how much money you will be spending on student housing, tuition and other expenses.

Try to pay for education through means other than loans.

Student loans are becoming a problem for more and more students. On the one hand, student and college loans can help students who could otherwise not afford go to college or university.

On the other hand, though, huge student loans can be a terrible financial burden after graduation.

While it is true that most college and student loans do not have to be repaid until after graduation, the time after graduation usually carries some large financial responsibilities. Many college graduates want or need a car, a good job, and possibly a house or home.

In general, need-based government-subsidized student loans generally offer the best terms and rates. After that, college and student loans from private lenders may offer decent rates. Personal loans and credit cards should only be used when absolutely necessary to pay for an education, as these tend to have higher interest rates and require that you start repaying them right away.

Save money by taking advantage of student discounts or student life

One of the advantages of student life is that it is inexpensive. Student housing or rooms rented with roommates create inexpensive living, on-campus facilities offer great services at discount rates, and many businesses offer student-only deals.

Start building credit early - and do it well

Start building credit early - even before college starts, if you plan on taking out college loans. Get a credit card with a low limit and a bank account that you balance each month. There are many different types of college student credit cards available.

About The AuthorBeth Stevenson worked 20 years in business as an accountant and controller, but left her "JOB" a few years ago, and began working for herself from home. She invested time and money into her online business finding out what works, and what doesn't. (And it's not necessarily what you might think!). And now she's ready to share her insights with you. You can discover what it takes to "live the good life." Please visit http://BethStevenson.com.

For more information regarding applying online for College Student credit cards, please visit http://PeopleCreditCard.com.

What You Don’t Know Won’t Hurt You

It can be often handy to learn exactly what your credit ranking is, for a variety of reasons, and there are several businesses who specialise in supplying a free credit report and score which will probably help you make choices depending on your financial standing, and might additionally be able to deliver related assistance to help you afterward when your credit account is more established. A few of these procedures can take quite a long time, thus a high quality credit profile may take some time to become established. That is why it is better to start sooner instead of later on.

Because of the escalating and disturbing hazard involving cyber criminals at the moment, those who find themselves searching for a credit check program may also be looking for a facility that safeguards them by keeping track of their credit report and sending out notifications every time unusual activity reveals itself. That way you will be particularly safe and secure. ID theft is a terrifying affair and can hit anyone at any time. Credit rating providers that provide this extra security are in increasing demand, so if you seek a free credit report and score then you'll be more than satisfied with a service like this.

A credit score is a mathematical term based upon a statistical examination of someone's credit records. It is widely used to signify the creditworthiness of that person or household. These credit scores are usually normally connected with a unique address. That would mean that whenever a free credit report and score is sought more than a single person is connected with the identical profile. A credit score is primarily centered on borrowing data, usually obtained from credit reporting agencies and taken eventually from banking companies and affiliated firms.

Cyber fraud and its related evils plays an increasingly hazardous part in each of our online lives. No-one wishes their identity compromised however that is the avowed goal of countless online criminals, and a few are turning out to be extremely good at this. In order to be ahead of the criminals, consumers are seeking more and more for a free credit report and score with the hope that the nightmare of Identity theft will not happen to them. Whenever you are looking for a program which can provide protection from ID theft in addition to credit checks then this kind of facility is presently accessible.

To find out more about free credit report and score look at the Free Credit Report And Score site at http://www.free-credit-score-report.co.uk/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gordon_Goodfellow

Stop Credit Card Fraud With a Bank Identification Number Database

Do business owners and managers have to invest in an accurate and complete Bank Identification Number (BIN) database? Business transactions nowadays are performed electronically, and you have to institute the necessary safety protocols to protect not only your interest but the interest of your clients as well.

BIN database download not only make the online transaction safe and secure. This business solution also allows you to process and complete the transactions with your clients in just a few seconds. Companies constantly face the threat of credit card frauds and you would need bank identification number checker to flag suspicious transactions and prevent frauds and unnecessary chargebacks.

This makes visa and MasterCard identification important tools to counteract any attempts by shady characters to commit online scams and other fraudulent activities online. This business solution allows you to secure online transactions and protect your company's stake and reputation as well as the interest of your clients.

General Features of Bank Identification Number Database

The credit card checker is presented as numbers in excel following an 11-column format. You can use any programming language to parse the updated numbers list. Thus, it is imperative that you find the source that will provide you with easy access to accurate and complete BIN list. And you should be able to access the BIN database without any technical issues and challenges.

Additionally, your provider must be able to deliver the most accurate and up-to-date BIN database list. The most current BIN database would normally contain around 140,000 entries covering over 9,000 banks. A comprehensive database should consist of data culled from various sources. The records must not only come from online sources. To have a comprehensive database, the data should also be obtained from merchants that regularly process online credit card payments as well as records from banks and other financial institutions. There are entities that offer over 300,000 records. However, these data sources only provide you with the numbers but come with no information about the bank or country of origin. Obviously, these numbers are practically useless.

Key Benefits of Bank Identification Number Database

A reliable BIN database should consist of updated BIN entries from different banks and other financial institutions. Companies will be able to pinpoint the credit card issuer and the country of origin with the right BIN checker. This business solution provides better security profile for your business. Thus, you will enjoy the full confidence and trust of your clientele. This should be an important aspect of your company's branding, and if you want to avoid or minimize frauds and other forms of online scams, you need to spend on the right BIN database.

Check out what you should access from a reliable and accurate bank identification number database. If you want to create a business regime that is safe and secure, then you have to perform a bank identification number lookup and ensure that validity of online transactions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darren_W_Chow

2011 Budget

The budgeting process is an important tool for improving financial management of any business whether its small, medium or large. And a policy to budget each year by preparing projections, by every small business owner, can improve day-to-day management. Every small business needs such a commitment to find the time to budget. Is getting a new projection started a difficult task? Most people would say "yes."

Many business owners or managers in mid-sized businesses find it easier to simply add inflationary and mechanical percentage increases to the current year's projection and complete the next year's budget quickly without, giving this process much thought. I have seen creating a monthly budget just by taking 1/12 of the annual amount. This is not correct. Each month will have its own results, and may be impacted by seasonal factors and should be budgeted separately. So a careful monthly budget is important to have meaningful monthly comparative budget amounts with actual.

People may realize that their business, needs a budget, but they may find creating a new projection is a huge task, and huge tasks are hard to start, much less complete. Another important budgeting tip is to prepare a budget using a balance sheet and the statement of cash flows as well as the income statement. Most business just budget with the income statement. By using all three financials you can make sure that your ending cash is correct. This technique ensures a reasonableness check by analyzing the your projected cash,because you have to make sure that your cash makes sense in the budget process. QuickBooks has a budget process, but unfortunately it only provides an income statement based approach and does not provide you with a budgeted balance sheet and a budgeted statement of cash flows. There are add-ons and other budgeting programs that fill this need and they are not expensive.

Everyone is always busy, so once you decide to budget for next year, you are already ahead of the curve. Now it's important to do it correctly, so you need find the time and budget as best as you can. The time you invest now will pay off later. Businesses that plan for the future will do better than those that do not plan. Pretty basic right, so start your budget now for 2011.

Sandor Lenner CPA,MBA and a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor whose services include helping businesses with their budgets http://www.sl-cpa.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandor_Lenner

 

5 Tips to Repair Your FICO Rating

You pay your bills but you have a lower FICO credit score than you think you should have. Your lower FICO score could simply be caused by a credit bureau clerical error or due to an oversight you have made yourself. It's also possible it could be criminal activity affecting your FICO credit rating. How can you find out? 

Here are my 5 tips that can clean your credit file and keep your credit safe from on-line and financial predators. 

1. You are more likely to notice errors and inconsistencies if you examine your credit report and FICO score on a regular basis. At a minimum, you should do this once a year. Better yet, do it three times a year or sign up with a credit monitoring service to check it for you. You may be required to pay for your FICO credit score with each credit bureau, too. Do it. It's a small additional fee though some offer one price for everything. 

Read your report closely and, if you notice anything odd or anything you don't recognize, such as a credit card you did not open, report it immediately to the credit bureau. 

While some entries may be caused by clerical mistakes made at the credit bureau, others could be an indication that someone is stealing your identity. Whatever the case, such entries have likely hurt your credit score and fixing them should improve your credit score. 

If you think you have been the victim of identity theft or there are clerical errors, take action at once. 

2. Contact the three major credit bureaus - Experian, TransUnion, Equifax - and ask to speak to someone in the fraud department. Do this by telephone, not email, not by regular mail. 

Tell them you believe you are the victim of identity theft and tell them why. If they agree, ask that a 'fraud alert' be placed on your file until your file can be cleared. An alert shows anyone, even potential employers, looking at your report that you may have been the victim of fraud. You will also be alerted any time your credit file is looked at for any reason. This is an important feature because each time your file is accessed, it may be an indication that the identity thieves are trying to borrow money in your name. 

When a creditor sees that the person applying is not you, they will deny credit to the thief and, in most cases, the criminals will stop trying to use your identity. Fraud alerts initially last 90 or 180 days but you can extend this period to several years by asking the credit bureaus for an extension of the fraud alert in writing. 

In some states, you can even ask to limit access to your FICO credit score and credit report. This will only allow you and your legitimate lenders access to your file. In the future, any lenders the thieves contact to set up a new account will be refused access and the thieves will not be able to get any more money in your name. 

You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report if you have been the victim of identity theft. Be sure to take advantage of this offer so that you can check exactly how your credit has been affected. Dispute those items that are not yours. 

3. Call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-438-4338. 

This is the fraud information hot line that the FTC has set up to help customers deal with fraud and identity theft. You will be able to get up-to-date information about your rights and advice as to what you can do to improve your credit score and keep it safe in the future. Your local banker also has this information for free. 

4. Contact state police. 

Identity theft is a crime and you need to file a police report so that you can help them catch and prosecute the criminals responsible. Contacting the police will also give you a paper trail and proof that a crime has been committed so keep a copy of the report. Maintaining a paper trail of the crime and your response will make it easier for you to repair your credit if it has been damaged by identity thieves. 

5. Contact your legitimate creditors to warn them and contact any creditors that the identity thieves have opened an account with in your name. 

Ask to speak to someone in their fraud department and explain your situation. As a precaution and to prevent further access by these crooks, you may need to close your accounts or, at least, change your PIN or password to protect yourself. 

Creditors may ask you to fill out a fraud affidavit to state that a crime has been committed. Be sure to keep a copy of this form for your records. The creditor's fraud department representative should be able to advise you as to what you can do to fix your credit with them. Be sure to write down the name of the person you talked with, the date and the time of the conversation, and what they told you. You will need records of the steps you have taken to deal with the crime. 

If your credit has been damaged by thieves and you are deeply in debt to creditors you never contacted, you will not be held responsible for the charges if you can prove that you have been the victim of identity theft. 

Being vigilant and keeping detailed records that prove you have been the victim of identity theft will help to clean up your credit file and raise your FICO credit score. In the meantime, however, you will have to live with a much lower credit rating than you deserve and you may have to put off larger purchases that may require a loan until you fix your credit.

About The Author

Jim DeSantis says you can raise your FICO credit score quickly to 750 or above yourself. Don't pay anyone to fix your credit history. Get the information you need here ==> http://www.jdanswers.com/Credit/index.htm or here ==> http://on-line-tribune-money-matters.blogspot.com

Keep Your Credit Safe From Bad Auto Lenders

If you have bad credit it may seem like a boon that you get any loan offers at all. But step back and take a breath and make sure that it really isn't a fairy tale with a bad ending. The reasons people with bad credit can get into trouble is that they don't take the time to get a little information, or that information is withheld from them. They may also have lots of debt. Sometimes a little reevaluation is all it takes to repair your credit score and start getting more trustworthy offers.

The two best things you can do for yourself when you have bad credit and want to get a car loan in Knoxville are take your time, and know before you go. People who are in a hurry or desperate for a loan are more frequently targeted for scams than those who are prepared.  If you know what you are talking about and know what to expect, you will be immune to the dealer's manipulations. You need to know your credit score and what your recent history is. You also should do a little research to find out what kind of percentage rates others with similar scores have been offered. Then you know about what your offer would be.

Avoid buying extras on financing. Most people with bad credit are going to pay a higher interest rate. Don't increase the amount you pay in interest by adding on extras to the total amount of the car and therefore, the loan. You can buy the extras after you have purchased the car and avoid paying extra interest. Even warranties are considered an extra that add to the interest you will pay later. Interest is what makes a loan so risky for you. You could easily end up paying back more that the car was originally worth.

The best option for borrowers seeking bad credit car loans in Knoxville is to take a bit of time and fix the credit problem. This will increase your likelihood of getting a loan and will get you a better offer as far as interest rates. Remember that you can access your credit report as often as you like, but each time you apply for credit, the institution accesses your credit score, which does lower your score. The best way to find out if you qualify for a loan is to do the research yourself. The more you apply for credit, the lower you score will drop.

Looking for a Knoxville bad credit car loan? Look at J.D. Byrider and CNAC! We've helped over 800,000 people get auto financing for bad credit. We specialize in bad credit auto financing, poor credit auto financing, however you refer to it. We're America's largest used car franchise and, in most cases, can put you in a better car than dealers talking about no credit used car loans.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_L_Work