Weekly Tips

Weekly Tips

Should You Add an Authorized User?

Are you thinking about adding an authorized user to one of your credit cards? If so, here are a few things to keep in mind before pulling the trigger.

Make sure you choose the person you add very carefully. While an authorized user can make purchases with your card, they are not ultimately responsible for the charges. You're the only one that will get stuck with the bill if unwanted charges are racked up behind your back.

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Thu, 2011-06-02 17:00

Keep Your Bluetooth Secure

You're probably lugging around a lot of Bluetooth-enabled devices these days. And while it may be hard to leave home without them, smartphones, laptops, netbooks, iPads and Bluetooth headsets have unfortunately made us all sitting ducks for identity theft.

Those nasty hackers love using Bluetooth to steal your personal information, install malicious software on your devices, and possibly even record your private calls. The NERVE! But you don't have to make yourself an easy target.

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Thu, 2011-05-26 17:00

Make Good Use of Your Tax Refund

The average American taxpayer received around a $3,000 check from Uncle Sam this year. If you're still sitting on your cash trying to decide how to spend it, here's what you should do:

1.) Pay Down Debt: This is always the first option. Want to earn yourself more than a 20% return on your money? Pay off those credit card balances!

2.) Pad Your Savings: If you don't have any high interest debt to worry about, pad your emergency savings or fund an IRA to make sure you're maximizing retirement savings.

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Thu, 2011-05-19 17:00

Good Credit Saves Big Money

Everyone loves finding new ways to save money. Some people obsess over cutting the little things from their daily routine, like lunches out with friends and $4 lattes. And while there's nothing wrong with frugality, the truth is a lot of people tend to overlook other areas in their life that could save them much more in the grand scheme of things.

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Wed, 2011-05-11 17:00

Get Your Free Federal Tax Receipt

There's a good chance your largest expense in 2010 was the taxes you paid to Uncle Sam. But do you know exactly where your money went? Probably not.

ThirdWay, a think-tank based in Washington D.C., believes that everyone who files a tax return should have the right to a "taxpayer receipt" as well. It sounds logical enough. Would you ever give someone else thousands of dollars for an unknown product without receiving a receipt?

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Thu, 2011-05-05 17:00

Top 5 Credit Tips for Recent College Grads

You took your last exam, donned the cap and gown and have finally embarked on a new and exciting phase in your adult life. What will you need to know that you probably weren't taught in college?

There's a good chance you missed out on an important class that's rarely found in any college curriculum—Personal Credit 101. So, to help you get started on the right path, here are our top 5 tips to ensure your credit will be there for you when you need it most:

1.) Ignore the Credit Naysayers

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Tue, 2011-04-26 17:00

Balance Transfers: Don't Miss Your Window of Opportunity

If you recently applied for a no interest credit card and plan to use it to initiate a balance transfer, don't sit on your laurels for too long once the new card arrives in the mail. You certainly don't want to miss out on the 0% interest promo just for being too slow to the punch!

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Tue, 2011-04-26 17:00

What is a 1099-C?

If you went through a foreclosure, sold your home short, or had credit card debt forgiven in 2010, then you probably received a 1099-C in the mail early this year. Hopefully you didn't ignore it and shove it in the back of your desk, because this is a form that could cause some serious problems if not given the proper attention.

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Mon, 2011-04-11 17:00

Say No to Credit Card Protection Plans

Recent studies show that credit card protection plans, often advertised as a way to guard against unexpected events such as unemployment or illness, are not only expensive but also provide little in return.

According to the Government Accountability Office, consumers spent $2.4 billion on credit card protection plans in 2009 while credit card companies only paid out $518 million in benefits. Ouch! So why is it such a bad deal?

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Tue, 2011-03-29 17:00

Could Your Credit Report Cost You a Job?

According to a survey released in 2010 by the Society for Human Resource Management, 60 percent of employers perform some type of credit report screening on applicants. Of that 60 percent, 13 percent perform credit checks on all job applicants, regardless of the position for which they're applying.

Whether you like it or not, this means there's more than a 50 percent chance your credit reports will be taken into consideration the next time you apply for a job. Is that fair?

Updated by Joshua Heckathorn on Mon, 2011-03-21 17:00

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