Credit Cards Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Personal Finance (MB)

Hopefully There Is Coal For The Person That Stole My Credit Card Info

April 18, 2019December 11, 2015 by Money Beagle

Talk about funny timing. On Monday night, I was talking to my dad and he was telling me about someone he knew that had their credit card info taken, and how it had happened multiple times. He wondered how credit card fraud had happened to them.

I Forgot To Knock On Wood

Wednesday morning, not more than 36 hours later, I am going through my emails when I spotted one from Citi that instantly got my attention as the subject line was “Fraud Alert – Suspicious Activity Detected”

Yikes. Let’s say that I skipped right over to that one.

I’ve had a couple of instances where I got an e-mail or a call about activity, but never was there a problem and I was able to confirm the transactions.

As soon as I opened the e-mail and looked at the lists, I could tell that these were definitely not charges I made.

The first thing I did was log into my account to make sure that this was real, and wasn’t a phishing attempt of some sort, but it turns out these were right.

Why I Didn’t Report My Lost Credit Card

April 18, 2019November 24, 2015 by Money Beagle

Have you ever had a lost credit card? What about if it wasn’t lost but more so just misplaced? What do you do?

Our Night Out

Several weeks ago, we went to the last of our country concerts for the year, as we went to see Luke Bryan in downtown Detroit. It was a great show and we had a great time. After we were done, we went to a couple of nearby bars to finish off the celebration. We capped things off with an Uber ride home.

All in all, it was a great night, and I thought that was the end of it.

But, it wasn’t.

The next day, we were running some errands and the first stop we had to make was to get gas.

We use our Costco American Express card to get gas, as it provides 3% cash back.

I went to get it out of my wallet, and realized that it wasn’t there.

Yikes.

Budgetary Demands Should Conquer Other Considerations

April 18, 2019October 20, 2015 by Money Beagle

Everyone enjoys spending money. Unfortunately not many are particularly good at following a budget to keep their finances in good order. The level of credit card debt in the USA suggests that there are plenty of people spending on a regular basis without actually paying off the bill in full. Once a balance is established it incurs a high level of interest. Interest is added at the end of each month so something that might be a bargain purchase bought on credit might ultimately end up being very costly indeed.

The recession resulted in an increase in consumer debt. The wise have paid off their debts as a matter of priority. Now it’s your turn. If you write down your regular income and expenditure it will put your financial position down in front of you. Your credit card debt and any debt on store cards will be costing you a significant amount of interest each month.

7 Ways To Improve Your Credit Score

April 18, 2019September 14, 2015 by Money Beagle

Nobody knows the exact methods by which your credit score is calculated, but you should definitely understand the importance of having a good score, and some methods which will help you improve your credit score.

Here are 7 Ways To Improve Your Credit Score

Pay on time. Every time .

The biggest knock on a credit score is late or missed payments. While you can’t erase the sins of the past, you can make sure that moving forward you prove your credit worthiness by paying every bill on time.

Stolen Debit Card: This Crook Had No Idea What He Was Dealing With

April 26, 2019May 4, 2015 by Money Beagle

I work in an office area that’s fairly open. We have half walls and the cube layouts are broken out into areas where three of us sit in a shared area. Each of us has a corner with one corner open to enter and exit. I like the two people I share space with a lot, but it’s often easy to overhear conversations given the layout.

I couldn’t help but hear bits and pieces of a conversation from JV, who was looking into a charge that he didn’t recognize. It was for a pizza place in Ann Arbor, about an hour and a half away from our area. The charge was for $53.00.

Phone Calls

First, he contacted his wife, then I heard him talking to the bank. I wasn’t eavesdropping, but it was unavoidable to hear that he had gotten it worked out to get the charge removed, and to get a new card issued and the old card disabled.

Financing Options after a Foreclosure

April 26, 2019March 24, 2015 by Money Beagle

A foreclosure is a big black mark against your credit. There’s no getting around it. Lenders will be less willing to work with you and if the foreclosure has been within the last 2 years, they may not be willing to work with you at all. When a lender is making a credit decision on a borrower, they are trying to assess your ability to repay the loan. A recent foreclosure makes a very strong argument against your ability to repay a mortgage. This being said, a foreclosure doesn’t mean that you will never be able to buy a home again. Given enough time, you can buy a home after a foreclosure as long as you continue to keep your credit clean. Here are some financing options after a foreclosure.

How to Choose between Secured Loans and Unsecured Loans

April 30, 2019March 13, 2015 by Money Beagle

When we look for finance options, we notice that there are thousands of options available to us. However, two of the main avenues to go for are secured loans and unsecured loans. Both have their pros and cons and it can be difficult to choose between them. Hopefully, the following information will help you to make that decision.

Secured Loans vs. Unsecured Loans

When looking for secured loans, financial experts have reported these are the most common, not in the least because there are many different types (house loans, payday loans, title loans, pawn loans and so on). Loans secured against a home offer the highest sums of money. Unsecured loans are quite new, however, and became available as more and more people did not own homes and were not able to get any type of finance. However, to this day, only people who can prove that they are worthy creditors will be able to get unsecured loans, with the exception of extremely high interest doorstep collection loans.

Don’t Take it Personal…It’s Just Your Credit

April 30, 2019March 13, 2015 by Money Beagle

Credit is something that not only affects you, it can affect everybody around you on a personal and professional level. Many people believe that having a bad credit score should not affect their credibility or reliability in their circle of friends or colleagues. Well, it does and can be a tremendous part of why none of your friends want to rely on you for big decisions that are more than just commonsense.

Bad Credit

Bad credit comes down to a couple of core principles really: self-control and level of responsibility. Having bad credit may not make you irresponsible, but the decisions made to get there are what could give people the idea that you have a hard time controlling your money, and your own life. Can you control your own life if you are less capable of controlling your finances and money? Probably not.

Why America’s Oldest Credit Card Company is Still One of the Finest

May 7, 2019February 24, 2014 by Money Beagle

American Express, also known as Amex, is one of the oldest credit card companies in the country. Unlike other creditors, which gave you the option to make monthly payments to pay down your credit, the traditional American Express card extends a shorter line of credit. You needed to pay off your balance each month to remain in good standing. The company has also added new cards that functioned more like traditional credit cards, giving you more time to pay off your balance. Before applying for a new card, you should search around the web for rewards cards. After all, it’s better to get something rather than nothing for purchases you plan on making regardless.

Make Changes In January To Bring Your Financial House Back In Order

May 7, 2019January 19, 2014 by Money Beagle

Even though all of the Christmas presents have been unwrapped and put away, for many people, the financial implications of spending around the holidays spill over into January. And as we all know the effects can spill over way past January, where holiday spending can be a burden throughout the entire year.

Many people find that their holiday spending is a never ending cycle. By the time you catch up from last holiday (if you do), the next season is here already.

I’m here to tell you that there is hope, but if you want to get your financial house in order, it’s time to start now. This month. Not next month. Get started in January.

Here are a few things that you can do to get out from the burden you might feel from your holiday spending, and more importantly, set the table so that you don’t find yourself burdened next year.