In The News
My Five Favorite Financial Products
moneyunder30.com, 07/07/2009
"For regular readers, my love of the following five financial products won't come as a surprise, but I realized that I have never written a single post about the handful of financial products that I love... and why I love them. The fact is, the following five products are not only highly valuable, four out of five of them are free, and all (I believe) are especially useful to us twentysomethings."
Startups' Online Tools Give Financial Firms Stiff Competition
securitiesindustry.com, 07/06/2009
"Technology startups are providing stiff competition to banks in providing useful financial tools to consumers, according to a new report from Boston-based research firm Celent, "Financial Technology Startups: Giving Banks a Run for their Money."
Citi Hikes Rates. Is Your Credit Card Next?
smartmoney.com, 07/01/2009
"Card holders can expect more card issuers to change their terms, particularly by increasing interest rates, before the new credit-card legislation goes into effect, says Linda Sherry, a spokeswoman for Consumer Action, a nonprofit consumer education and advocacy organization that studies credit trends. Some parts of the law will go into effect as early as August."
5 Factors That Determine Your Credit Score
smartmoney.com, 06/30/2009
"Recent legislation to prevent credit-card firms from making those kinds of changes won't stop rate hikes and credit limit reductions, as companies may attempt to implement these before a new law takes effect. The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act signed by President Obama in May aims to protect consumers and improve transparency associated with sudden changes in their credit-card company policies, but the law will not take effect for another two to eight months."
FICO Scores Show Flaws as U.S. Banks Cut Credit Lines
bloomberg.com, 06/30/2009
"Reductions to a consumer's line of credit based upon the lending institutions' overall appetite for risk has little or no bearing on a consumer's own risk of default," said Gutierrez, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit."
3 ways to get your credit score for free!
ABC 2, 07/04/2009
"Your credit score is a key piece of your financial status. It's one of the main factors lenders use to determine whether or not you qualify for a loan. Keeping track of that score can be complicated and costly. But, we have found three ways to calculate your score, and they're absolutely free."
Is Your Credit Too Good?
Time Magazine, 06/22/2009
"Banks have cut off or pared back some $1 Trillion in credit lines since the peak of the credit boom."
Applying for Credit? New Tool Grades Your Health
The Wall Street Journal, 06/10/2009
"Nevertheless, the tool provides users with a quick snapshot of their credit reports, with suggestions on how to improve their scores. Users can also see how their scores stack up against others based on CreditKarma's sample of over 400,000 credit reports."
The Best Online Tools for Personal Finance
The Wall Street Journal, 06/08/2009
With credit scores determining everything from car-insurance rates to getting a mortgage, "understanding and managing your credit score is incredibly important to your entire financial life these days," Mr. Shevlin says. He suggests CreditKarma.com
Credit Karma Introduces Free Credit-Card, Debt-Tracking Tool
bloomberg.com, 06/09/2009
Credit Karma Inc., the Web site that offers free credit scores and financial advice to U.S. consumers, is adding a tool today to help users understand the components behind their credit reports.
A Battle Plan for Refinancing Your Mortgage
The Wall Street Journal, 05/20/2009
"Getting your number. Finding your actual scores is a bit like trying to read tarot cards. The Web site Credit Karma (www.creditkarma.com) offers a free credit score"
Best Rate Comparison Tools
Wisebread, 2009
"Best Rate Comparison Tools: Credit Karma - Credit Karma Track your credit score for free and save money by getting customized offers (credit cards, loans, savings accounts, etc) based on your score."
Credit Karma Review
Christian Financial Blog, 03/25/2009
"What Credit Karma excels at is that you can see the changes of your credit score over time. Plus it's free!"
The New '700 Club'
Newsweek, 04/30/2009
"Credit Karma, a Web site that gives consumers free access to their TransUnion credit scores and features a score simulator so consumers can model their own numbers."
Teaching your kids about money
The View from the Bay, 04/10/2009
"Credit Karma, a site that provides consumers free access to their credit scores, can give advice to parents on how to establish good credit habits with their children and prepare them for a healthy financial life."

