Intuit Credit Karma
America's credit rating may be hostage to politics, but yours is not, so it's possible to improve a bad credit score if you'll obey your inner Tea Party.First, become your own deficit hawk. Get your credit scores, which vary among the three big credit-reporting companies (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) but are usually similar. Find out for your credit score for free at Credit Karma.
Here are some facts you need to know about pre-approved credit card offers filling up your mailbox. You still might get rejected. "If you look at the low-end cards [for people with poor credit], as low as 80 percent of people who are pre-approved actually get approved," says Greg Lull of CreditKarma.
The Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard is the top credit card for most people seeking to rack up travel rewards like frequent flier miles and free hotel rooms, according to a new ranking from website Credit Karma.
You want to beat the rising cost of homes and increasing interest rates by buying a home soon -- but are you going to be able to get a mortgage? Ken Lin, CEO of CreditKarma.com says, "Lenders are more willing to work with consumers these days even if someone doesn't have a perfect score."
They say you can never be too rich or too thin. But if you have to choose one or the other, many say it's a tough call. A poll released finds that only 28 percent of Americans would be willing to gain 25 pounds to get out of debt.
Every leader in every company struggles with ways to make work more engaging. It's always hard to find great people and is vital to keep them, since internal hires tend to be more successful than external ones.Check out how we at Credit Karma keep things fun in the workplace.
We're halfway through the year, and it's time for a fiscal checkup. Just as you do with your annual physical, you need to determine if your budget is healthy or if expenses are bleeding enough red ink to cause anemia. Are you shedding pounds of debt or are you over-stressed ? Will you reach your goals for savings in 2013? Will you have enough to spend on splurges or holiday gifts?
College loan debt for students in Atlanta ranks among the highest compared to other cities, according to data from Credit Karma, a website that consolidates consumer financial information. For the past two years, student loan debt in Atlanta has hovered just below $40,000 ($39,855 in April, 2013).
Credit scores were long something that lenders got to see and consumers only found out about later. Now, pretty much anyone can take a look at their credit scores whenever they want to, but it's not clear which of those scores matter. And most scores that consumers see for free are not the same ones bankers are using to weigh customer creditworthiness.
Now that May has arrived, it's time to clean up your credit and think about educational expenses. You can simply set calendar reminders for yourself, and start thinking about your "financial calendar" the way you do your social calendar. You'd never neglect to send your mom a birthday card after jotting it down on your calendar--so treat important tasks like saving for retirement, preparing for taxes, and donating to charity in the same way. Get ready for a much more organized month (and year)!