Ryan always had good credit. He paid all his bills on time and never overdrew his credit cards. He had no problem qualifying for a loan when he wanted to make a larger purchase, and always handled his debt responsibly. Unfortunately, when he lost his job, he got behind on bills and started missing payments. […]
One of the most overwhelming parts of being in too much debt is juggling all the payments. Payments typically come due throughout the month, and it’s easy to forget to pay a bill, further complicating your problem. It’s also hard to make sure you always have money available when different bills come true. While there […]
You’re probably familiar with your credit score, but what is a bankruptcy score? Judging by data from Google Trends, most people don’t even know there’s such a thing as a bankruptcy score. This is partly because banks and credit bureaus generally talk about these bankruptcy scores less than credit scores. Although all three credit bureaus […]
As a new immigrant to the US, establishing a credit history allows banks to ‘take a chance’ on you. When you move to the US, your record doesn’t follow you. You’ll have to rebuild your credit from scratch. Not to worry though – we’ve outlined some simple strategies for immigrants to establish a credit history. […]
Debt can have a powerful grasp on your finances during your life, but what about debt after death? Of course, we aren’t talking about debt haunting you after you die, but rather your debt continuing to haunt your loved ones after you pass away. Without adding in extra debt to pay off, your death will […]
Although there are 5 categories of bankruptcy, only two are typically options for regular consumers- chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy. Chapters 9, 11 and 12 of the bankruptcy code typically only apply to farmers, municipalities and businesses. So how do you choose between chapter 7 versus chapter 13? Neither is simply better than the […]
UPDATE: Kayla at Reviews.com has compiled a nice list of lenders offering debt consolidation loans. Check it out! Nobody intends to get in over their head in debt, but sometimes life has a way of overwhelming and taking us by surprise. This can especially happen with credit cards since it is so easy to run […]
When Dave, a homeowner in Iowa fell behind on his debts, he simply stopped paying his mortgage and other debts. Before long, his home was foreclosed. Not only was his credit in shreds, but he also lost his home and all his equity tied up in his home. Unfortunately, Dave never considered bankruptcy — and […]