With March coming to a close, it’s time to look over what we did for the month and give you a little bit of inspiration. Not only did we publish a lot of helpful content to show you how to get your credit back on track, but I also talked to a pretty cool lady who managed to bring her husband’s credit from the gutter to a respectable number in a fairly short amount of time. And that’s no small task!
Title Loans
Earlier in the month, Daniel Palmer gave us a rundown on title loans. Basically, he says that taking out a title loan on a car puts a lien on your vehicle. This means that the lender can take possession of your car if you default on the loan.
Daniel’s take on title loans is that they are a bit unfair with super high interest rates and deceptive terms.
Bottom line: “Look for Another Available Option!”
He also gave an in-depth review of TitleMax loans that’s worth taking a look at. He says it is a little better than its competitors and if you absolutely must take one out, this is the place to start. However, he still stands by his previous statement that there are better options out there.
Credit
Terri Williams talked about how to help your kids establish credit in her post, “What’s the Minimum Age for an Authorized Credit Card User?” This is a question a lot of us have since starting out after high school or college, it can be tough for young adults to get the credit they need to buy cars or other things they need. She says that adding your children as authorized users to your credit cards will help them with this, but she warns about the common pitfalls that may come from irresponsible use.
On the credit topic, Daniel also published an interesting post about disputing items on your credit report. According to Daniel, you should be monitoring your report for discrepancies frequently, and disputing them when necessary. He says the process of filing a dispute is relatively easy and straightforward.
We also regularly publish reviews on credit products and this month, we reviewed the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Credit One unsecured credit card. The general opinion on this card is that they are not incredibly transparent with their terms and there are definitely some better ones out there.
Frugal Living
You know me — I’m always on the lookout for a bargain to pass on to our readers. In my post about cheap (er um, frugal) Valentine’s Day ideas, I laid out a whole bunch of good ideas for keeping the day classy while staying on a budget. Go ahead and check it out. It doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day to look for frugal date ideas!
You can also read a great post here by Terri, where she teaches you about apps that help you get awesome product rebates. She goes into detail about the apps iBotta, Dosh, Checkout 51, and BerryCart. If you ever wanted to know how these apps work, she’s your gal.
Credit Rebuilder Success Story: Carol 68
And here’s the part a lot of you wait for. It’s really inspiring to read about regular people just like us that managed to drag their credit scores out of the gutter, and Carol is one of them. But her story is unique because her husband was the one who had the financial challenge.
Carol’s mother who was a civil service worker and entrepreneur, instilled in Carol from a young age, the importance of paying your bills on time and having good credit. Her husband, on the other hand, had always had a more laid-back approach to finances, so when they got married, they had trouble managing their money efficiently. Carol says they were both writing checks out of the same account, but her husband would often forget to record his transactions or let her know how much he was spending. Because of this, she soon became well-acquainted with their bankers due to constant overdrafts.
When her husband went overseas to complete a military assignment, and without Carol there to help with the finances, he tanked his credit score even more. That’s when they both made the decision that Carol should take over the family finances when he returned 2 ½ years later.
As soon as he came back and they relocated to Georgia, she started putting all the utilities in his name and making sure the bills were always paid on time. She also started to slowly pay off all the debt he had incurred. Her goal was to raise his credit score significantly, but she didn’t have a specific time goal in mind. She gradually brought his credit score from the low 600s to well over 700 in a matter of a couple of years. She says the last time she checked, his credit score was even a point higher than hers. It just goes to show what a little persistence and good habits can do!
Conclusion
That about sums up our March for the year. It’s been a busy first quarter. We’ve covered a lot of ground and given a lot of great advice. We hope you’ll stick around and check out some of our helpful articles, inspiration, and information. If you have any questions or need any advice about credit products to build or repair your credit, we hope you will drop us a line and let us help. We are always on the lookout for the best and latest information!