June 10, 2021Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert Best credit scores may lenders use? You’re probably aware that a high credit score is the single most important factor in securing a loan. But did you know that you have more than one credit score? FICO and VantageScore are the two main credit scoring models used by lenders. […]
FICO vs Vantage – Which score will my lender use? Read More »
September 2, 2021Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert Credit Report Mistakes Most people think of a credit score as a concrete, unchangeable piece of data. The reality, however, is a bit more open to interpretation. While your score is determined with a reliable algorithm, the incidents on your credit report that are used to calculate that score
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March 21, 2018Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert Good Credit Expert Improves Life There is no sugar-coating the fact that life can become a lot more complicated whenever you are faced with credit problems. Sure, you can get by with bad credit and low credit scores, but living like that can be expensive, not to mention stressful.
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January 6, 2022Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert Best Ways to Avoid Holiday Spending The holidays are not a time to pinch pennies. There’s nothing wrong with loosening the purse strings, giving generously, and using this time to focus on friends and family instead of money. But you at least want to make it through to the
Can Holiday Spending Hurt Your Credit Score? Read More »
Boosting Your Credit Score For many people, a home is the largest purchase they’ll make over the course of their lifetime. That’s why getting the lowest possible interest rate on a mortgage is so important. To do that, you’ll need to get your credit score as high as possible. There are no quick, overnight fixes
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November 2, 2021Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert Free Credit Score Companies If you’re trying to actively monitor your credit, paying for a copy of your credit score can be a frustrating expense. In this situation, companies offering a free copy of your credit score probably seem like a godsend. But while these services can show you
What Consumers Don’t Know about Free Credit Score Companies Read More »
November 18, 2021Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert Increase Your Credit Limit When you take on any form of debt, there are limits to how much money you can borrow. For a loan, that limit is represented as the total sum offered to the borrower. For a credit card, it’s represented as the credit limit. If you
How does a credit card limit increase work? Read More »
February 10, 2022Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert How Credit Bureaus Fumble Disputes For many people, credit bureaus seem like static, unchanging entities. It would certainly be comforting to think that the organizations in charge of determining credit scores have everything under control. But these companies are anything but perfect – and that may be putting it
How Credit Bureaus Are Mishandling Customer Disputes Read More »
August 11, 2017Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert Resilience Credit Repair Unless you have been living on a deserted island for the last few decades, you have probably heard the term “credit repair” at least once or twice. If you are facing credit problems of your own, you may even find yourself wondering if professional credit repair
Does Credit Repair Work? Read More »
July 7, 2022Shawn LaneConsumer Credit Expert Don’t Fall to Credit Card Myths Credit cards have long been one of the most controversial topics in personal finance. For every piece of rational, constructive advice you can find on the internet, you’re just as likely to find 10 examples of misguided information or fear-mongering nonsense. Thankfully, it’s
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