Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

Credit Scores

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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creditImproving your credit score, making the economy work for you, and how that video you just posted on Facebook could come back to haunt you.

How Can I Build My Credit Score?
Ten steps to better credit.

Buying a House? Don’t Make These Mistakes
Don’t be sidetracked by fixable mistakes.

7 Smart Money Moves in an Improving Economy
How to make the improving economy work for your money.

Don’t Let Your Social Media Footprint Kill Your Job Prospects
What you post on Facebook today could keep you unemployed tomorrow.

The Pros & Cons Of Cell Phone Insurance
Having insurance on a fragile smartphone sounds like a good idea. But does it make financial sense?

The best place to get your credit reports, scores

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Dear Liz: I want to see all three of my credit reports with scores and fix some things on there that could be in error. What site do you recommend to get all three with scores?

Answer: You have a federally mandated right to see your credit reports once a year, and you can access those reports at http://www.annualcreditreport.com. That is the one and only federally authorized site. There are plenty of look-alikes, so make sure you get to the right place. Each of your three reports will include links that will allow you to dispute errors.

When you access your reports, you may be offered credit scores either for a fee or as an inducement to sign up for credit monitoring. Typically, these scores are not the FICO scores that most lenders use. If the word “FICO” is not in the name of the credit score being offered, it’s not an actual FICO score.

To get your FICOs, you’ll need to go to MyFico.com. Currently, you can buy two of your three FICOs — the ones from Equifax and TransUnion — for $19.95 each. Experian has announced it will soon offer FICOs through MyFico.com as well.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

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FinancesFather knows best, careers that simply aren’t worth the money and the double-edged sword of frugality.

Listen to Your Father! Old-School Money Tips for Today

Financial advice that stands the test of time.

The Best and Worst Careers to Go Into Debt For

If you want to see your work in print, become an advertiser, not a reporter.

Credit Expert Answers 7 Burning Personal Finance Questions

Including tips on how to improve your credit score.

When Frugality Goes Too Far

Growing your own vegetables is a great idea. Spending $3500 on a vegetable garden is not.

Overdraft Fees Cost Bank Customers Hundreds of Dollars a Year

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found overdrawing their accounts cost customers an average of $225 per year.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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Here are some important money stories to check out today:Education savings

Should the Government Mandate Free Credit Scores?

Despite an abundance of free credit score offers, consumers still lack easy access to their FICO and Vantage scores, often the determining factor in credit approval.

Applying Sage Graduation Advice to Your Financial Life

Oh, the places you and your money will go!

Maximize Rewards Offered by Your Credit Cards

A new website shows how to get the most from your reward points based on how you spend.

What Can You Afford: House, Car or Vacation?

A guide to what you can and cannot afford during the summer spending season.

 

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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YCS4 coverGood credit, stolen credit and ways to save on travel to the vacation home you should have purchased when mortgage rates were historically low.

Five Reasons Why You Can’t Ignore Your Credit

While living debt free is a good thing, living credit free can have unforeseen and expensive consequences.

Here’s Everything We Know About The Rakuten/Buy.com Credit Card Breaches

If you’ve shopped at the online marketplace recently, you should pay very close attention to your statements.

26 Secrets to Save on Travel

Flying on a Saturday afternoon may not sound like fun, but it could save you big bucks.

Farewell 3% Mortgage Rates

Job gains and an improving economy signal the end of historically low mortgage rates.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

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collegeHere are some of the top money stories around the Web:

How to Pay Student Loans You Can’t Afford

With interest rates on federal Stafford Loans set to double on July 1st, Credit.com’s Gerri Detweiler breaks down the four main income-based repayment programs.

The Surprising Downside of Cutting Up Your Credit Cards

While it may curb your spending, cutting those credit cards in half could hurt your credit score.

Banks Lag on Consumer-Friendly Checking Practices

After surveying 36 of 50 of the country’s largest banks, the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Safe Checking in the Electronic Age project discovered that not a single one met all of the recommended practices.

Are You Paying the iTunes Tax?

The days of tax free internet purchases could soon be over.