Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

Tax_ScampngToday’s top story: Look out for the latest IRS phone call scam. Also in the news: How social spending could be ruining your budget, why millennials should be pressing credit instead of debit, and how to extend the life of your child’s inherited IRA.

Don’t Fall for the ‘Steve Martin’ IRS Phone Call Scam
Watch out for this wild and crazy scam.

Fun And Finances: Is Social Spending Sabotaging Your Budget?
Putting your own financial well being first.

Pssst, Millennials! When You Pay, Choose Credit, Not Debit
How you could be losing out on interest.

Extend the life of your children’s inherited IRAs
Big changes could be in store for 2015.

Use Your Phone as a Piggy Bank: The 10 Best Personal Finance Apps
Putting that shiny new toy to good use.

Get free financial advice

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailNeed some free, one-on-one financial help from a qualified advisor with no strings attached? Check out the Financial Planning Days being offered around the country throughout October and November.

These events are brought to you by a host of reputable organizations: the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, the Financial Planning Association, the Foundation for Financial Planning and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Kiplinger is the national media sponsor.

Given how hard it can be to find good, un-conflicted advice–let alone getting it for free–these sessions can be a real boon. Even if you don’t sign up to talk to a CFP, you can attend one of the informational workshops on various financial planning topics.

Sound good? Check out this link to see if there’s an upcoming event in your area. LA and OC peeps: your events will be held Sunday Oct. 18, so register now!

Q&A: Twelve-year old charge-off

Dear Liz: Late last year, I applied for a credit card to buy a new computer on the computer maker’s website. I was declined. I was given the chance to talk to the credit card company’s agent and was belittled for having not-so-perfect credit, not enough credit and using too much credit, all in the same phone call. Needless to say, I got the message. I was also reminded that I’d had a charge-off on a competitor’s card in 1992! I always thought bad credit dropped off after seven years, certainly 10. Maybe you can clarify?

Answer: You need to take a look at your credit reports to see what lenders are seeing.

A charge-off from 1992 should have been removed in 1999, said credit expert John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at CreditSesame.com. Charge-offs aren’t public records, so there would be no way for a credit card company to know that a competitor wrote your account off as a loss unless it’s still showing on your credit reports.

“This is why it’s a great idea to pull your credit reports from time to time to make sure ancient debts aren’t still on [them],” Ulzheimer said.
If the charge-off is still showing, you should dispute it with the credit bureaus to have it removed.

What might still be a public record is a judgment, if your old creditor filed a lawsuit against you and then took the trouble to renew the judgment to extend how long it could appear on your credit reports.

“That’s a little trick some lawyers play to keep judgments from expiring,” Ulzheimer said. “They’ll re-file them, sometimes in different jurisdictions, and the byproduct is new credit reporting.”

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, civil judgments have to be dropped after seven years unless your state has a longer statute of limitations. If it does, the judgment can be reported until the statute expires. The statute for judgments ranges from three years to 20 years. California’s statute of limitations for judgments is 10 years. Bills.com has a list of state statutes of limitation athttp://www.bills.com/statute-of-limitations-on-debt/. If you find a judgment on your credit report that should have expired, dispute it with the credit bureaus.

You also should remedy the other problems the representative brought up. You need to pay down the balances on the credit accounts you’re using (preferably paying them off in full). Once you’ve done that, consider adding another credit card to your mix — but use it only if you can commit to paying the balance in full each month. Paying your bills on time and responsibly using credit will help you put your “not-so-perfect credit” behind you.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

crop380w_istock_000009258023xsmall-dbet-ball-and-chainToday’s top story: Becoming debt free and staying that way. Also in the news: How to find the leaks in your budget, six ways to become “rich”, and what to do if you need a credit increase.

How to Become Debt-Free — and Stay That Way
It’s not as impossible as it sounds.

How to Find & Fix Your Budget Leaks
Sealing the money drips.

6 ways to become rich without even trying
Well, maybe a little trying.

Need Some Flexibility? 6 Ways to Increase Your Credit Limit
Proceed with caution.

Disability Benefits: How Social Security Decides If You Deserve Them
Deciphering the formula.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: The consequences of never checking your credit report. Also in the news: How your smart phone can help your budget, how bad America is at saving for college, and are memberships to big box stores worth it?

What Happens if I Never Check My Credit Report?
You really, really don’t want to do that.

How Your Phone Can Boost Your Budgeting
Savings at your fingertips.

How Bad Is America at Saving for College?
Needs improvement.

What Member Discount Programs are Worth the Cost?
Are the gigantic packs of toilet paper worth it?

In 30 Minutes, She Cut Her Credit Card Debt by $3,128
Negotiating skills are a must.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: Credit dangers faced by single parents. Also in the news: Financial advice on repeat, how saving for retirement is like sports, and the worst financial lessons kids learn from television.

The Credit Dangers That Single Parents Face
Building credit can be difficult.

Why You Need to Hear the Same Financial Advice Over and Over
Hit the repeat button.

The Offense and Defense of Retirement Savings
It takes a team effort.

4 of the Worst Financial Lessons on Kids TV Shows
Too many money trees.

6 Ways to Save on Glasses or Contacts
Save money and get a clearer view of the world.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

money-vacation-saveToday’s top story: Common credit mistakes that could ruin your mortgage. Also in the news: Starbucks will pay college tuition for all of its employees, a young person’s guide to getting rich, and what not to do with your credit cards during your summer vacation.

5 Credit Moves That Could Wreck Your Mortgage
Common mistakes to avoid during the mortgage process.

Starbucks clears college degree path for employees
All employees will receive free tuition to an online University.

A Young Person’s Guide To Getting Rich Slowly
Saving immediately for retirement is key.

5 Summertime Credit Card Blunders and How to Avoid Them
You’ll have to pay for all that summer fun eventually.

Moving Just to Avoid Taking 401(k) Tax Hit
Just a bit extreme.

Q&A: Using a car loan to establish credit

Dear Liz: Our son is graduating from college and needs a car for his new job. Is this an opportunity to help him establish a good credit rating? His credit union offers loans to first-time auto buyers who don’t have a credit history, but the interest rate is 8.4% (6 percentage points more than standard auto loans). We parents intend to help pay for the car, so we could provide a larger down payment or help with larger payments to pay off the loan sooner as a way to reduce the higher interest costs. Would doing either of these, however, lower the credit rating he might earn? He has no other debt and has two credit cards (co-owned by us) on which he pays monthly in full. Are there better ways to help him establish his own credit rating?

Answer: If your son is a joint account holder on two credit cards, he might not have to bother with a “credit builder” loan. He should already have credit histories and credit scores that would qualify him for better rates.
He should first check his credit reports at http://www.annualcreditreport.com, the federally mandated site where people can check their credit histories annually for free.

If he has credit histories, he can take the additional step of buying at least one of his FICO scores from MyFico.com. (He can buy a total of three, one for each credit bureau.) There are other sources for free scores, but they’re usually not the scores used by most lenders. He then can ask the credit union for a quote on the interest rate he’d be charged, given his score or scores. It probably will be lower than 8.4% if he has a good history with these cards.

If he doesn’t have credit reports in his own name, he probably is an authorized user rather than a joint account holder on your cards. (Some issuers don’t export the primary cardholder’s history with a card into an authorized user’s credit files, although many do.) In that case, the credit-building loan could be a good idea, particularly if you were willing to help him pay off the loan quickly. Although there’s some advantage to paying off a loan according to schedule, your son will get most of the credit-scoring benefit just by having the loan, and he’ll save by paying it off fast.

Another way you could help is by co-signing the loan, but then you’re putting your credit at risk. If he makes a single late payment, your credit scores could suffer. If the credit union is willing to make the loan, that’s usually a better way to go.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: How to pay off your student loan in four years or less. Also in the news: Affordable ways to help someone having a bad time, how healthy living could save you money, and an easy way to tell if you have good credit.

5 Tips For Paying Off Your Student Loans in 4 Years or Less
Shortening the lifespan of the student loan albatross.

6 Affordable Ways to Help Someone Who’s Hurting
It truly is the thought that counts.

How good health will pay off during retirement

Healthy living right now could pay off in the future.

A Super Simple Way to Figure Out If You Have Good Credit
It’s all about the credit report.

Are Reverse Mortgages a Good Idea for Retirees?
A look at the controversial mortgage program.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

money-bucketsToday’s top story: What you need to save every day for a comfortable retirement. Also in the news: The three tax buckets, the 10 commandments of savings, and four boring but essential money conversations.

$82 a Day Is the Average Savings for a Comfortable Retirement
$82.28 to be exact.

What Pre-Retirees Should Be Asking About Taxes
Introducing the three buckets.

The 10 Commandments of Saving Money
Thou shall follow these rules.

4 Boring Money Talks You Need to Have
Boring but necessary.

How to Find Financial Assistance for Your Down Payment
Don’t let your down payment hold you back.