The question may come up as to the best method to pay if you are not using cash—your credit card or debit card? You might use your debit card and credit card interchangeably, even reaching for whichever piece of plastic is handy at the time. Both a credit card and a debit card get the … Read more
If you’re looking to put debt in your rearview mirror, you might be thinking about getting rid of your car loan sooner rather than later. It’s not a bad idea — you can save money by paying off your car loan early. But it’s not the best choice for everyone, especially if you don’t have … Read more
Aim to spend less than 10% of your take-home pay on your car payment and less than 20% on overall car expenses. Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on … Read more
This article contains general information and is not intended to provide information that is specific to American Express products and services. Similar products and services offered by different companies will have different features and you should always read about product details before acquiring any financial product. Is a 900 credit score possible for you? Get … Read more
A house is one of the biggest purchases you can make, so figuring out how much you can afford is a key step in the home-buying process. You’ll need to start by weighing how much money you have coming in — your monthly earnings from your job, investments and any other streams of income — … Read more
As of the third quarter of 2023, 1.54% of U.S. consumers had a FICO Score of 850, according to Experian data. Some notable traits of consumers with a perfect credit score include an above average number of credit cards, lower credit utilization rate and lower than average total debt. In many sports, its possible to … Read more
If youre 18 years or older, you can opt in to build your credit history while youre part of a shared Apple Card account. Getting your first credit card is an important step in building your credit history. With strong credit, you can more easily get approved for loans and other credit products in the … Read more
No one sits around waiting excitedly for the chance to deal with issues on their credit report. But if you think that someone’s pulled a hard inquiry of your credit without permission, you’ll want to act quickly to make sure that it’s taken care of correctly — it could be a sign of fraud or … Read more
When it comes to financing your home, the terminology can sometimes be incredibly confusing. If you’re looking to extract value from your home, there are cash-out refinances, home equity loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). If you’re trying to understand a HELOC vs. a second mortgage, it’s helpful to know that they’re really … Read more
The lender you settled with should notify Experian and the other major credit bureaus (TransUnion and Equifax) of the change in your account status, and your credit reports should reflect the update soon after. If that doesnt happen within a month or two, or if youd like to expedite the update, you can file a … Read more