Author: Amanda Garland

Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards

Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards

Many credit card issuers offer personal and corporate credit cards, but these cards will often be very different.  A small business card may have a higher annual fee, higher credit limit, different rewards earning categories, and more. They may also differ in credit reporting, scoring, and legal terms.  It is essential to know these differences,

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How Long Do Tradelines Stay On Your Credit

How Long Do Tradelines Stay On Your Credit?

Tradelines can stay on your credit reports for up to 10 years after you close the account.  However, suppose you have any negative remarks on the account, like late payments. In that case, the negative information falls off of your credit report seven years from the initial delinquency date. A tradeline consists of any account

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Does Rent Affect Your Credit Score

Does Rent Affect Credit Score?

When you fill out a rental application for a new apartment or home, the landlord often runs a credit check. So you might expect that your rental payments are shown on your credit report, but they are not.  When you are building credit, there are rent payment reporting options out there that can add your

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Why Did My Credit Score Go Down When Nothing Changed?

Why Did My Credit Score Go Down When Nothing Changed?

If you are keeping a good handle on your finances, and your FICO credit score suddenly starts taking a nosedive, you might start to panic. You haven’t made any recent changes to your credit file in the way of opening new accounts or maxing out your credit cards. So why did your credit score decrease?

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Does a Debit Card Build Credit

Does a Debit Card Build Credit?

Do you pay for everything with cash or a debit card? If so, this is probably great for keeping your budget on track. Unfortunately, it also means you are not building credit history.  If you are only ever using cash or a debit card for purchases, then you likely have bad credit or no credit.

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Does Paying Off Collections Improve Your Credit Score

Does Paying Off Collections Improve Credit Score?

Having collection accounts appear on your credit history is not good for your credit score. The repeated calls from debt collectors are not good for you mentally either.  Paying the debt off will end the collection agencies’ incessant calls, but will it improve your credit score at all?  Paying off collection accounts can be a

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Types of Tradelines

The 3 Types of Tradelines in Credit

There are many types of tradelines that appear on your credit reports. A credit tradeline consists of any account you have with a lender or service provider. This can include credit cards, loans, and utility payments. Managing these tradelines well contributes to good credit. So if you have bad credit, taking a hard look at

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Dave Ramsey vs Suze Orman

Dave Ramsey vs Suze Orman – Which One Is Right?

A fight for the ages. Watch these two personal finance experts duke it out. Okay, just kidding, although that would be a match worth watching.  Since we are unlikely to ever get these two together to prove their worth in a ring, octagon, or any other fighting arena, we’ll have to settle for letting their

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How to Get a Free FICO Score

How to Get a Free FICO Score

What if I told you that you could get your FICO score for free? Well, you can. While many banks and credit cards offer free FICO scores, there’s one source where you can get your FICO Score 8 for free without signing up for a new checking account or credit card. How to Get a Free FICO Score

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