Credit Karma gives you a free copy of your credit score just for signing up, but it isn’t necessarily the same score that your future lenders will use. You might be wondering about your Credit Karma score vs. your actual score. What we’re about to show is that, in fact, the score that Credit Karma gives
Young startups and small businesses are often desperate for bank loans or wealthy investors to help get their operations off the ground. However, people have been successfully bootstrapping companies for centuries. In fact, many of today’s largest businesses began as little more than one person’s dream, with few allies and even less funding. Let’s explore
Thrift store shopping is one of the best ways to find great deals on used clothing, furniture, and appliances. If you get really lucky, you might end up with something worth much more than you paid for it. Let’s explore the stories of some of the most incredible thrift store finds of all time, many
If you’re feeling guilty about your latest visit to a sushi bar or an Italian eatery, allow us to assuage your conscience. In the grand scheme of things, your food spending is probably a lot more modest than you might think. To give you some perspective, let’s take a tour of the world’s most expensive
Roughly 70% of people who buy a house use a mortgage to complete the transaction1. Unless you’re a cash buyer, you’ll need somewhere between a good credit score and an excellent one to get an affordable interest rate on your loan. If your credit file isn’t as strong as you’d like yet, here’s how to
During times of financial hardship, it’s easy to damage your banking reputation. Overdraft fees, bounced checks, or involuntary account closures end up in your ChexSystems report, which can prevent you from getting traditional checking accounts. If you’ve made mistakes like these in the past, here’s a list of the best free checking accounts you can
ChexSystems is a consumer reporting agency that documents your banking history, like a credit bureau for checking and savings accounts. Removing negative items from your ChexSystems report can improve your chances of qualifying for a new bank account. Here’s what you should know about the ChexSystems removal process, including the primary steps involved and some
CreditStrong is an online lender that provides credit builder loans to consumers and businesses. Their business accounts help companies with limited or bad credit establish a positive financial tradeline and improve their credit scores. If you’re considering using a credit builder loan to work towards good business credit, our CreditStrong review will tell you everything
Credit-builder loans are an increasingly popular product, and the competition for market share is fierce, but there are significant discrepancies between even the top contenders. We studied two of the most popular credit-builder lenders on the market today; Credit Strong and Self (formerly Self Lender), and put them head to head. Here’s how they compare.
