Myth-busters!
Clients often ask me to recommend a “healthy” credit card balance that they should carry in order to boost their credit score. Contrary to popular belief (a belief created out of confusion and no doubt encouraged by the credit card industry), the answer is $0. You do not need to carry a credit card balance in order to demonstrate good credit history.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t have credit cards or that you shouldn’t use them. Having them and using them responsibly are what helps keep your credit score high, and while carrying a low balance doesn’t always hurt your score, it doesn’t help it either. In fact carrying a balance that is too close to your limit can hurt and with high interest rates and fees it is certainly not the best way to maintain financial health. Let me explain.
When a lender, like a mortgage company or auto finance department, looks at your credit report, they are looking for the likelihood that you will pay them back if they give you a loan. Other parties also use them to protect against making a bad deal, like landlords who use them to judge whether you will pay rent or cell phone companies that want to determine whether you will actually pay for the airtime you use.
Even employers will sometimes request your credit history for insight into whether you are a responsible person. For example, if you consistently pay your electric bill late or have a history of running over your credit limit, chances are you may also be chronically late for work or distracted by personal financial issues on the job.
The reason that it is important to have a couple credit cards (two cards issued by major financial institutions like VISA or American Express will suffice) and to use them occasionally is to demonstrate what credit examiners are seeking: that you can be trusted with credit and that you will pay it back on time. Just make sure you pay your balance off each month and you will enjoy life debt-free!
Another way to ensure that you maintain the best credit score possible is to review your credit report at least annually, which you can do for free. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com to print your credit report from all three credit-reporting agencies and review each agency’s report for accuracy. If you find any errors, take the proper steps to correct them. Each agency tells you how to do this on their respective websites.
Things that could bring your score down include credit card accounts that are at or near their credit limit, unpaid bills from your past or too many examinations into your history in the recent future. If you have these items on your report and they are legitimate, you should take action to fix them. Pay down the high-balance cards (and stop using them until they are paid off), pay off any overdue bills and stop applying for credit at every opportunity. It will take time (up to seven years for some items), but eventually your score will improve.
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It All Adds Up!
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010Today I had the chance to engage in one of my favorite activities. It was coin-rolling day – the day my piggy bank won’t allow me to put another penny in, and I break out the paper coin rolls then head to the bank for a nice little bonus deposit to my checking account.
Ready to roll!
Call me a nerd, but I love coin-rolling day. Sorting quarters and dimes into neat little piles satisfies my organizational tendencies and rewards me with extra money I didn’t even miss. And it only takes 15 minutes – I kept track! You can sort your change while watching TV, listening to a podcast, or make it a family affair by getting the kids involved.
I had lots of help
Back in the day when Suze Orman first hit the airwaves as a guest of the Oprah Show, she wisely suggested that one way to save money without even trying is by saving your change. OK, so maybe she wasn’t the first to think of it, but I remember seeing it and have been saving my change ever since. Do you? If not, I suggest you try.
What’s that? You don’t really spend that much cash? Well, I didn’t think I did either but even the little dollars here and there I use to buy coffee have produced enough change to add up. In fact, this little pile totaled $26 and I had several dollars left over that went back in the piggy bank since they weren’t complete coin rolls.
I know that doesn’t seem like much, but if it’s money you didn’t miss anyway, it adds up over time. Twenty-six bucks per month equals annual savings of $312, which is enough for cross-country airfare from most major airports! Think of it as a bonus vacation fund.
For complete disclosure, I have to share that when I arrived at the bank, the teller simply dumped all my neat little coin rolls into the electronic change counter. It turns out the banking centers in Chicago are a little more technologically advanced than those in Cincinnati! At least at my bank… I have to say, I’m a little bummed to learn this, as I actually like rolling my change. (Some banks charge for this service, so don’t toss those paper rolls yet!)
Regardless, my point remains: the next time you use cash for a purchase, use only dollars and pocket the change. You’ll be surprised how much money you “find!”
Note: No animals were harmed in the production of this blog post.
Tags: budgeting, financial coach, financial planning, financial security, money-saving tips, saving money, vacation budget, Women and money
Posted in Financial commentary, Money-saving tips, Uncategorized, Women and money, financial planning | 3 Comments »