Browsing Tag

Credit Cards

Debt

How To Manage Your Expenses And Still Be Fashionable

The fashion world today is moving so fast that not everyone can keep up with its pace. We often see celebs changing their wardrobe every season and we get envious of their lifestyle. There is no problem with that if you have enough money to pay off your credit card bills when they arrive. What if you are on a budget? Budgeting doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice your love for fashion, you just have to balance things out. Here’s how.

Credit Limit

There is no doubt that shopping with your credit card is pleasurable. But when the bill arrives, do you enjoy it too? Or have you exceeded your limit? Knowing what your credit limit is will help you avoid exceeding it. You should always stay below it by at least 20%. Doing this will give you good points on your credit report. There’ll also be less worrying about credit debt and balances.

The Basics

When it comes to fashion, there are basic pieces that never go out of style; and there are statement pieces that easily become so-last-season. If you want to keep your expenses on a low down, opt for the basic pieces so that you won’t have to change your wardrobe all the time. You will save a lot of money in the long run.

June 27, 2012

Budgeting

Budgeting In The New Year

The New Year is a great time to set a personal budget and to begin looking at ways to better manage your financial resources. Doing so can not only help you to take better control of your money today, but will also help you to prosper in the future.

If you do not already have one, the first step should be to establish a budget. Sit down and take the time to make sure you know exactly how much income you have coming in and how much is going out. After you have done this, carefully review your income and expenses to look for areas where you can possibly scale back. While you may not be able to budget for some fixed expenses such as car loans and rent or your mortgage payment, there are other areas where you can establish a budget and stick to it.

January 18, 2012

Credit Cards

Take Steps To Improve Your Personal Finances In 2012 By Avoiding These 5 Credit Card Missteps

The season of resolutions is upon us, and one resolution we could all serve to make (and keep) is to cut down on our credit card missteps. After all, consumers are quickly racking up new credit card debt, which is the type of dangerous overleveraging that got us into deep you-know-what during the Great Recession. What’s more, 41% of U.S. adults would give their personal finance knowledge a grade of “C” or worse, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling’s 2011 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey. So, to help get this resolution started, here are 5 credit card mistakes that we can all excise from our lives during 2012:

1. Not having an open credit card in your own name
Whether or not you feel comfortable making purchases with a credit card is basically immaterial. Simply having a credit card under your own name (not as an authorized user) is the easiest way to add positive information to your major credit reports on a monthly basis, and this information will be relayed even if you lock your card away in a drawer. Since one’s credit score is integral to getting the best loan terms, leasing a car, renting an apartment or getting certain jobs, this advice applies to pretty much everyone over the age of 18.
Wait, doesn’t the new credit card law preclude people under the age of 21 from opening credit cards? Actually, no. Young people must simply ask a relative to be a co-signer or indicate on their application that they have sufficient assets/income to cover a credit card’s monthly minimum payments (typically around $15 for newcomers).

January 18, 2012

Credit Cards

Help With Rewards Credit Cards

Welcome to 2012 everyone! How is your checking account looking with the holidays over? Mine took a hit, but all in all my traveling, gift buying, and family gatherings didn’t hurt too badly. How did I manage to get through this normally expensive time of the year? Aside from budgeting correctly my rewards credit cards helped soften the financial blow of the last month of 2011.

After reflecting on the gifts I bought, the travels I made, and the gatherings I attended here are my reward credit card recommendations for 2012!

The Approach

January 11, 2012

Banking

The Best US Dollar Credit Card For Canadians

Rather than carrying a large sum of cash with you when you travel to the States, I would recommend that Canadians bring along a US dollar Mosaik Mastercard from Bank of Montreal (BMO). When I compared all the major Canadian financial institutions to see what type of US dollar credit cards they offered, it seems that BMO has the best one.

September 9, 2011

Older Posts

Newer Posts