Your Credit Score, Your Money & What's at Stake (Updated Edition)


Book Description

“A great credit score can help you finish rich! Liz Pulliam Weston gives solid, easy-to-understand advice about how to improve your credit fast. Read this book and prosper.” David Bach, bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire and The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner “Excellent book! Insightful, well written, and surprisingly interesting. Liz Pulliam Weston has done an outstanding job demystifying an often intimidating and frustrating topic for the benefit of all consumers.” Eric Tyson, syndicated columnist and bestselling author of Personal Finance for Dummies “No one makes complex financial information easy to understand like Liz Pulliam Weston. Her straight-talk and wise advice are invaluable to anyone with a credit card or check book—and that’s just about all of us.” Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., author of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office and Nice Girls Don’t Get Rich “In a country where consumers increasingly pay more when they have bad credit, Liz Pulliam Weston’s book provides excellent tips and advice on ways to improve your credit history and raise your credit score. If you just apply one or two of her insightful suggestions, you’ll save many times the cost of this book.” Ilyce R. Glink, financial reporter, talk show host, and bestselling author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask “Your credit score can save you money or cost you money—sometimes a lot of money. Yet, most people don’t even know their scores, much less know how to make them better. Liz Pulliam Weston can help you fix that. In this easy-to-understand guide you’ll learn how to make sure your score helps you get the best deal on loans and insurance. You can’t afford not to read it.” Gerri Detweiler, consumer advocate and founder of UltimateCredit.com The #1 Best-Selling Guide to Improving Your Credit Score... Now Thoroughly Updated for the Financial Crisis! In post-crash America, it’s tough to get credit...and even tougher to get rates and terms you can afford. That makes your credit score more important than ever before. Now, MSN Money/L.A. Times personal finance columnist Liz Pulliam Weston has updated her best-selling book on credit scores to show how you can maximize your score right now—and save yourself a fortune! Weston reveals the tough new realities of borrowing and credit scoring, and shows why they aren’t going to change any time soon. She rips away the mystery surrounding credit scoring, including the FICO 08 overhaul, and tells you exactly how to use the new system to maximize your score. You’ll learn how to fight back against lenders who want to lower your limits or raise your rates...bounce back from bad credit and bankruptcy...choose the right credit solutions and avoid options that only make things worse. One step at a time, Weston will help you build (or rebuild) your credit score—so you can get the credit you need and deserve! Survive a credit crisis, one step at a time How to protect or rebuild your credit score after a major financial setback Fix your credit score in as little as 72 hours Rapid rescoring: what it can fix, what it can’t fix, and how to use it Don’t let the myths of credit scoring cost you a fortune! What you’ve been told just isn’t true: how credit scores really work What drives your score—and what doesn’t The real impact of credit cards, loans, late payments, inquiries, credit counseling, and more




The 10 Commandments of Money


Book Description

From the #1 personal finance columnist on the Internet (Nielsen/NetRatings)-a clear prescription for financial health in the 2010s and beyond. For previous generations, living within your means was a simple formula. Now, with the staggering rise in education, health care, and housing costs, millions of people find themselves skating from paycheck to paycheck with no idea how to move forward. As the most-read personal finance columnist on the Internet, Liz Weston has heard the questions and has the answers. Her 10 Commandments of Money will help readers avoid critical mistakes, survive the bad times, and thrive in the good ones. Just a few of Weston's invaluable pointers include how to: • Balance Your Budget • Pay Down Toxic Debt • Get the Right Mortgage • Pay for College • Save for Retirement • Maximize Your Financial Flexibility Liz Weston's goal is to provide THE practical guide to the brave new world of money. What Sylvia Porter's Money Book was to the 1970s, The 10 Commandments of Money will be for the 2010s. Watch a Video




Your Credit Score, Your Money & What's at Stake (Updated Edition)


Book Description

"A great credit score can help you finish rich! Liz Pulliam Weston gives solid, easy-to-understand advice about how to improve your credit fast. Read this book and prosper." David Bach, bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire and The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner "Excellent book! Insightful, well written, and surprisingly interesting. Liz Pulliam Weston has done an outstanding job demystifying an often intimidating and frustrating topic for the benefit of all consumers." Eric Tyson, syndicated columnist and bestselling author of Personal Finance for Dummies "No one makes complex financial information easy to understand like Liz Pulliam Weston. Her straight-talk and wise advice are invaluable to anyone with a credit card or check book-and that's just about all of us." Lois P. Frankel, Ph. D., author of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office and Nice Girls Don't Get Rich "In a country where consumers increasingly pay more when they have bad credit, Liz Pulliam Weston's book provides excellent tips and advice on ways to improve your credit history and raise your credit score. If you just apply one or two of her insightful suggestions, you'll save many times the cost of this book." Ilyce R. Glink, financial reporter, talk show host, and bestselling author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask "Your credit score can save you money or cost you money-sometimes a lot of money. Yet, most people don't even know their scores, much less know how to make them better. Liz Pulliam Weston can help you fix that. In this easy-to-understand guide you'll learn how to make sure your score helps you get the best deal on loans and insurance. You can't afford not to read it." Gerri Detweiler, consumer advocate and founder of UltimateCredit.com The #1 Best-Selling Guide to Improving Your Credit Score ... Now Thoroughly Updated for the Financial Crisis! In post-crash America, it's tough to get credit ... and even tougher to get rates and terms you can afford. That makes your credit score more important than ever before. Now, MSN Money/L.A. Times personal finance columnist Liz Pulliam Weston has updated her best-selling book on credit scores to show how you can maximize your score right now-and save yourself a fortune! Weston reveals the tough new realities of borrowing and credit scoring, and shows why they aren't going to change any time soon. She rips away the mystery surrounding credit scoring, including the FICO 08 overhaul, and tells y ...







Smart Money


Book Description

Seven years after the financial crisis of 2008, financiers remain villains in the public mind. Most Americans believe that their irresponsible actions and complex financial products wrecked the economy and destroyed people's savings, and that bankers never adequately paid for their crimes. But as Economist journalist Andrew Palmer argues in Smart Money, this much maligned industry is not only capable of doing great good for society, but offers the most powerful means we have for solving some of our most intractable social problems. From Babylon to the present, the history of finance has always been one of powerful innovation. Now a new generation of financial entrepreneurs is working to revive this tradition of useful innovation, and Palmer shows why we need their ideas today more than ever. Traveling to the centers of finance across the world, Palmer introduces us to peer-to-peer lenders who are financing entrepreneurs the big banks won't bet on, creating opportunities where none existed. He explores the world of social-impact bonds, which fund programs for the impoverished and homeless, simultaneously easing the burden on national governments and producing better results. And he explores the idea of human-capital contracts, whereby investors fund the educations of cash-strapped young people in return for a percentage of their future earnings. In this far-ranging tour of the extraordinarily creative financial ideas of today and of the future, Smart Money offers an inspiring look at the new era of financial innovation that promises to benefit us all.




Credit Scores and You


Book Description

"Credit Scores and You" is the definitive guide on how to create, maintain, or repair your credit score. Knowing how to get your credit score over 700 and to keep it there can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime. The book is the result of the author's desire to give financial direction and inspiration to his two sons as they grew into young adults. His career in lending and the financial world has provided a keen understanding of what is required to build a solid financial base, and how vitally important an excellent credit score has become in business, and in day-to-day life. It shares real life experiences, and provides information on getting started in finances, handling money, and how to build your credit history. Learning about trade lines, the credit scoring system, and when to consider various loan products is discussed. How your credit history impacts what you do and what it can cost you over time is the essence of this subject. A good credit score involves much more than what it will cost for a particular loan product. Your credit score is considered when you apply for a job, when you are looking for housing, and how the insurance company views you as customer. That simple three-digit number has become more profound since the mid 1990's than ever before. Your credit score will determine whether or not you are approved for a loan product. In many cases it will also dictate how much you will pay in interest rates and fees. Excellent credit scores will open many more doors and save you money. A good credit score will also help you when applying for a job. Many employers will run a credit check along with a background check before they will consider a candidate for employment. High or low credit scores are considered a reflection on how an applicant may perform on the job. Insurance companies have their own methods for determining risk, and charge insurance premiums based on that data. Credit scores in recent years have become one of the factors that they look at on an insurance application. High or low credit scores can be one of the determining factors in what they charge. Having an understanding of the importance of a great credit score should not be underestimated. 'Credit Scores and You' will give the reader an excellent basis for getting on the right track toward financial wellness.




Managing Your Money All-in-One For Dummies


Book Description

Want to take control of your finances once and for all? Managing Your Money All-in-One For Dummies combines expert money management with personal finance tips. From credit cards and insurance to taxes, investing, retirement, and more, seven mini-books show you how to improve your relationship with money — no matter your age or stage of life. This easy-to-understand guide shows you how to assess your financial situation, calculate debt, prepare a budget, trim spending, boost your income, and improve your credit score. You’ll find ways to run a money-smart household, reduce waste, and cut medical and transportation expenses as you tackle your debt head-on and develop good saving habits. You’ll even get help choosing the right mortgage and avoiding foreclosure, saving for college or retirement, and determining your home-, car-, and life insurance needs. Discover how to: Take charge of your finances Manage home and personal finances Lower your taxes and avoid tax audits Plan a budget and scale back on expenses Deal with debt and negotiate with creditors Save and invest safely for college or retirement Protect your money and assets from fraud and identity theft Ensure a comfortable retirement Plan your estate and safeguard a will or trust Managing Your Money All-in-One For Dummies brings you seven great books for the price of one. Can you think of a better way to start managing your money wisely?




Save Big


Book Description

Good Morning America correspondent and ABC News columnist reveals tips for achieving unbelievable savings In this battered economy, saving money matters more to consumers than ever before. But most people are tired of hearing about all the small stuff, like skipping their morning latte. They tried that, and it didn't work. Americans want fresh, bold ideas and Save Big: Cut Your Top 5 Costs and Save Thousands has them. In fresh, engaging prose, Elisabeth Leamy shows consumers how to save big on life's most important and costly items. Filled with actionable advice and the insider secrets readers are hungering for, Save Big Details how to save a lot of money on a few things rather than merely saving a little on a bunch of small items Reveals the keys to saving money and the challenges consumers face Educates consumers on how to save thousands on the five things most people spend the most money on: houses, cars, credit, groceries, and healthcare After the turbulent economic events of the recent past, more and more consumers are focusing on budgeting and creative ways to save money. Save Big can help.




Your Score


Book Description

A road map for how to navigate the confusing, secretive world of consumer credit, and how to upgrade and correct your score.




The Credit Cleanup Book


Book Description

By unlocking the mortgage industry's trade secrets, this indispensable book will help readers understand credit scoring and learn how to obtain—and improve—their credit reports. Many consumers don't understand the basics of credit reporting and scoring or how this information is used by lenders and service providers today. This book was written to remedy that. A no-nonsense guide, it teaches readers about credit reports and scores, shows them how to obtain and read their credit reports, and outlines ways to remove negative and inaccurate items. Readers will also learn about the latest consumer protection legislation concerning credit and lending and about changes in lending practices that can impact their financial well-being. The book details credit's impact on nearly every aspect of life, including employment; insurance; love relationships; services such as mobile phones and utilities; apartment leases; and auto, business, and home mortgage loans. It walks readers through the process of disputing negative items on credit reports and includes letter templates that can be used for that purpose. Finally, it provides readers with credit- and debt-management tips and describes state-of-the-art tools that can be used to foster better money- and credit-management habits. With this book in hand, a consumer should be able to achieve the higher credit score that is a person's greatest financial asset.