Thoughts on Debt

Many people remain uninformed about credit card debt and about credit cards in general. When asked about their debt, 35% of American’s said they carry balances on credit cards, and about 5% said they didn’t know. (How do you not know?) Maybe it is just that they don’t want to admit it. Studies by the Federal Reserve and data release by credit card companies indicate that the percentage of households with credit card balances in this country is at least in the mid 40’s. It could be even higher with the economy on the down swing.

In a separate study, nearly 2/3 of more than 1,000 people said they carry a revolving balance on one or more of their credit cards. Another 8% said they didn’t know whether or not they did. And 15% of people with credit cards say that they have experienced at least some amount of difficulty in paying their minimum balances. They continue to do studies about consumer debt which still show that most consumers don’t really understand the whole thing. They have a limited understanding of reading their credit report, understanding their credit scores and in spite of this they say that consumer knowledge about credit is improving. For example, less than a third of Americans understand that a credit score is a number that estimates your likelihood of paying back a debt. A credit score is based on but is separate from your credit reports. The three major credit reporting agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and the best known credit score is the FICO . The best way to improve your credit score is to pay all your bills on time. The range is about 300-850 and the higher your score the better the credit you can get and the lower the interest rate available to you.

More than a third of American’s were unaware that insurance companies use credit scores to approve your coverage and to set your rate. Less than 3/5 knew that regularly maxing out a credit card, even if paying your bills on time will lower your credit score. In addition, 79% of American’s thought they could get their credit score free once a year, however that is your credit report, not your credit score. You generally have to pay about $15 for your credit score number.

Most people don’t realize that they need to be checking their reports for accuracy every year, and they should check their credit score every few years and before they apply for a mortgage or other large line of credit. Washington Mutual estimates consumers can reduce finance charges by $105 a year on average by raising their scores 30 points.

Knowledge is power and knowing more about credit, how it works, and how we can make it work for us, is an important part of the system. Getting information now about credit, debt, credit score and other credit information, can help us improve our credit score and keep it in good standing. This can open up some major opportunities for you. Just remember it is never too late to start improving your credit rating.

Although it is easy to hear all the things that you should do to improve your personal financial situation. Some things are easier said then done. Unfortunately, many of us who find ourselves in debt do so because we were unequipped with the resources necessary to make good sound financial choices, and now there is so much water in our boat that we are sinking quickly without help in sight. Well you will be happy to know that there are steps that you can take now to improve your financial future and insure the fact that you don’t wind up in this same boat again.

There are many resources available online, not only in the form of debt consolidation, but also in the areas of financial counseling and management. There are companies available to help you improve your credit score, manage your money, manage your debt, and help you budget correctly. These resources in addition to the oodles of materials available in your local library can very easily help you get the information you need to make sound financial choices for your future. There are also many shows on TV that can help you better understand money management and how to spend more wisely. Using these resources will help you to better understand the mistakes that you have made and are making and will give you the education in finance that you lacked the first time around.

One simple thing that you can do to help improve your financial situation is to improve your credit score. In order to do this you first need to get copies of your credit report from the 3 big reporting companies. These 3 companies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Although these reports may be similar in nature, sometimes for some reason they contain some different items as well, which is why you really need to take a look at all 3.

According to a Federal Law passed in 2004 you are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of these three credit reporting agencies. You must request these three reports through one agency called annualcreditreport and this can be done through their website online. Once you have those credit reports in front of you, you can see what companies see when they look you up. You can see your credit score, which is the number that has been assigned to your credit worthiness. The scale runs from 300 to 850. The vast majority of people will have scores between 600 and 800. A score of 720 or higher will get you the most favorable interest rates on a mortgage. If your score is on the low end, then you need to work to improve it. One way to improve your credit score is to contact every company to verify the debts that are on your credit report. If you don’t get a response in 30 days, then they must remove these items from your credit report. It can eliminate some of your bad credit by the company just not responding and this is a pretty simple thing to do. Another thing that you can do to improve your credit score is start paying all your bills on time. Make deals with creditors that you still owe money to that if you pay half the balance they will change the negative mark on your credit. Negotiate, they want their money, and may be more than willing to change your credit rating in exchange for payment. Another thing that can improve your credit is to open a new credit card and keep a good payment record on it. If you can no longer get a card because of bad credit, you always have the option of getting a secured card, which in the future will become unsecured as you make payments. This can be a little expensive, but if use properly can be to a means to an end to restoring your credit.