Tori’s Story: Saving For A Rainy Day
Meet Tori, an internal communications specialist for a credit union who lives in Seattle, WA. What’s it like where you live? I’ve been in Seattle for just over three years and I love the nature and outdoorsy lifestyle that’s available here. Being so close to the mountains and water always inspires me. I have my…
Read MoreHow do I find my credit score?
How do I find out my credit score? Who wants to know it, and what factors influence its change? Submitted by anonymous. A credit score is a representation of how someone managed their debts. It is meant to help creditors understand our financial responsibility. Payments on our loans and balances on our credit cards are…
Read MoreHow do you get out of an upside down car loan?
How do you get out of an upside down car loan when you have bad credit and no one is willing to refinance? Submitted by Nichole B. You have touched on a hot button for me! In the early 90s, I had a car that was so upside down my grandchildren would be paying the…
Read MoreDo you recommend credit consolidation?
Do you recommend credit consolidation to improve scores and decrease debt? Submitted by Natasha P. There are two parts to this question, so let’s dig into them separately. Improving Your Credit Score Whenever a financial institution pulls your credit with the purpose of offering you a loan, your score may be affected. Closing a credit…
Read MoreNicole’s Story: Live on Less Than You Earn
Meet Nicole, a social worker and mother of two in Atlanta, Georgia. What do you do? Right now, I’m working in logistics, but I was a social worker for a very long time. When I got married and had my kids, I took a break from social work because it’s a very involved career. So…
Read MoreHow can I get a loan for a cheap used car?
Hello, Saundra! How do I go about finding and choosing a certain type of loan (if one exists) that would enable me to quickly buy a cheap used car (around a couple thousand) that I could be able to pay back (with no job/income) with only the money I have saved from last semester’s student…
Read MoreI just completed a chapter 13 bankruptcy. Can I apply for a personal loan?
“Hi, I just completed a chapter 13 bankruptcy and would like to know if I can apply for a personal loan. Thank you.” Submitted by David N. Thanks for your question about life (and credit) after bankruptcy. This is a common situation and the good news is that getting Chapter 13 debt relief is not…
Read MoreWhat apps do you recommend to track your spending habits?
This is the interface of You Need a Budget, one of the budgeting apps I’m trying out currently. What free or low-cost software/apps do you recommend to track your spending habits? There are so many out there to choose from and some are overly complicated and others require too much work. Submitted by Brittany.…
Read MoreWhat’s the difference between a bank and a credit union?
What is the difference between a bank and a credit union? Submitted by anonymous. Banks and credit unions serve similar roles in our financial system. Both hold our deposits and make investments to raise money to lend to businesses and individuals. In general, banks are for-profit businesses. Their profits benefit their shareholders. This is one…
Read More3 Steps for Recovering from a Financial Setback
What happens when you have a financial setback? You may feel defeated and even hopeless when your efforts to save take a hit. Saving helps prevent financial emergencies Consider this: many of the financial hiccups we face are NOT actual emergencies. For example, we know that if we own a car we are likely to…
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