http://credit.about.com/ Get the latest headlines from the About.com http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hh http://www.about.com/ 118 20 en-us 2012-02-13T00:01:33Z Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:01:33 +0000 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/16/debt-collector-calls-to-your-employer.htm <p>Your financial troubles are probably on the top of the list of things you don't want your employer to know about, right up there with marital woes and other family issues. Naturally, you don't want your personal issues to negatively influence your employer's impression of your ability to perform at work. But, debt collectors may threaten your job security if they were to contact your employer about your debt.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/16/debt-collector-calls-to-your-employer.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/16/debt-collector-calls-to-your-employer.htm Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:01:15 +0000 2012-02-16T00:01:15Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/13/keep-it-in-your-wallet.htm <p>Part of being a responsible credit card user is knowing when it's ok to swipe your credit card and when it's better left in your wallet. Being able to make this decision is key to building a good credit score and keeping yourself out of debt.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/13/keep-it-in-your-wallet.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/13/keep-it-in-your-wallet.htm Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:01:33 +0000 2012-02-13T00:01:33Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/10/travel-reward-cards-from-discover.htm <p><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/credit/1/0/s/-/-/-/airplane_travel_sunset.jpg" alt="null" width="170" align="right" /></p> <p>Discover has two travel reward credit cards - Escape and Miles. Both cards have a 0% introductory interest rate on purchases and balance transfers. They also have the same APR range, based on your credit history. Miles is cheaper, with no annual fee. But Escape lets you earn more reward miles. Check out reviews of both credit cards to decide if either is right for you.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/10/travel-reward-cards-from-discover.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/10/travel-reward-cards-from-discover.htm Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:01:58 +0000 2012-02-10T00:01:58Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/06/asset-acceptance-newly-required-we-will-not-sue-disclosure.htm <p>Asset Acceptance, one of the biggest and most-complained about debt collectors/debt purchasers, recently agreed to a $2.5 million settlement to an FTC lawsuit. Asset Acceptance faced a slew of allegations including collecting debts from identity theft victims, providing false information to the credit bureaus, pursuing debts after the statute of limitations expired, and tricking consumers into restarting the statute of limitations.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/06/asset-acceptance-newly-required-we-will-not-sue-disclosure.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/06/asset-acceptance-newly-required-we-will-not-sue-disclosure.htm Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:13:55 +0000 2012-02-06T14:13:55Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/04/your-credit-card-payment-amount.htm <p><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/credit/1/0/x/0/-/-/couple_doing_finances_tony_anderson.jpg" alt="" hspace="2" height="170" align="left" /></p> <p>Every month around this time, many people sit down with their bills and their checkbook (or their computer or iPad) and write the checks to pay the bills. With some bills, you pay the exact amount due, no questions. But with credit cards, you may wonder the best amount to pay.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/04/your-credit-card-payment-amount.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/04/your-credit-card-payment-amount.htm Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:01:35 +0000 2012-02-04T00:01:35Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/02/you-may-owe-taxes-on-settled-debts.htm <p>Negotiating a lower payment is one way to pay off your credit card debt at a lower cost. When the lender agrees to settle your debt for a lower amount, say $500 on a $1,000 debt, part of the debt is cancelled. It's good news for you in the short run, but you could end up paying taxes on the cancelled amount.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/02/you-may-owe-taxes-on-settled-debts.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/02/you-may-owe-taxes-on-settled-debts.htm Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:01:50 +0000 2012-02-02T00:01:50Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/01/some-bank-customers-will-owe-taxes-on-airline-miles.htm <img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/credit/1/0/R/-/-/-/taxes.jpg" width="170" align="right" hspace="2"><p style="text-align: left;">Going forward, you might think twice about accepting an award or prize when you open up a financial account because you could owe taxes on the award. This year, Citibank is sending out 1099-MISC forms for mileage bonuses awarded to new checking account customers in 2011. According to the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.wpadmin.about.com/wp-admin/post-new.php">LA Times</a>,&#160;the IRS agrees that this is part of the tax law.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/01/some-bank-customers-will-owe-taxes-on-airline-miles.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/02/01/some-bank-customers-will-owe-taxes-on-airline-miles.htm Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:07:41 +0000 2012-02-01T11:07:41Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/30/avoid-big-credit-repair-mistakes.htm <p>Don't ruin your credit repair progress by making big mistakes, like falling for a <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/od/creditrepair/qt/avoidrepairscam.htm">credit repair scam</a> or by focusing on things that <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/od/creditreportscoring/tp/things-that-dont-affect-credit-score.htm">don't influence your credit score</a>. Perhaps the biggest mistake of all is ignoring your credit problems instead of taking action.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/30/avoid-big-credit-repair-mistakes.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/30/avoid-big-credit-repair-mistakes.htm Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:01:12 +0000 2012-01-30T00:01:12Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/26/debt-validation-make-collectors-prove-you-owe.htm <p>Why does it seem like debt collectors get away with so much? I believe it's because so many consumers simply don't know their rights when it comes to third-party collectors. For example, did you know that you can request proof of a debt's validity when a collector first contacts you about it? If the collector can't prove you owe the debt <em>and</em> that they are authorized to collect on it, they can't legally continue collection efforts.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/26/debt-validation-make-collectors-prove-you-owe.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/26/debt-validation-make-collectors-prove-you-owe.htm Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:01:45 +0000 2012-01-26T00:01:45Z http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/23/13-states-with-free-and-discounted-credit-reports.htm <p>Most credit reports costs a minimum of $10.50 depending on where you purchase from. That's more than $30 for three credit reports at a time.</p> <p>We're all entitled to a free <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/od/creditreportscoring/qt/order-annual-credit-report.htm">annual credit report</a> each year from AnnualCreditReport.com, but certain states have laws that grant an additional free credit report each year. Other states have laws that discount credit reports. For example, credit reports cost $3 in Minnesota.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/23/13-states-with-free-and-discounted-credit-reports.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://credit.about.com/b/2012/01/23/13-states-with-free-and-discounted-credit-reports.htm Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:01:13 +0000 2012-01-23T00:01:13Z