How to establish credit profile for college student

December 29, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Credit Reporting and Repair

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College students will have an easier time building credit than non-college students. Simply being enrolled in a university is apparently good enough for banks to start offering special student-deal credit cards, many of which you can find offered around the campus. Definitely take advantage of this opportunity to quickly establish a credit profile by having a major credit card. In addition, financing your education in the form of student loans are many people’s very first line of credit. Student loans are just one heck of a good deal (usually), and are an excellent way to get your credit report started.

Non-college students don’t have it so easy. They will have to slowly build credit the traditional method, starting with those companies who are willing to extend credit to those whom have none. Chief among these are furniture and jewelry store financing. Those are both good bets for your first piece of credit. Low-end department stores will also usually approve young people with no credit for a few hundred bucks. Get those cards and buy some clothes on credit. Make the payments on time.

Anyone with a job can qualify for some type of car loan. So ditch the teenage beater and get yourself a nice new mini-truck or something, and finance it. If you have no credit yet, you will definitely pay through the nose in interest rate. For that reason, it’s best to first establish a few pieces of credit with furniture and jewelry stores, plus those lower end department stores. Either that or have your parents co-sign the car loan. You will build credit as you make the payments on time.

After you have the car loan and a few other minor pieces of credit, it’s just a matter of using the credit you have wisely for 6-12 months. (You might also want to have a gas station card for putting gas in your car, as these are pretty easy to get.) At that point you can apply for major credit cards. You should pick a half dozen or so and apply for them all at once – that way each credit card company won’t know about all the other applications by seeing previous “inquiries” on your report.

You will most likely be approved for a few cards, with credit lines between $1,000 and $3,000 each. Use the cards! Pay for food, gas, minor purchases, etc. with them and make the payments on time. Don’t over-use them! You want to be able to pay them off whenever you want, and in fact you should pay them all off after a few months of using them. At that point just use one of them for everyday expenses and pay the balance off each month.

In a few more months you can apply for credit line increases. In fact, you will probably start getting offers in the mail for better and better deals. Your first Gold Card will be something to be proud of.

Take good care of your credit and it will take good care of you. Credit lines can be used to finance business start-ups, moving expenses, and unforeseen circumstances. They can be a cash reserve that allows you to sleep at night – that is, if they aren’t bogged down with balances. Your ultimate goal is to have a ton of available credit that you never use.

Difference between a term deposit account and a high interest savings account?

December 9, 2008 by admin  
Filed under Questions and Answers

savings account
PuppyLove asked:


I currently have a high interest savings account with an interest rate of 4.75%
So lately i have been looking at term deposit accounts, but i literally cant find one which has a higher interest rate than the account i have now.

I know how it all works, you cant touch the money for a set period etc.

But what are the benefits when i could just keep my high interest savings account which has a higher interest rate and i can access my money?

Thanks!

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How does the interest on my credit cards get lowered?

July 12, 2008 by admin  
Filed under Questions and Answers

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Anonymous asked:


I was just wondering how interest rates get lowered on credit cards? Why do some people have lower interest rates, and some have higher? I understand the whole difference between credit scores and that some people have better credit than others. But I know that every single person with a low interest rate on credit cards didn’t “call and dispute with the card company until they lower the interest rate”. So, how do they get it? Is it something the credit card companies monitor regularly and lower according to your credit improvement and such over the time? I’m 24 years old, my credit score is 750+. My cards have been allowed higher credit increases in very short times that I’ve had them, due to zealously paying them above and beyond the expect (and sometimes multiple times a month). None of the cards are charged up 1/3 of their limit..less than that. What things can I do to get lower interest rates? One has 22.24%. Not sure about the other two.
Absolutely nothing bad on my credit…
Actually…while it is a good practice to stay on top of what you charge on credit cards (and to immediately pay off what you owe to avoid interest)…it’s good to carry a balance from time to time. Credit cards are for that; for credit. Meaning you DON’T have the money at the time – Thus, that’s the whole point of credit. You can buy what you need now, and pay it a little later when you have the money. Though of course, you don’t charge up what you know you won’t be able to pay back, either. But good credit isn’t built without carrying a balance at some point. If you cancel out your charge each month by completely paying it off, where’s the ongoing charge for ‘credit’? It shows them you are just playing a game, trying to make your credit better, but not being able to apparently handle needing a higher credit limit (which can and does indeed affect your credit score, that I do know). So…if they see that you “pay it off instantly”, what’s the point of them upping your credit line??

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What good interest rate should someone open a savings account and when should they open an account?

September 15, 2007 by admin  
Filed under Questions and Answers

savings account
umair23 asked:


Wanting to open a savings account, what interest rate is a good rate. Is there a specific time in the year one should open an account, spring time or summer or right before new years??

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