CFPB: A No-Cost Way to Prepare Your Credit for a Big Purchase
Thinking about buying a house, car, or other big ticket item, and know you’ll be using credit? Before making a big purchase, your first step should be to take a look at all of your finances. Check out these five steps to prepare your finances that won’t cost you a penny. 1. Take advantage of…
CFPB: Need Help with Your Credit Card Debt? Start with Your Credit Card Company!
If you’re struggling to keep up with credit card bills, you’re not alone. According to a 2017 Bureau report, from 2015 to 2017 overall credit card debt increased by 13 percent, while people with very low credit scores saw their debt rise by 22 percent. Even if you’ve hit a rough spot, lost your job, are dealing…
CFPB: Get Money Smart about Money Smart Week
During Financial Literacy Month in April, the CFPB joins the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank in celebrating Money Smart Week (March 30-April 6). This event is a great opportunity to teach consumers how to be smarter with their money. Various Money Smart Week activities—like free financial education classes and seminars—are offered by local and regional organizations…
CFPB: Get Your Credit on Track with New CFPB Booklet
Today the Bureau is releasing “Want credit to work for you?” the newest addition to the Your Money, Your Goals suite of financial empowerment tools. The third in a series released by the Bureau, this booklet provides eight tools to help consumers through the various stages of building credit, maintaining good credit, and fixing credit if it…
ABA: 6 Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Finances
With the arrival of spring, the American Bankers Association is encouraging consumers to add a very important item to their spring cleaning to-do list: organizing their finances. To help, ABA has highlighted six tips for rearranging your financial house. “Spring is the season of renewal, which means it’s time to sweep away your winter bills and…
CFPB: Credit Mistakes that Could Be Costing You Money
Managing your credit can sometimes seem like a lot of work, but it’s essential. Your credit history plays a big role in your financial life. Not only does it weigh heavily in determining the loan terms and interest rates you’re offered, but it can also impact other parts of your life, like whether you get…
CFPB: This Tax Season, Protect Yourself from IRS Imposter Scams
An IRS imposter scam is when someone contacts you pretending to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They falsely say that you owe taxes and must pay them immediately or face serious penalties. Maybe you receive a call from someone claiming to be an auditor and orders you to pay money immediately for a…
FEMA: Don’t Get Scammed…Protect Yourself from Contractor Fraud
Survivors of disasters like Hurricane Harvey can be targets. Scam artists will head to disaster areas to prey on people who have already endured terrible circumstances. Posing as building contractors and other fraudulent businesses, they will try to take your money. But there are ways to protect yourself: Never pay in advance. It is illegal…
ABA: 7 Ways to Make Your Tax Refund Count
As many Americans receive their refunds this year, the American Bankers Association has highlighted seven tips to help them use the money wisely. “Prioritizing your tax refund to create an emergency fund and pay off debts first will help position you for financial comfort the rest of the year,” said Corey Carlisle, executive director of…
CFPB: Make a Plan to Save Some of Your Tax Refund
Making a plan to save at tax time The start of the New Year means its tax season again. As you gather your tax records and prepare to file, why not use this annual responsibility to take another step towards building financial security for yourself or your family? For many Americans, a tax refund is…