Credit Information

Winning The Credit Game!





Everywhere we go, the word credit can be found, shining huge dollar signs in front of our very eyes. Everyday we receive solicitation and promotions offering us credit. Credit actually makes the financial world go round, yet just the mere mention of the word can make many people very nervous. So why does credit get such a bad reputation?

It's been my experience that credit falls into the samecategory as politics and religion. People have very strongopinions about Credit. It has been around since thebeginning of mankind. People would borrow either goods orservices, to be repaid at a later date with interest.There's nothing wrong with that. And like anything else, itcan be used, or abused.

There are programs that allow you to borrow from your IRA,or you can borrow from the equity that had built up in yourhome. Credit card companies often offer promotions to borrowmoney at a lowered rate of interest for a predeterminedperiod. It's all good news for the consumer. One of thesimplest ways to borrow money to use a Credit Card. Thechoices available are plentiful, with a variety of interestcharges, annual fees, loyalty programs, and reward systems.

Many companies offer 6 months no interest credit. This isoften an excellent way of saving money as you are basicallygiven an interest free loan for those months. It's even morevaluable if you are able to transfer some of the card debtfrom a different company into the interest free loan. Thebest advice is to make sure you always have the money inthe bank, or in a savings account, to pay off your card whenyou are taking advantage of the interest free promotion.

That way you benefit from earning interest on your savingsat your bank, but as soon as the interest free credit periodhas ended, you can pay the entire bill off without beinghit for high interest charges. If you intend to pay offyou credit card bill at the end of every month, there aremany benefit programs and reward packages available.

You can receive award points every time you make a purchasewith that card. These points can be redeemed in cash ordiscounts, and can even be used for the purchase of airlinemiles, etc. Some companies offer a consumer guaranteeprotection on items purchased with the card, and manywill extend the warranties on those items. Many offerdiscounts such as car rentals, travel insurance, accidentaldamage insurance for any products you buy.

Also some companies charge an annual fee for using theircard (especially business credit card accounts), so theseshould be considered against the cards benefits. If youare not paying off your monthly credit card bills, look fora card that offers a low interest. If you are paying offyour monthly credit card bills, look for additional cardbenefits. Interest free credit periods are good news forsaving money. Credit Cards are an effective, and easy way toborrow money for a short time. Be wise and prudent whendeciding to use credit. The bottom line is the creditcard companies want your business, and there is a creditcard out there that can meet everyone's needs.

The author has been on both sides of the "credit" table. Through her experience she has been able to teach thousands of people about how to use credit responsibly.

Cecily Backstrom is passionate about credit and is the webmaster of Rapidly Moving Credit


MORE RESOURCES:

Bloomberg

US Consumer Credit Climbed by $19.3B in Dec.
Bloomberg
Enlarge image Consumer Credit in US Climbed by $19.3 Billion in December Consumer Credit in US Climbed by $19.3 Billion in December Daniel Acker/Bloomberg College graduation in New York. Play Video Enlarge image Consumer Credit in US Climbed by $19.3 ...
Credit-Card Borrowing Surged Over Holiday PeriodWall Street Journal (blog)
Consumer Credit in U.S. Climbed by $19.3 Billion in DecemberSan Francisco Chronicle
Consumer credit surges in DecemberMarketWatch
Reuters -Huffington Post
all 258 news articles »


Business Recorder

CREDIT MARKETS: Treasurys Auction Dim; Ford ABS Doubled
Wall Street Journal
The new senior secured notes are being sold in a private placement scheduled to wrap up Wednesday via lead banks JP Morgan, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
Against Risk Parity, ReduxSeeking Alpha

all 217 news articles »


Telegraph.co.uk

Why Credit Card Rates Remain So High
Smartmoney.com (blog)
But new data shows borrowers still pay double-digit rates on one consumer staple — credit cards. The average interest rate credit card holders paid during the fourth quarter 2011 was 12.78%, according to Federal Reserve data released today.
DailyMarkets.com Announces Winners of Best Credit Cards 2012 GuideSan Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Give your card some creditTelegraph.co.uk
8 Tips for Picking the Right Rewards CardCredit Card Guide News
Forbes -TCU 360 -The Consumerist
all 27 news articles »


Ford Credit ABS Issue Doubled To $2.3 Bln -Source
Wall Street Journal
The auto maker, through its Ford Credit unit, will use the proceeds to finance auto dealer inventory. Including subordinated bonds, the issue had climbed to $2.3 billion from $1.15 billion, the person close to the issue said. Auto-related issues--bonds ...

and more »


THL Credit Schedules Fourth Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call
MarketWatch (press release)
BOSTON, Feb 7, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- THL Credit, Inc. /quotes/zigman/117928/quotes/nls/tcrd TCRD 0.00% ("THL Credit"), a middle market capital specialist, today announced that it will report its financial results for its fiscal fourth ...

and more »


AFP

China Credit Cards, Danish Loans, Mortgage Deal: Compliance
BusinessWeek
7 (Bloomberg) -- China's decision to allow Citigroup Inc. to issue credit cards in its own name may signal a step toward the government in Beijing opening its banking industry. New York-based Citigroup is the second foreign bank, and the first Western ...
China to Get Its First American Credit CardMinyanville.com
Citigroup Gets Approval for China Credit CardsWall Street Journal
China c.bank says to ensure credit for first-home buyersReuters
AFP -San Francisco Chronicle
all 205 news articles »


The Guardian

Tax credit expiration could slow wind's rise in Ill., but still plenty to export
McDonough Voice
By Anthony Brino The federal tax credit that has supported wind energy for almost 20 years is set to expire at the end of 2012. With this expiration looming, the future of the industry in Illinois — one of the top producers of wind energy in the ...
Colorado congressional delegation pushes for wind energy tax creditDenver Post
Production Tax Credit Impact on Wind Farm AftercareRenewableEnergyWorld.com
Colo. lawmakers urge extension of wind-energy creditNorthern Colorado Business Report
KKTV 11 News -Quincy Journal
all 154 news articles »


Restricting Tax Credits
New York Times
31): A recent government report reveals that in 2010, the Internal Revenue Service awarded $4.2 billion in taxpayer dollars to illegal immigrants through the refundable additional child tax credit. That's just wrong. American taxpayers should not have ...
Money Tips: Answers to Your Child Tax Credit QuestionsCredit Unions Online
Seven things to know before tackling your 2011 tax returnMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
Children of Immigrants Targeted by Tax Warfare in CongressIn These Times

all 12 news articles »


Baltimore Sun (blog)

Tax credit to speed Senator Theatre renovations
Baltimore Sun (blog)
Martin O'Malley announced Tuesday that they would receive $300000 in a 2012 Sustainable Communities Tax Credit — administered by the Maryland Historical Trust and known previously as the Historic Tax Credit — to rehabilitate the movie house, ...

and more »


AARP News

LA Mayor Villaraigosa Launches 2012 Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Program ...
California Newswire
/California Newswire/ — LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and community partners today launched the Greater Los Angeles Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Campaign Partnership, an annual effort to help qualified low and moderate-income families claim the tax ...
Barry Dolowich: Earned income tax creditMonterey County Herald
Don't overlook a federal tax creditDelmarva Now
2011 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Benefits Working Families With Up to ...MarketWatch (press release)
Los Angeles Daily News
all 271 news articles »

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