For all the headlines about the improving economy and record-low mortgage rates, most consumers aren’t in a position to benefit from them, according to a report from the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED).  The study found that 56% of consumers have subprime credit scores. That means they are unable to take advantage of the best — or… Read More

A commenter on our blog said he’d heard of a creative way to get rid of a lawsuit from a credit card issuer. “Doug” said lawyers he know have told him that suing a customer is a violation of the issuer’s arbitration clause that comes standard in nearly ever cardholder agreement out there. Here’s what he had… Read More

Our lives are intertwined with employment, because money dictates so much of how people participate in society. And where do you get money? Usually, your job. Your job may determine where you live, how you socialize, what you wear and certainly how much money you can spend on all these things. As much as it’s wrapped… Read More

Katherine Schreiber, 26, has twice been engaged to the same man, and neither time involved an expensive trip to the jewelry store. The first time, in September 2013, her fiancé proposed with a ring that had been in his family. Schreiber says that though she’s never been much of a jewelry person, she dutifully wore the ring,… Read More

“Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity,” Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed in The Facebook Effect. Easy for him to say. Facebook has made a mint on data integrity—your personal information yoked to likes and dislikes sold to the highest bidder. But here’s some bad news for Zuck: When it comes… Read More

VantageScore is making headway into the credit score market dominated by FICO, says the firm behind the upstart measure of credit-worthiness. Nearly one billion VantageScores were generated in 2014 — a 600% increase — says VantageScore Solutions LLC, a creation of the nation’s three credit bureaus. The number of banks using the scores increased by… Read More

Earth lovers, rejoice! Now you can help reforest the Amazon while making everyday purchases with a new eco-friendly credit card. A company called Sustain:Green offers a credit card to consumers who want to reduce their carbon footprint — for every dollar cardholders spend, Sustain:Green says it will purchase two pounds of carbon offsets. A quick… Read More

If you have a credit card, then you will occasionally receive some checks in the mail from your card issuer. These so-called credit card checks often arrive in the mail unexpectedly, and cardholders may not even know what they are. Several Names for the Same Thing Credit card issuers may refer to these checks as… Read More

Technology is like money, it seems. You need some of it … a decent amount, really … to be happy. But at a certain point, it might do more harm than good. Microsoft recently released a fascinating global survey that unearthed another gap between the developed and the developing world. Poorer countries have a lot more positive… Read More

Have you been using the same credit card for many years, blissfully ignoring advertisements for new credit cards? Perhaps your current card is so great that it’s a keeper, but maybe you are ignoring its faults. The credit card industry is extremely competitive, and card issuers are constantly offering new products with new features, better… Read More