October 18, 2018 Shawn Lane Consumer Credit Expert There is no surefire way to keep your personal information safe and protected. The Equifax Data Breach of 2017 alone exposed the sensitive, personal information of some 143 million consumers in the US. The Under Armour data breach, which occurred in the spring of 2018, exposed another 150 million consumer records as …
The Cost of Poor Credit
August 14, 2018 Shawn Lane Consumer Credit Expert You work hard to earn an income. Wasting that money is the last thing you want to do. If you have bad credit, however, wasting money is inevitable. Bad credit is incredibly expensive and the cost of bad credit is compounded the longer your credit remains in poor shape. Believe it or …
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and How It Protects You
September 27, 2018 Shawn Lane Consumer Credit Expert No one likes to pick up the phone or open the mailbox only to discover a debt collector on the other side. Sure, debt collectors are allowed to contact you regarding legitimate, unpaid debts, but they also have strict rules they must follow when doing so. Among these rules is the Fair …
Is There a Grace Period Before a Late Payment Will Hurt Your Credit Scores?
September 18, 2018 Shawn Lane Consumer Credit Expert You are working hard to clean up your credit and dig your way out of the hole when, all of a sudden, you are faced with an unexpected financial setback. Sound familiar? If so, you may find yourself asking the question “How late can my payments actually be before they hurt my …
Which Debt Should I Pay Off First?
August 28, 2018 Shawn Lane Consumer Credit Expert So you have come into some money (or perhaps freed up a bit of room in your budget) and you are ready to start paying down your debts. Now you just need to choose where to start. Which debts should you pay off first and which ones can wait for later? The …