Credit Sesame Review: A Better Way

I like to check my credit score on line several times during the year. I usually go through the free website AnnualCreditReport.Com. The three main credit reporting companies Experion, Equifax and Transunion are accessible from the web site. Every 4 months I stop by and get my credit report, using a different company. This is great for getting your credit report but not getting your credit score. These companies will give you your credit score but it's not free, there is an additional charge.
I have been reading about a new website that can give you your credit score for free it's a site called CreditSesame.com. I went over and I signed up. Signing up is not hard at all. You enter some simple personal information and also your social security number. They access your credit file and ask some basic questions to verify you and your information.

After you sign up you will get your free credit score from Experian. It's not your FICO score, it's Experian's own "National Equivalency Score". It' is usually within a few points of your actual FICO score.

What Else Can Credit Sesame Do For You?

By using your credit score they can match you up with loans you can qualify for. Using other services will also give a list of loans you can apply for, but Credit Sesame will only offer you loans you will qualify for according to your credit profile. The idea being that a lower interest loan will help you pay off debt faster. Even over time, if you want, Credit Sesame will monitor your credit score and send you more information about loans when it becomes available. If you own a home it keeps tabs on its appraisal value to better match you up with refinance offers.



In the goals section your profile is used to help you minimalize your costs for your debts. If your goal is to save money Credit Sesame will offer alternate ways to pay your debt or refinance it.

In the Advice section, Credit Sesame will give you a range of scenarios on how paying your debts and loans will shorten the duration and costs of repayment. All to save you money.

How does Credit Sesame make any money if they are not charging me a fee?

In the About Section, they say that they are paid a fee if I use their site to apply for a loan and that they will not offer me any loans I can not qualify for.

What I like About Credit Sesame.

I like to stay on top of my finances and at Credit Sesame you can see all your loans, credit and debt in one place. Plus you get your credit score for free. It may not be my FICO score but it is better than paying a monthly fee for it. It's a good tool and it gives you a snapshot of your credit rating and debt. Even if you don’t end up getting a new loan, it’s a good overview and a free credit score, so check it out.

Click Here To Sign Up For Your Free Credit Sesame Account Today

TV Watching Choices Are Changing

Image via CrunchBaseIf you can remember the days of 3 networks and black & white TV you are old. Before the days of the remote control, TV viewing choices were few. I remember those were the days where you watch one channel all night. There wasn't anything like channel surfing like we have today. If you were like me, you were to lazy to get up to change the channel. That's all over today.

Today our TV watching choices are throught he roof. We have DVR's, DVD's, Blue-Ray, HBO, TNT, ESPN, OnDemand, Pay-Per-View, HULU, and YouTube. We have more channels and more content to keep us busy. The delivery systems for all this content are also changing to. We can record TV for watching at a more convient time. We have web services that allow us to watch new network programing on demand whenever we want. We aren't forced to show up at a certain time to catch our favorite show.

As time goes by, everyones love for TV continues to grow. They love it. It's their companion, advisor, time killer, necessity, educator, social life enabler, child-minder, boredom-buster, stress-fighter, lullaby, and low-maintenance friend, among other things. It is little wonder that even in the era of the PC and the cell phone, the TV is one of the first pieces of technology most consumers purchase. Each year 1.3 billion households (source: Euromonitor) around the world watch an estimated 2,464 hours of television (source: Nielsen). This equates to a total of 3.9 trillion hours of television viewing each year! Significantly, the total time spent watching TV is still 25-times greater than the 156 billion hours people spent using the Internet in 2007 (source: Comscore 2007).

In the near future, traditional video and broadcast TV programming will begin to share screen space with a spectrum of personalized information, entertainment and social networking services, in addition to original content such as family videos and photos. The arrival of Internet-based programming and interactive IP-based services on TV will challenge the industry to find new ways to blend novel Internet-based usages into a seamless whole with traditional TV. Moreover, models of interaction must be transparent, with push-button ease-of-use.


With all these TV choices 2 candidates stand out. Hulu Plus and Netflix. First Netflix.


Netflix

Netflix completely revolutionized the DVD rental space when it debuted more than a decade ago. Over the last few years, the company has exerted more of its energies and resources into becoming the most visible subscription streaming service.

Featuring one of the largest streaming content libraries and capturing subscribers by the millions, Netflix is one of the big players in the streaming media space.

PC/Mac Access: Yes, using a web browser (requires Microsoft Silverlight), Windows 7 Media Center, Plex, orBoxee.

Mobile Device Support: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Windows Phone 7. Android is coming soon.

Connected Device Support: Roku, TiVo, the new Apple TV, Google TV, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and countless HDTV sets, Blu-ray players and other devices.

Price: Streaming only plans start at $7.99 a month

Selection: Netflix has an ever-expanding selection of TV shows and movies and the company has made it clear it isn’t afraid to open up its wallet to bring more streaming content to its compatible devices.

Our Take: At this point, one has to make an effort to find a new TV, Blu-ray player or set-top box that doesn't support Netflix. This, coupled with the new low-cost streaming only plan and the ever-increasing content library makes Netflix a winner. HD quality isn’t as sharp as on some other services and title availability can change without notice, but for catalog TV titles and a good selection of new and old films, Netflix is a winner.

HULU PLUS

When Hulu first hit the scene back in 2007, many scoffed at the idea that streaming TV shows in a web browser could work. If you ask Hulu’s backers — News Corp., NBC Universal, Disney and Providence Equity Partners — it’s possible Hulu has worked too well.

Hulu Plus was conceived as a way to not only monetize Hulu, but also provide a better selection of catalog content and official support for mobile devices, televisions and set-top boxes.

Hulu Plus only officially launched a few months ago, but already the company says it is having a positive impact on its bottom line.

PC/Mac Access: Yes, via Hulu.com and the Hulu Desktop application.

Mobile Device Support: iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Android support for select Android 2.2 devices is coming soon.

Connected Device Support: Roku, PlayStation 3, TiVo Premiere (soon), Xbox 360 (soon) and select HDTV and Blu-ray players from Vizio, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Haier and Samsung.

Price: $7.99 a month.

Selection: Good selection of current TV shows and some movies. Hulu Plus doesn’t feature every title from the regular Hulu.com, but it does feature more episodes of certain series, full back catalogs for some classic shows and offers users access to 720p streaming content for compatible programming. Many (but not all) Hulu Plus programs are served ad free.

My Take: Hulu Plus is a great choice for users who watch a lot of television, especially current shows. There is a significant amount of overlap between the content offered by Hulu Plus and Netflix, but Hulu wins for current episodes of hit TV shows. The iPad and iPhone apps are great and a growing number of devices are gaining Hulu Plus support. It’s worth checking out on your PC or Mac and is a good feature to look for when buying a connected TV, Blu-ray player or set-top box.

Women and Aging 2011: Policy Implications for an Aging Population

The United States is bracing for a dramatic cultural and economic shift sparked by our rapidly-aging population. Women over 60 make up a rapidly growing percentage of those retired or entering retirement. As this trend continues, the need for a national dialogue on the future of America’s aging women is more urgent than ever before.

Volunteers of America is excited to announce its third-annual discussion on women and aging on May 10, 2011, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Guest panelists include Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post; Debra Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families; Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, Executive Vice President of Multicultural Markets and Engagement for AARP; and Mike King, National President of Volunteers of America. The discussion will focus on public policy surrounding the needs of America’s women as they age into an uncertain economic future where access to health care, income and other vital resources is often elusive. Everyone who can make it is encouraged to attend the event and participate in the discussion.

To illustrate the importance of public policy for aging seniors, consider some important facts and figures:

· Women over 60 make up 80% of the caregivers for chronically ill or aging relatives.

· Women can expect to spend 18 years caring for a parent.

· Women have a longer life expectancy than men on average.

· 66% of baby boomers feel they have not adequately prepared financially for the future.

· Nearly half of women caregivers (48 percent) say the economic situation has made providing care more difficult.

· 39% of current non-caregivers are not confident about their ability to cover the costs of their possible future care responsibilities.

Responsible public policy is crucial to meet the needs of our nation’s women. Women like Jeannette can’t afford to wait and women like her need a certain future in our society. As a community, we must start this discussion today. Please join the conversation, spread awareness and get involved today.

12 Financial Facts About Women

Image via WikipediaFed Governor Elizabeth A. Duke recently gave an interesting speech called "Women and Money: Challenging the Myths". She was nominated to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve by President George W. Bush on May 15, 2007. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve consists of 7 members with Ben Bernanke as its chairman.

One of Elizabeth A. Duke's many interests is financial education. It seems the myth is that men make most of the financial decisions in our families. But this is wrong, women overall are in the drivers seat for family finances.

Even women are under the impression that leaving it to their spouse or significant other is the norm. Elizabeth A. Duke has been integral to setting up financial education for women and encouraging them to seek it.

The following is a list of facts that indicate that most women will someday need the knowledge coming from financial literacy.

• Women are quite likely to be solely responsible for financial decision making at some point in their lives. Indeed, as women age, the probability of living alone increases.
• According to the Social Security Administration, the average life expectancy for women is 81 years, compared to 73 years for men.
• Census information tells us that the average age of widowhood is 55 years old.
• The current divorce rate is estimated at between 36 and 50 percent.
• Statistics indicate that the earlier in life one marries, the higher the probability of divorce.
• Women are more likely than men to be single parents.
• Women have lower average wages, lower lifetime earnings, and are less likely to be covered by a pension plan.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that median earnings for all women are $638 a week, compared to $798 for men–approximately 80 percent of what men earn on average.
• The Department of Labor reported in 2008 that less than half of working women participated in a pension or retirement plan.
• Women are more likely to work in part-time jobs that don’t offer retirement plans.
• The typical woman spends 10 years out of the workforce for care giving, while the typical man spends just 2 years out of the workforce,
• Nearly two-thirds of U.S. women ages 40 to 79 have already dealt with a major financial “life crisis,” such as job loss, divorce, the death of a spouse, or serious illness.

These facts indicate the importance of financial education for women. After all, women are central to our national prosperity as workers, taxpayers, voters, consumers, and financial managers. Today, half the labor force is composed of women, compared to 38 percent in 1970. While the overall civilian unemployment rate is 9.7 percent, the unemployment rate for women 20 years and older is 8.0 percent. And nearly one-third of married women workers now out-earn their husbands.

Reader: What do you think?