Bad Credit? What It Takes to Up Your Score

Having a poor credit score could make it harder to get low interest rates on loans or find a job. It may also make it harder to find an apartment or get approved for a cell phone plan. Let's look at some ways that you can improve your bad credit no matter how bad it is now.

Make Your Future Payments on Time

Depending on your current credit situation, it may not be wise to pay old late or missed payments. This is because creditors generally can't pursue them after a certain number of years. 

One exception is if you choose to pay the debt off or make a partial payment as that restarts the statute of limitations clock. Ideally, you should focus on making your future payments on time as the most recent information on your report gets more attention than older information.

Nothing Gets Reported Forever

Except for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, information on your credit report remains there for seven years after is first added. If you do file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, it will remain on your credit report for a decade. 

Therefore, simply making better decisions today and avoiding any future missed payments or black marks will necessarily lead to better credit.

Monitor Your Credit Report

If you were to ask credit repair professionals their top 10 ways to improve a credit score, credit monitoring may be on those lists. This is because an error on a credit report could reduce a person's score by dozens or hundreds of points. 

If a person is a victim of identity theft, it may be months or years until he or she realizes what has happened. By then, the problem may be much more difficult to solve.

Talk With Your Creditors

It may be possible for one or more creditors to agree to accept less than what you currently owe to settle a debt. If debt forgiveness is not an option, it may be possible to get a lower interest rate on future payments. 

This may help you reduce your debt balances, which could lower your debt-to-income ratio. Ultimately, reducing your debt can help improve your credit score.

If you have a bad credit score, there is no time like now to start improving it. In as little as a few months, you may notice that efforts to increase your score are starting to pay off. 

Over the course of 12-24 months, it may be possible to go from having subprime credit to being labeled as a responsible borrower.

The 4 Easiest Ways for Burglars to Get Into Your Home

Your worst nightmare is having your home broken into. It’s an invasion of privacy and can make you feel like nothing in your life is safe and that everything is falling apart. These feelings are incredibly valid.

Everyone always feels like it won’t ever happen to them. It’s an invincibility complex like bad things can’t happen to you, whether it’s a car accident, the death of a loved one, or someone breaking into your home.

That sort of invasion of privacy shakes your entire world. Because of this fear, you can never be too safe or careful when protecting yourself from having your home broken into.

Carelessness that comes from time

Of course, there are the obvious things you can do to keep intruders out of your home: lock your doors whether you’re home or not, install a security system in your home, and be wary of who you welcome into your home.

These are easy ways to make you feel more comfortable at home. It’s surprising how many people forget these simple things, though. Again, you never think it could happen to you, so you get a little bit too comfortable in your environment.

When you move into a new area, you won’t dream of leaving without locking your door. But after a while, if you forget to lock your door upon leaving, you figure that it isn’t a big deal, you know all of your neighbors at this point, and you trust them. This is a mistake. You should never let your guard down like this.

Insecure garage doors

One of the most common ways for someone to break into your home is through your garage. A garage door company in King of Prussia can ensure your garage door is working properly. Additionally, make sure your garage door is closed. Even if you’re just home for a quick lunch and will leave less than an hour later.

While it’s not very likely that during that hour, someone will break in, it gives potential thieves a chance to case it out and figure out the easiest way to get in and what they’d like to steal.

Don’t leave your garage door opener in a visible spot in your car. Many people leave theirs on the visor in their car. However, if it’s visible, someone could break into your car and steal it, take a photo of the address on your vehicle registration, and then break into your home while you’re away.

To avoid this, leave the remote in your console or another concealed place in your car.

The back yard and back door

Your backyard is another way that thieves will get in. You’re less likely to keep your back door locked than the front door, and thieves know this.

So not only do you need to make sure you keep people out of your home but also your backyard. When you’re getting a fence installed, ensure it’s tall enough that it cannot be easily jumped over, as long as your city regulations allow a fence at least six feet tall.

And always make sure that the gate to your fence has a lock on it on the inside, so it can’t be picked by passersby. And, of course, keep your back door locked at all times.

Doggy doors and hidden keys

A lot of people keep keys hidden outside their house in case they lock themselves out of the house. This seems like a harmless idea. If you tend to lock yourself out of your house often, then you obviously want to be able to get back in easily without having to call a locksmith.

When trying to break into your home, however, this is one of the first things a thief will look for. Never leave your key in a fake rock, under the mat, in a potted plant, or any other obvious places.

Another way to gain easy access to your home is through a doggy door. Make sure that your doggy door is far enough from the lock that it cannot be unlocked by reaching through the doggy door from the outside.

At night, ensure your doggy door is locked so no one can access it. Also, ensure that the door is too small for anyone to fit through. If you have a large breed dog, a doggy door may not be safe.

Save for College with a 529 College Savings Plan

If you're sending  a kid to school this fall, there's a back-to-school product that every mom and dad needs to get -- a 529 college savings plan. A 529 college savings plan assists households make post-secondary education more achievable. Opening an account with 529 savings plan takes about 15 minutes, and the benefits are well worth the effort.

529 College Savings Plan

Whether the student in your life is moving towards a liberal arts degree at the University,  trades program at the Community College, or another program in another state completely, you now can make those expenses much easier to pay for in the future. 

What you do today can help in reducing the amount of financial obligation your student may  need to borrow tomorrow.

Growth is Tax Free

The 529 college savings plan is found in the federal tax code. With these strategies, you contribute money that gets invested and has the chance to grow tax-free over the years. 



Contributions and profits in the account can be withdrawn, tax-free, for certified instructional expenditures such as tuition, books, charges, room and board as well as computer systems. The account can be utilized at any school in the nation that is qualified to get federal financial assistance for its trainees.

Contibutions May Be Tax Deductible

If you save through The 529 college savings plan your contributions are deductible in some states that have an income tax. With a steady contribution and and some patience over the years you ccan actually end up with a tidy some of money for college.

Even small amount of money can go a long way. Contributing simply $25 each month from a young age can amount to countless dollars by the time your kid finishes high school. However if you're getting a late start, don't worry-- every bit helps.

By the way, anybody-- grandparents, other loved ones-- can add to your 529 account too.

The time to start saving for college is when your child is born. However saving now for future college costs is something that will repay in spades in the future.

Visit Whatisa529Plan.com for more information.

How to Keep Your Sanity while Navigating Through Bankruptcy

Getting stuck in the quicksand of debt and bankruptcy can make your life quite unbearable. Calls and letters from creditors, the possibility of a foreclosure or repossession are immensely stressful and can be quite hard to deal with. There are quite a lot of reasons why you should file for bankruptcy, but we’re sure you can name a number of those against this solution.

In modern world’s economy, bankruptcy is one of the critical stages any kind of business may undergo. When you have to repay your creditors, but you don’t have the resources or you’re unable to do so, bankruptcy may be the only way you can get something out of that situation.

It may be challenging to deal with bankruptcy, and it can be quite stressful, but it’s not impossible. We’ve scoured the web, and we’ve made a list of some great tips that may help you out with stress and anxiety during bankruptcy. 

The important thing to understand is that even if you have filed for bankruptcy, that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily lose your company. So, without further ado, let’s dive in and learn how to deal with bankruptcy-induced stress.

Understand what’s ahead

The most important thing you should keep in mind is – what lies ahead. The best way to deal with stress and anxiety from a bankruptcy is to really understand what you are going into. 

Different countries and states have different bankruptcy laws and regulations, so make sure you completely understand the process before you file for one. This will help you avoid unexpected problems and quite a lot of stress induced by not knowing what to do next.




You have to start thinking ahead and planning in advance so you can deal with the bankruptcy in a proper way. In order to deal with the deadlines of your debts, you should think about overtime, multiple income streams and cutting down the leisure and luxury expenses from your budget. You will need to learn how to plan ahead in order to reduce the anxiety and stress that follows bankruptcy.

Keep an open mind and ask questions

Various studies have shown that one of the best ways to deal with your problems is to be open about it. If you’re open about what’s happening, you will reduce a great amount of stress that follows these proceedings. 

Quite a lot of people are letting their ego in the way and they choose to keep the fact that they’ve filed for bankruptcy a secret. This can affect their personal relationships in a bad way, and you need to know that bankruptcy is a solution, not a problem. You don’t need to go around yelling it proudly, but keep your close ones in the loop.

If you have any questions – ask them immediately. Ask your lawyer, or your trustee, and make sure you completely understand how things work. If you have any questions about the specific debts and which can be discharged, or you’re wondering why are your creditors still calling you after you’ve filed for bankruptcy – ask those questions right away. 

Get in contact with your lawyer, trustee or a third party. Contact someone you know that went through the similar procedure and get the answers you need. All of this will help you keep a clear head during this period.

Look for financial advice

As financial laws and regulations differ from one country to another, even from state to state, the best way to deal with too much stress and anxiety in these uncomfortable situations is to seek financial advice. There are lots of great free and cheap courses and classes that help you find any alternative to bankruptcy. 

There are some great solutions like Dean Willcocks Creditors voluntary liquidation or any other kind of deal with the creditors, so make sure you know everything before you decide to file for bankruptcy. Having a financial advisor can help you out deal with personal finances during the life after bankruptcy, and they can help you understand the better approach, and reevaluate your own.

Wrapping It Up

So, as you can see, however hard and stressful filing for bankruptcy may seem, it isn’t something you should be ashamed of, and it certainly isn’t something worth your health. This short guide aims to help you understand that there is life after bankruptcy and that life doesn’t have to be stressful and hard. 

It requires some planning and a bit of organizing, but there are countless examples of successful men and women who managed to make a business empire even after they’ve filed for bankruptcy, so, chin up, and start learning.