Recent Blog Posts
Signs That Your Mortgage Lender Is Setting You Up For Failure
During the pandemic, some programmers designed a bot that could imitate the writing style of texts input into it. The New Yorker showed an original passage from Kafka’s Metamorphosis, followed by a passage the bot created using Kafka’s prose as an example, and heck if the bot’s take on the sufferings of a man… Read More »
What Could Go Wrong With An 84-Month Car Loan With No Minimum Credit Score Requirement?
People who are struggling with debt and living paycheck to paycheck often seek out loans with the lowest possible monthly payments. This only makes sense, because it reduces your chances of defaulting on the loan in any given month. The lower the monthly payment, though, the longer the term of the loan. Choosing the… Read More »
What Is A FICO Score, And Why Is It So Important?
FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation, and it is a software analytics company that calculates borrowers’ credit score to determine their credit worthiness, and lenders in turn use loan applicants’ FICO scores to determine whether to extend loans to these applicants. Just as Google updates its algorithms every so often in order to provide… Read More »
The No Surprises Act Offers Hope To Patients With And Without Health Insurance
“Don’t get sick” is the most cynical piece of personal finance advice but also the wisest. Medical debt has ruined more Americans’ finances than any other kind of debt. Even the most financially cautious people, the ones who would never enroll at a university that cost more than their scholarships and savings would pay… Read More »
Credit Cards After Bankruptcy: Friend Or Foe?
Your friend’s dad knows a guy who has filed for bankruptcy five times, once after each divorce. When that guy goes out to eat with his friends, he orders the cheapest item on the menu and pays for it with crumpled banknotes and the occasional roll of quarters. You are not that guy; you… Read More »
Mistakes To Avoid When Dealing With Collection Agencies
Phone conversations with collection agencies are among the most unpleasant types of human interaction. Family law courts sometimes order divorced parents who cannot talk to each other without fighting to communicate through apps like Our Family Wizard instead of talking to each other face to face or by phone. If only there were a… Read More »
Is It Ever A Good Idea To Take Out A Personal Loan?
You know you are an adult when you dread the sight of the mail truck. When you are a child, postal mail addressed to you is a cause for literal celebration; almost every piece of mail you receive is a holiday greeting card or a party invitation. When you are an adult, however, your… Read More »
Credit Card Limit Increases: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Getting an offer for a credit limit increase on your credit card feels like a win, especially if you are trying to rebuild your credit after a bankruptcy filing or another serious struggle with debt. Your instinct might be to jump at every opportunity to increase your credit limit; after all, an increase in… Read More »
You Can Get A Home Mortgage With Lackluster Credit, But Should You?
Owning a house gives homeowners a feeling of financial stability, even if they must contribute a large portion of their income each month toward mortgage payments. Unfortunately, most people in our society live paycheck to paycheck, and home ownership remains elusive. The good news is that it is possible to qualify for a home… Read More »
How To Stop Debt From Ruining Your Mental Health
The percentage of professional economists who plan to continue working beyond their 70th birthdays is much higher than the total percentage of total workers who do not plan to retire before age 70. Ask these economists why they are delaying indefinitely, and they will tell you that it is because their work is so… Read More »