Consumers face a "catch-22" situation when it comes to loans. On the one hand, it's important to shop around to get the lowest interest rate you can. On the other hand, there's the perception out there that shopping around for loans too much will hurt your credit.

To help shed...

When buying a house, interest rates matter. Even a slightly higher interest rate can increase the amount that you have to pay on your mortgage. For example, an increase of as little as one or two percent over a 30-year mortgage could turn into tens of thousands of dollars more...

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that one of the steps I recommend to rebuilding credit is to use credit cards. It's a smart, easy way to wisely develop good credit history - but emphasis is on "wisely".

Those who struggle with credit shouldn't just...

You bring your car to the mechanic regularly for a check-up. You go to the doctor regularly for a check-up. You go to the dentist regularly for a check-up. Whether our car, our body, or our teeth, we know the importance of periodically reviewing those important aspects of our life...

Daylight Saving Time might steal an hour from us, and the worst result for most of us is that we need an extra coffee to get through the day. But there is a theft that is even worse than that missing hour: I'm talking about identity theft.

Identity theft can...

Increasingly, couples are having the "what's your credit score?" conversation as their romance grows. It's the new version of "how much do you earn?" If this sounds crazy to you, let me explain why it's happening:

• While money isn't everything, we all know that relationships can fall apart because...

"Folk wisdom" is the collection of useful pieces of knowledge that get passed around verbally or passed down from one generation to the next. It's usually cute and memorable -- things like "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Unfortunately, not all folk wisdom is correct or even helpful....

Today, there is a new element arising -- something that might surprise you: Measuring the relationship potential of someone based on their credit score.

A few years ago, it would have been shocking, even taboo, to broach the subject of credit scores while on a date. But an increasing number...

One of my coaching clients called me in a panic recently. He was reviewing his credit report and saw a credit item listed in collections that he didn't recognize. Had his identity been stolen? Was a creditor trying to pull a fast one on him? He wasn't sure what to...

It's that time of year for setting goals for things that you would like to improve in your life for 2013! Usually among new resolutions is a desire to be fit... But are you focused only on your physical fitness? You should also be focused on your CREDIT fitness!

When...

Every year, millions of people fall victim to identity theft -- and those are just the numbers of people who know they have become victims. There are many more people who are completely unaware!

Identity theft can happen to anyone and it could be relatively contained, like if someone gets...

Credit scores are becoming increasingly important to people: For example, more companies are reporting to credit reporting agencies, and even employers are sometimes pulling the credit report of their employees. Recently, one trend is catching the attention of people everywhere: credit scores and dating.

If you are sitting in your...

I love this time of year! It's so festive and joyful, and it's wonderful to spend time with loved ones. It's a time when we want to be extra-generous to our family and friends and we savor the smells and sounds and the nostalgia.

And during this time, we know...

During this time of year, it can be easy to add an extra pound or two. You get offered another cookie and it's hard to say no. Or, at a family dinner, someone passes around the turkey for a fourth time and you decide that you don't want to have...

On Sunday, November 25th, it's officially one month until Christmas. Halloween and the election and Thanksgiving and Black Friday are over and now everyone's mind is starting to think about Santa and candy canes and those little Christmas countdown calendars where you opened up a numbered cardboard window to get...

A young client sat across from my desk, somewhat started. He had just graduated from college and admitted that, during college, he had not been careful with his money. It's a familiar story: As a result of credit card mismanagement, he was climbing out of debt.

Now that he had...

Today is the presidential election -- an opportunity for American citizens to have your say in the direction of the country by voting for your candidate of choice.

In the weeks leading up to the election, we've seen a lot of press coverage -- both good and bad --...

It's Halloween this week and that means it's time to be scared! Children will dress up in scary costumes and run from door to door asking for candy. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, all the stores seem to ramp up their scariness quotient - stringing cobwebs and ghosts...

We entrust a lot of our children's learning and development to the educational system. But schools don't teach everything that our kids need to know. One of the key parts of life that children need to learn (but often don't learn it at school) is about credit, credit reports, and...

Years ago, America was a different place than it is today: People didn't move around a lot. Our system of interstates didn't exist and neither did Disney World, and cars weren't as common... so those summer vacations that we might take for granted today were not even dreamt of by...