If you use your debit card to make a purchase but don’t have enough money in your account, chances are good that your bank will allow the transaction to go through, helping you avoid the embarrassment of a checkout line rejection. However, as pointed out in a recent CNNMoney.com article, there’s a cost to the […]
Archive | Credit/Debt
Changing Our Money Ways
With our tough economy leading people to eat out less often, switch from SUVs to gas sippers, and generally spend less, an MSN columnist recently wondered what would happen if we all suddenly got and stayed money-smart? That is, what if we paid our credit cards in full each month (46 percent of households carry […]
Your Number Matters
Several times in this eNewsletter we’ve discussed the importance of knowing and managing your credit score. A recent MarketWatch article emphasized the point by highlighting five types of organizations beyond creditors who use our credit scores to guide their relationship with us: employers, insurance companies, landlords, utilities, and cell phone carriers. Keeping our score high, […]
It’s Personal
Most of us would prefer to discuss just about anything other than our financial situation, especially when that situation includes debt. As reported by MarketWatch, a new survey found that 82 percent of people are reluctant to openly discuss their credit card debts. Further, people are more willing to talk about the personal details of […]
The Debt Fix
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” – Romans 12:12 For the last couple of months we’ve been going over a step-by-step plan for getting out of debt and staying out of debt forever. If you have debt, you probably didn’t get into it overnight. Getting out of debt won’t be an […]
A Credit Score Primer
Checking your credit report may seem about as exciting as flossing your teeth, but it’s important to your financial health. Syndicated personal finance writer Gregory Karp devoted three recent columns to the topic, reminding us of some of the basics and adding some helpful tips. The basics include making sure to order your free credit […]
Yes, You CAN Get Out of Debt
“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” – Matthew 5:37 “Yes” is one of the most powerful words in our vocabulary. I’m not talking about the easy yes spoken to a waiter offering us dessert. I’m talking about the yes of commitment. It’s the yes spoken on an altar – “To have […]
Cracking the Code on LifeLock
By now you’ve seen the commercial in which Todd Davis gives you his Social Security number. He’s one of the founders of LifeLock, a company that offers to protect you from identity theft for a monthly fee of about $10. A New York Times article noted that while the company has lined up more than […]
Paid in Full
“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” – 1 Corinthians 7:23 On a recent retreat I had the privilege of serving communion. Over and over, I looked a brother or sister in Christ in the eye and said, “This represents the body and blood of Jesus, broken and shed for […]
Paying More With Plastic
Do you pay your credit card balances in full every month? Have you been using credit cards for more of your purchases, like groceries, figuring you’re ahead of the game because of the rebates, miles, or other perks? According to researchers quoted in a Washington Post article, you’re overspending. Professors from MIT, Harvard, and Britain’s […]