When you turn eighteen, you have many more privileges that you had not had about twenty four hours earlier. You have the ability to register to serve in the military, buy cigarettes, and gamble. You also have new responsibilities and one of the greatest responsibilities you have is to develop a solid financial history. This article will give you a quick overview of what a solid financial history is along with why you should develop a solid financial history.
A solid financial history is documented on your credit report. A credit report details basic information about you such as where you work and where you live. It tells whether or not you owe money to others and haven't paid it back in a reasonable period of time (commonly called a collection).
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It doesn't take a great deal of effort to derail your credit but it takes a great deal of effort to build it up. Beginning the process at an early age gives you a head start over many others who will find themselves in trouble by not being as financially prudent as you will be.
Living without credit used to be a lifestyle choice. Now it's something we're all going to have to get used to.
Because the days of cheap and easy credit are gone. If you've got this far without racking up a huge pile of debt on credit cards, store cards or personal loans then well done - your frugal habits in the good times will stand you in good stead in the coming lean years. For the rest of us, well - it's going to be a bit of a culture shock!
Here are just a few tips on how to adapt to a credit-free lifestyle:
1. Pay for things you want in
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But it's sometimes difficult to travel without Mastercard , Visa or Amex. So ask your bank for a Debit Card instead. This will only let you spend as much as you have in your accout, so you won't come back from a fantastic break to a whole pile of worry!
5. Consider your housing situation
As the credit crunch bites in, are you living in a place you'll be able to afford? Would it make sense to rent somewhere cheaper while house values are tumbling and save money for a deposit so you can buy a new home cheaply a bit later? Don't make these decisions lightly - be sure to get some proper advice, but do consider this: Do you really want to be tied into a massive mortgage on a home that's worth less than you borrowed to pay for it? The way things are going, this is a real possibility.
Experts are predicting the most severe recession that most of us have ever seen, or ever will see. If you want to come out the other end in good financial shape then now is the time to make changes. You'll learn habits that will help you manage money properly for the rest of your life and pave the way to early financial
At the end of the day, credit shows true financial independence and having excellent credit can get you what you want and save you a lot of money in the long run with the possibly of lower interest rates. Credit is a universal number that landlords, lenders, finance company and even an employer look at to determine your
It is up to you to know what is on your credit report and keep the data up to date. You might have paid your bills on time, but your credit report may show that your credit is less than perfect. You may have had a credit dispute with a merchant that was corrected, but not shown on your report. You may have a bankruptcy that was not properly recorded. You may also have experienced credit fraud.
This paper aims to discuss the Short-Term and Long-Term Impacts of the Great Recession and
Late Payments: People do not realize that their payment history can significantly affect their credit score. Every bank or lender provides a due date for making a payment but they also provide a grace period before which the late fees is levied. This is where people make mistakes. They
It can be argued that the economic hardships of the great recession began when interest rates were lowered by the Federal Reserve. This caused a bubble in the housing market. Housing prices plummeted, home prices plummeted, then thousands of borrowers could no longer afford to pay on their loans (Koba, 2011). The bubble forced banks to give out homes loans with unreasonably high risk rates. The response of the banks caused a decline in the amount of houses purchased and “a crisis involving mortgage loans and the financial securities built on them” (McConnell, 2012 p.479). The effect on the economy was catastrophic and caused a “pandemic” of foreclosures that effected tens of thousands home owners across the U.S. (Scaliger, 2013). The debt burden eventually became unsustainable and the U.S. crisis deepened as the long-term effect on bank loans would affect not only the housing market, but also the job market.
If you find yourself with a missed payment or two, it is very important to get caught up as soon as possible. Although older information will remain on your credit report, it holds less value than current financial activity. The longer you can go without missing a due-date, the less relevance y...
Credit card debt is one of this nation’s leading internal problems. When credit was first introduced, and up until around the late 1970’s, the standards for getting a credit card were very high. The bar got lowered and lowered to where, eventually, an 18 year-old college student with almost no income and nothing to base a credit score on previously could obtain a credit card (much like myself). The national credit card debt for families residing in the United States alone is in the trillions (Maxed Out). The average American family has around $9,000 in debt, and pays around $1,3000 a year on interest payments (Maxed Out). Many people have the concern today that these interest rates and fees are skyrocketing; and many do not understand why. Most of these people have to try to avoid harassing collecting agents from different agencies, which takes an emotional and psychological toll on them. While a lot of the newly recognized “risky” people (those with a doubted ability to make sufficient payments) are actually older people who have been customers of certain companies for decades, the credit card companies are actually consciously targeting a different, much more vulnerable group of people: college students. James Scurlock produced a documentary called Maxed Out on this growing problem, in which Senator Jack Reed of (Democrat) of Rhode Island emphasizes the targeting of college students in the Consumer Credit Hearings of 2005
...ults of the recession. In order for this never to happen again, there is a need to learn from the mistakes in the past and to look for the warning signs. The problem is not just restricted to one country, but is a global problem and needs to be addressed as such.
This article explains how one should decide whether to buy a home or rent. Buying a home should be based on decisions of credit report, debt ratios, job stability or relocation, maintenance issues, and financial situation. It explains how not everyone should buy a house. Some people are actually better off renting.
In economics, a recession occurs when there is a slowdown in the spending of goods and services in the market. A recession causes a drop in employment, GDP growth, investment, as well as societal well-being. All recessions are caused by a specific cause, but the Great Recession of 2007-2009 was caused by a crash in the housing market. This crash was triggered by a steep decline in housing prices. All of a sudden, people bought houses because there was an excessive amount of money in the economy and they thought the price of houses would only increase. (Amadeo, 2012). There was a financial frenzy as the growing desire for homes expanded. People held a lot of faith in the economy and began spending irrationally on houses that they couldn’t afford. This led to overvalued estate and unsustainable mortgage debt. (McConnell, Brue, Flynn, 2012).
Statistics shows that due to foreclosure murder rates, homelessness, and vacant properties has increased dramatically this year alone. The financial crisis is affecting the health of the economy and is fueling in recession.. This has created much problems for those that are middle class workers and low income families. It target those groups of individuals because their financial background is not up to par to be financially stabled, which later cause them to be behind in payments and things of that nature. Statistics also shows that millions of Americans spend an unexplainable amount of share on their income.
Most kids that have graduated high school have never been educated on the subject of personal finance, so they don’t know things like how to pay bills, or even how to do something as simple as applying for a job. According to a family friend of mine, Ron Hart; who happens to also be an award-wining author and TV/radio commentator, believes that students in high school don’t learn anything about how to get a job or get prepared financially. He states that, “ Students should prepare for a job. Maybe, instead of taking a fifth field trip to the Trail of Tears site, do one to learn about real jobs in an area they might want.” Hart believes that most basic high schools aren’t teaching students how to become financially stable for their future, which can cause major issues. He claims that “few schools teach about the value of hard work, ingenuity, gumption and entrepreneurship. Those lessons are as rare as Donald Trump bumper stickers in the faculty parking lot.” Hart also goes on to talk about how high school does not prepare you for life the same way college will. There are so many more lessons to learn there that people are missing out on. College is very important due to the fact that it will teach students more skills about finance and job seeking that most high schools don’t. In college, kids will learn how to save and budget their money, pay for their own expenses, and prioritize their needs verses their wants. Learning financial responsibility is also something that kids will carry with them throughout their jobs and their life. Having more freedom to understand the concepts of person finance will allow students to make mature decisions while easing their way into real world
Instant gratification or easy access to almost everything is necessary, to have the right clothes and the right shoes, but usually they have no money to buy it with. This is where credit cards come into play, and where many individuals see credit cards as free money. They assume that they can buy it now, and of course, pay it later assuring themselves and their family that they will have the money. This comes down to responsibility; can college students handle budgeting their money? According to a study conducted by a Midwestern University shows approximately 66% of college students did in fact own at least one credit card. Some students can handle it and some can’t, it all depends on what priorities that person has. If buying a hamburger or new video game and not thinking about it is more important than paying that purchase off and establishing credit than those priorities are not good. Credit cards are just another factor in growing up. It 's learning what boundaries you have and what responsibilities are
Some of the arguments in the article say that the reason why people are in debt is because expenses are higher now than they were in the 1970 's. Another argument is that we are living in a materialistic place, especially in California and New York. Everybody wants to look good and have the best, so they use their credit card to make these expenses. Some arguments blame teens for using credit cards. Teens already use credit cards and spend money. Banks and financial institutions are also blamed for the rise in credit card debt because they lower monthly payments on credit cards. Others just think that Americans are comfortable with having credit card debts.
We do live in a bigger home than usual for people with my parent’s income together, but it was something they could afford at the time they bought it. My parents are great people and I love them so much, my mother just has bad credit so all of my loans right now are in my name. I see that I am incurring a debt and interest everyday because of school loans. But I do not have a credit card and that is something I know if I had, I would get in trouble with. I took personal finance in high school and that is when I learned the difference between a debit card and a credit card. That opened my eyes so much more in what financial maturity looks like. I was able to figure out how to write a check and keep up with a checkbook, I learned about how babies are expensive, and about debt. I have learned that like my mother if I have a credit card I am going to get in trouble. This why I only have a debit card and both of them are closed cards (I believe there might be another term for this). It is when I run out of money; I cannot overdraft my account and occur an extra debt over the amount owed. That is so my card will automatically decline when I run out of money. This is good so I don’t get myself into trouble, and so it shows me that I need watch my